I could tell you an interesting story about hubby and waving in the breeze, but that's for another time. Instead, I'll tell you that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Well, not everything. But it's nice to have a little mystery. I could tell you stories that would make you question my judgement (you probably already do) and wish you were me all at the same time. I love that town and I love my man.
No, this is a story about body parts and flabby skin. I take as many opportunities to hang around adults as often as possible. I need the face to face contact. I talk to hubby all day on the phone, but it's nice to see his face. I have my Tuesday co-op, which I love. You can read the other blog for all of the details. I also volunteer at our Veggie co-op. Just about every day that we have co-op, I am there with the other ladies. We all know how great Park Day is. When I am with these ladies, I feel electric. I feel like a switch has been flipped and I am on. Like the camera is rolling and the director has called action. Strangest thing. I don't feel like I'm acting, I feel like I can be my loud, obnoxious, dramatic self and be accepted. I may not always say the right thing, or the politically correct thing, or whatever you want to call it, but it's ok. They never know what's coming out of my mouth and neither do I, until it's already out. But I digress.
A conversation came up at one of these places about changes in our bodies since kids, what we looked like in the past, and where we would really like for things to be. Talk about a lesson in body image. We are all insecure about our bodies, no matter how good or how bad. There is something about ourselves that we would change, something we feel could be better. I could start at the top and work my way down.
One of the major complaints is the belly. Good grief. We all need to cut ourselves a little slack. After three babies, I deserve a little belly. Just not as much as I have. One lady I dance with has lost weight and looks really good. She started working on it last year at the beginning of dance class. I told her one day she was going to blow away. On, no, she says. I still have this and that. And the hardest spot for her to lose the weight was her belly. Isn't it for most of us?
The other was the skin under our arms. The flag, the grandma wing. That ugly, saggy skin that continues to wave after we've stopped. The reason I stopped wearing sleeveless shirts. How embarrasing is that? It seems like no matter how much working out you do, it won't go away. You may have great arms, but there's that little bit of jiggle. I can't stand it. It pisses me off.
And, of course, the boobs. I always say that I'm tired of kicking the ladies around when I take off my bra. One of my friends said she bought her own, even though she was married, so no man could ever say that he paid for her boobs. You go on, girl. My sister is very candid in the fact that she wants hers done. Don't we all? I just want my lifted. I have enough to share for sure, I just want them to look me in the eye when I look in the mirror. Have kids and everything heads south. Those are the first to go.
My sister is a fitness instructor. Doesn't that suck? She knows I love her and am very proud of her. This is a later in life career for her and she's damn good at it. She loves her job. How many people can say that? That doesn't mean she doesn't piss me off. Her pants aren't big enough to fit on one of my legs. She turns sideways and you lose sight of her. I would slap her, but she slaps back, and hard, too. She has always loved going to the gym and working out. There was a time when she couldn't go to the gym after having been going regularly for awhile. She hated it. She loves the way she feels after a workout. And she looks great for a mom of four. I won't tell you how old she is, but she is older than me.
I have never been a gym kind of gal. I like working out at home. I have that huge insecurity that everyone came to the gym to watch me work out. I know they didn't, but that's the way I feel. I really like to do squats and lunges. I look pretty good in a short skirt and high heels. I like to work with hand weights. I have an exercise ball I like to work out with. Yoga is fantastic and I think everyone should do it. It is not as easy as it looks and when you finally get a pose that you haven't been able to do, it's almost euphoric. But let me tell you how I really feel. My problem is that one little glitch will make me quit. I may do really good for months, and then whammo. Hubby and I were walking every night for awhile. The rain and thunderstorms and hubby's long hours threw us off. And we haven't gotten back on. He asked me tonight when we were going to get back at it. So, tomorrow we start, I think.
I would really like to lose thirty pounds by the time we go to Hawaii. I want to be able to wear a bathing suit and feel a little confident in it. I certainly can't afford a gym right now, but I have a ton of videos and a great street to walk on. It doesn't take long. It's about a mile and a half, almost two by the time we're done. Except for the Mello Yello I just finished, I haven't had a soda in a couple of weeks. I feel like my body has finally lost all that bloating from the sodas. The pain in my thumb went away after I stopped. My next challenge is not having dessert. I've been really lax about that and have been indulging just a smidge too much. Cutting that sugar, too, will hopefully help my thumb as well. For those that are curious, sugar affects arthritis and inflammation in your joints. Mine happens to be in my thumb. Hopefully, it will also help me drop some weight. I need to get back to my regular diet instead of the glutton diet.
And I need to pull out my videos and get my butt moving. And my arms. And my legs. And every part of me from the top down. I know I'll feel better. I'll look better. And maybe there won't be so much to wave in the breeze.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
House Hunting
Yeah, right. Like that's gonna happen until we win the lottery. We really love where we live now, but after just four years, I feel like we've outgrown it. Isn't that a shame? I feel like I am constantly rearranging or purging stuff or just throwing away the junk. Yet, we still have a ton of stuff. George Carlin had a great skit about stuff. You get rid of stuff to make room for more stuff. Over and over and over, George.
One of my shows that I like to put on the TV when there really isn't anything else is House Hunters. I like to look at the houses and dream. Sometimes I really don't like any of the houses that the people are looking at, but sometimes, I really, really like the houses. That's where the problem comes in. Of course, we would probably just outgrow a new house, too. After watching tonight, here are a few things that I would really like in a home.
I must have acreage. I'm not talking a 1,000 acres or anything. Well, if we had a ton of money to spend I would be, but let's be a little more realistic shall we? I want lots of room for what we want to do. We would like to have chickens and goats. We would love to have a garden. I say we about the garden part, but I can tell you that hubby would probably have to do most of the work. I am really not much of a gardening person until harvest time. I don't mind the planting and doing a little weeding, but I don't really get into hours and hours of work. Of course, if we have a big garden, the kids would get to learn more about gardening than they ever wanted to know. Along with the garden and animals, we want room for the kids to roam and play. Us, too, truth be told. We like to walk our yard and hold hands and just talk. A pool is something we really want as well. You know all about our pool saga, which is still on going. We still don't have one, but we still have a big hole in the ground.
Believe it or not, I would like to have at least three bathrooms. Four would be better, but I could definitely live with three. I don't mind cleaning the bathroms and the kids are getting old enough to help with that. One would of course be the master, one for the girls, and one for the boy. Doesn't seem fair that the boy would get one all to himself, but boys are gross. If you are one, get over it. You know what I mean. If you have boys, you know what I mean. Either way, we all now it's a fact. It would be good for him to clean up after himself. The fourth would be for company or general use. If the kids had to share one and we only had three, that would be alright with me, too. In my bathroom, I like the seperate shower and tub. Our doors wouldn't be frosted like they are now, but clear glass. I like a door that opens as opposed to slides. And I would have jets in the tub. Yeah, say what you want, but I don't care. We have a great garden tub now, but jets would make it even better.
The big girl wouldn't have the biggest closet in the house, let me tell you what. That honor would go to me, thank you very much. It is not fair for her closet to be as big as it is. That has become one of our catch alls, and I need to change that, too. Just one more cleaning project that needs to be done is how I look at it right now. I would like some shelves in the closets for shoes so we don't need extra shoe racks and maybe built in dressers or storage similar to a dresser. We wouldn't have to put dressers in their rooms that way and take up space.
I would like a bigger kitchen and seperate dining room. Our last home and this one have a combined dining room and I would like to have room for a big table to have lots of family over for the holidays or just company for whatever reason. Lots of storage space and maybe a butler's pantry for storage of kitchen gadgets would be great. We have a pretty good sized pantry now, but there isn't tons of storage. Once again, just another cleaning project. Those are really starting to add up, now that I think about it.
A laundry ROOM is a big deal for me. At our last house, the washer and dryer were in the garage. In this one, it's at the back door. When I do laundry you have to turn the TV up to hear it over the washer. You can hear the darn thing all through the house because there isn't a buffer or door or anything to muffle the sound. I would like a table or counter top to fold the clothes so I can get the folding done right away, hopefully. Unless the lazies set in. That's always likely.
I would like two living areas and a homeschool room. I don't want to be forced into my bedroom when the kids are watching something or hubby. I want to be able to have a room for the kids to play and have their things besides their room or the living room. The homeschool room speaks for itself. I would like to be able to change it into a guest room when we have company or when we are no longer schooling. When the kids are done with school it could become an office maybe. Who knows?
Those are just a few of the things I would like to have. It sounds like a lot, but I like to dream big. One day, I'll get what I want. I'm praying for soon, because I have a lot of cleaning out to do. Can you hear the excitement in my voice?
One of my shows that I like to put on the TV when there really isn't anything else is House Hunters. I like to look at the houses and dream. Sometimes I really don't like any of the houses that the people are looking at, but sometimes, I really, really like the houses. That's where the problem comes in. Of course, we would probably just outgrow a new house, too. After watching tonight, here are a few things that I would really like in a home.
I must have acreage. I'm not talking a 1,000 acres or anything. Well, if we had a ton of money to spend I would be, but let's be a little more realistic shall we? I want lots of room for what we want to do. We would like to have chickens and goats. We would love to have a garden. I say we about the garden part, but I can tell you that hubby would probably have to do most of the work. I am really not much of a gardening person until harvest time. I don't mind the planting and doing a little weeding, but I don't really get into hours and hours of work. Of course, if we have a big garden, the kids would get to learn more about gardening than they ever wanted to know. Along with the garden and animals, we want room for the kids to roam and play. Us, too, truth be told. We like to walk our yard and hold hands and just talk. A pool is something we really want as well. You know all about our pool saga, which is still on going. We still don't have one, but we still have a big hole in the ground.
Believe it or not, I would like to have at least three bathrooms. Four would be better, but I could definitely live with three. I don't mind cleaning the bathroms and the kids are getting old enough to help with that. One would of course be the master, one for the girls, and one for the boy. Doesn't seem fair that the boy would get one all to himself, but boys are gross. If you are one, get over it. You know what I mean. If you have boys, you know what I mean. Either way, we all now it's a fact. It would be good for him to clean up after himself. The fourth would be for company or general use. If the kids had to share one and we only had three, that would be alright with me, too. In my bathroom, I like the seperate shower and tub. Our doors wouldn't be frosted like they are now, but clear glass. I like a door that opens as opposed to slides. And I would have jets in the tub. Yeah, say what you want, but I don't care. We have a great garden tub now, but jets would make it even better.
The big girl wouldn't have the biggest closet in the house, let me tell you what. That honor would go to me, thank you very much. It is not fair for her closet to be as big as it is. That has become one of our catch alls, and I need to change that, too. Just one more cleaning project that needs to be done is how I look at it right now. I would like some shelves in the closets for shoes so we don't need extra shoe racks and maybe built in dressers or storage similar to a dresser. We wouldn't have to put dressers in their rooms that way and take up space.
I would like a bigger kitchen and seperate dining room. Our last home and this one have a combined dining room and I would like to have room for a big table to have lots of family over for the holidays or just company for whatever reason. Lots of storage space and maybe a butler's pantry for storage of kitchen gadgets would be great. We have a pretty good sized pantry now, but there isn't tons of storage. Once again, just another cleaning project. Those are really starting to add up, now that I think about it.
A laundry ROOM is a big deal for me. At our last house, the washer and dryer were in the garage. In this one, it's at the back door. When I do laundry you have to turn the TV up to hear it over the washer. You can hear the darn thing all through the house because there isn't a buffer or door or anything to muffle the sound. I would like a table or counter top to fold the clothes so I can get the folding done right away, hopefully. Unless the lazies set in. That's always likely.
I would like two living areas and a homeschool room. I don't want to be forced into my bedroom when the kids are watching something or hubby. I want to be able to have a room for the kids to play and have their things besides their room or the living room. The homeschool room speaks for itself. I would like to be able to change it into a guest room when we have company or when we are no longer schooling. When the kids are done with school it could become an office maybe. Who knows?
Those are just a few of the things I would like to have. It sounds like a lot, but I like to dream big. One day, I'll get what I want. I'm praying for soon, because I have a lot of cleaning out to do. Can you hear the excitement in my voice?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Sex, Vaccines, and Chinese Chicken
Can you tell I have a couple of things on my mind? Not that they are mutually exclusive or anything. I'm listening to the news as I surf around and read blogs and stuff. Between that and some of the news I'm reading on the internet, my mind is spinning faster than ever. Good grief. Like I need my mind to go any faster. Here we go.
I am so tired of people thinking that handing out condoms will encourage kids or teens or whatever age group to go out and have sex. It's not permission, it's protection. Frankly, when I was a teenager, my friends and I, although we thought and talked about sex, were not in a big hurry to have sex. A condom would not have made me run out and find the nearest boy to rip our clothes off and do the wild monkey dance. I had such a horrible body image the thought of a boy seeing me naked just freaked me out. I couldn't even stand the thought of my mom and sister seeing me naked. Condoms don't flip a switch and suddenly everyone who has one is a sex maniac. They won't go running down the street screaming, "SEX, SEX,SEX". Take a breath. I can't say I'll be calm when my kids decide to have sex. I will say that hopefully I am raisng my kids right and they will take the step seriously and responsibly, on their wedding night.
The Guardasil vaccine has now been approved for boys to prevent genital warts. Can we go back to condoms for a minute? They are for protection, not permission. Protect yourself, boys and girls, and cover it up. If you use a condom correctly, if you take all of your precautions, you don't have to worry about that. Most people, roughly 85%, use condoms incorrectly. If you provide them, and teach the proper way to use them, you could cut down on STDs, pregnancy, and a whole myriad of consequences. They are not 100% safe. They will break. But the majority of the breaks are caused by improper use. That being said, I will not vaccinate my children, boy or girls, with this vaccine. There have been too many instances of death with this vaccine. Granted there were extenuating circumstances with some of the deaths, but that should be taken into account as well. Why did you give the vaccine to girls with those problems? Why was every instance of interaction not discussed and addressed? Collateral damage, anyone? It has not been around long enough to determine any affects on fertility or anything else. I don't want the government to say 20 years from now that the vaccine caused this side effect or that. They will, but I don't want my kids to be collateral damage.
And finally, Chinese chickens. Congress has approved, after much help from Tyson, to agree to let chickens be imported from China. What? They put lead in the paint of toys they aren't supposed to, they ship toxic dry wall, they add melanine to baby formula. Why in the hell would we allow them to ship chicken for us to eat? Oh, that's right. Tyson owns the chicken farms. Silly me. No, stupid us if we end up buying chicken from China. They certainly do not have the standards that this country has. Have you ever been to a chicken farm here? It's enough to make you never want to eat chicken again. They walk around all day in all the other chickens' poop. Ewww! The Chinese had to slaughter almost 100,000 chickens a couple of years ago due to the avian flu. The only reason they did it was the amount of sicknes going around and public pressure. And we want to eat their chickens? My family and I do not eat any Tyson products now and I encourage you to do the same. I don't trust anything that comes from China, and now I do not trust Tyson. If they are willing to pay Congress and do business with China, I have no respect for their leadership and no confidence in their products.
I don't have all the answers. I just know what is right for my family. After our big vacation in a couple of years, we are going to be more self sufficient. We are waiting until then to get our animals. It wouldn't be fair to ask anyone to come look after our animals for that length of time. And we will not be buying chickens from China.
I am so tired of people thinking that handing out condoms will encourage kids or teens or whatever age group to go out and have sex. It's not permission, it's protection. Frankly, when I was a teenager, my friends and I, although we thought and talked about sex, were not in a big hurry to have sex. A condom would not have made me run out and find the nearest boy to rip our clothes off and do the wild monkey dance. I had such a horrible body image the thought of a boy seeing me naked just freaked me out. I couldn't even stand the thought of my mom and sister seeing me naked. Condoms don't flip a switch and suddenly everyone who has one is a sex maniac. They won't go running down the street screaming, "SEX, SEX,SEX". Take a breath. I can't say I'll be calm when my kids decide to have sex. I will say that hopefully I am raisng my kids right and they will take the step seriously and responsibly, on their wedding night.
The Guardasil vaccine has now been approved for boys to prevent genital warts. Can we go back to condoms for a minute? They are for protection, not permission. Protect yourself, boys and girls, and cover it up. If you use a condom correctly, if you take all of your precautions, you don't have to worry about that. Most people, roughly 85%, use condoms incorrectly. If you provide them, and teach the proper way to use them, you could cut down on STDs, pregnancy, and a whole myriad of consequences. They are not 100% safe. They will break. But the majority of the breaks are caused by improper use. That being said, I will not vaccinate my children, boy or girls, with this vaccine. There have been too many instances of death with this vaccine. Granted there were extenuating circumstances with some of the deaths, but that should be taken into account as well. Why did you give the vaccine to girls with those problems? Why was every instance of interaction not discussed and addressed? Collateral damage, anyone? It has not been around long enough to determine any affects on fertility or anything else. I don't want the government to say 20 years from now that the vaccine caused this side effect or that. They will, but I don't want my kids to be collateral damage.
And finally, Chinese chickens. Congress has approved, after much help from Tyson, to agree to let chickens be imported from China. What? They put lead in the paint of toys they aren't supposed to, they ship toxic dry wall, they add melanine to baby formula. Why in the hell would we allow them to ship chicken for us to eat? Oh, that's right. Tyson owns the chicken farms. Silly me. No, stupid us if we end up buying chicken from China. They certainly do not have the standards that this country has. Have you ever been to a chicken farm here? It's enough to make you never want to eat chicken again. They walk around all day in all the other chickens' poop. Ewww! The Chinese had to slaughter almost 100,000 chickens a couple of years ago due to the avian flu. The only reason they did it was the amount of sicknes going around and public pressure. And we want to eat their chickens? My family and I do not eat any Tyson products now and I encourage you to do the same. I don't trust anything that comes from China, and now I do not trust Tyson. If they are willing to pay Congress and do business with China, I have no respect for their leadership and no confidence in their products.
I don't have all the answers. I just know what is right for my family. After our big vacation in a couple of years, we are going to be more self sufficient. We are waiting until then to get our animals. It wouldn't be fair to ask anyone to come look after our animals for that length of time. And we will not be buying chickens from China.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Citibank SUCKS!
I got this letter in the mail today. I knew as soon as I touched it that it couldn't be good. It just felt wrong. Since it was a dance night and I had a headache, I set the mail down and proceeded to feed my kids and take a couple of pills for my head. I should have just opened the letter. When I got around to it, I was so pissed I picked up the phone and dialed the 800 number.
Let me take a minute to say that the rest of this post will be full of expletives and a poor man named Alfred that answered the phone. Customer service is not the easiest job to do, but when letters like this one go out, I do not envy the person that answers the phone. That was Alfred. If you are sensitive in any way, pass on by. If not, read on. If you're here to watch the train wreck, pop some corn.
The letter stated that my interest rate would be raised to 29.99%. Are you kidding me? You cannot be serious. Oh, but they were. There was an opt out option. I could close my account, pay off the balance according to the current terms, and not ever use my Citibank account again. All these years of paying on time, paying above the minimum, and being a great customer straight down the drain. Now, it is for new purchases only. All of my previous purchases would not be affected. They can still kiss my ass.
Alfred was the name of the man with heavily accented English that answered the phone. I wasn't even calling the freakin' US. I was calling to bitch to a call center in India, or Abu Dhabi, or wherever they can pay people a buck 0 five an hour to listen to prissy, pampered, spoiled Americans gripe about their credit card rates. I asked Alfred what the hell the problem was and why my rate was being changed. Guess the magic answer. Due to the current economic situation, Citibank felt it necessary to raise rates for many people not just me. Oh, Alfred, you poor man. You do not even know who you are speaking to. Bless you heart (which in this case DOES mean "You're so stupid").
I fucking own Citibank. The American public paid for Citibank to get them out of this jam. What did they do with their money? They paid bonuses to the same idiots that got them in this trouble. Why? Because they are a bunch of dumb asses that are greedy and have no clue how to run a business, much less a bank. My current economic situation has me paying my bills on time and still struggling it out like every good American should be doing.
Hubby has worked his ass off all summer so we could dig ourselves out from under this load of shit. We have not qualified for one damn incentive that the Obama administration has instituted. We can't refinance because we aren't behind on our mortgage. The $4500 for a new car doesn't apply to us because we couldn't find a new car big enough for all of us that got better gas mileage than what we have now. Hubby probably made too much money for us to be able to qualify for money to send me back to school. And now this crap.
I can opt out of the program. Here's what happens when I do that. I kiss all my hard work and my good credit standing good bye. It reduces my available credit, which lowers my credit score. Hubby and I have not always had the best credit. We used to have incredibly bad credit. We have worked really hard to get it where it is. Alfred said it wouldn't reflect negatively because they wouldn't report it to the agencies. You are a stupid man, Alfred. I told him that was what I do. I do credit. I have worked with credit for many years and was even a credit manager at one time. No, they won't report bad credit to the agencies, he was right about that. But it takes several years worth of credit and throws it out the window. It takes all of my hard work and screws me with it. No kiss, no rub, no foreplay, no lube. Just a hard pounding. And I don't even get a good orgasm out of it.
I told Alfred he was the lucky man that answered the phone. I told him that his job was not easy. Then I told him he could take that letter and shove it up his ass. I told him that the American public bailed Citibank out, but they could only continue to fuck up. I unloaded on him and made the reputation of Americans to those overseas that answer these call a reality. Poor Alfred will probably learn more English cuss words over the next few days than he will ever want to know. I taught him a couple myself. Say it with me, Alfred. It just proves to me that once again, the little man gets taken for a ride. I told him if he was smart, he would cut up all his cards.
I could vent for days. I think I am going to close the account and just pay it off. As much as it kills me, it would hurt me more to give them any more of my money than I already owe them. 29.99% is insane. Stupid Citibank. My advice to you: it's coming. Do what you can to pay it off before it does. Just don't bend over or you might get reamed, too.
Let me take a minute to say that the rest of this post will be full of expletives and a poor man named Alfred that answered the phone. Customer service is not the easiest job to do, but when letters like this one go out, I do not envy the person that answers the phone. That was Alfred. If you are sensitive in any way, pass on by. If not, read on. If you're here to watch the train wreck, pop some corn.
The letter stated that my interest rate would be raised to 29.99%. Are you kidding me? You cannot be serious. Oh, but they were. There was an opt out option. I could close my account, pay off the balance according to the current terms, and not ever use my Citibank account again. All these years of paying on time, paying above the minimum, and being a great customer straight down the drain. Now, it is for new purchases only. All of my previous purchases would not be affected. They can still kiss my ass.
Alfred was the name of the man with heavily accented English that answered the phone. I wasn't even calling the freakin' US. I was calling to bitch to a call center in India, or Abu Dhabi, or wherever they can pay people a buck 0 five an hour to listen to prissy, pampered, spoiled Americans gripe about their credit card rates. I asked Alfred what the hell the problem was and why my rate was being changed. Guess the magic answer. Due to the current economic situation, Citibank felt it necessary to raise rates for many people not just me. Oh, Alfred, you poor man. You do not even know who you are speaking to. Bless you heart (which in this case DOES mean "You're so stupid").
I fucking own Citibank. The American public paid for Citibank to get them out of this jam. What did they do with their money? They paid bonuses to the same idiots that got them in this trouble. Why? Because they are a bunch of dumb asses that are greedy and have no clue how to run a business, much less a bank. My current economic situation has me paying my bills on time and still struggling it out like every good American should be doing.
Hubby has worked his ass off all summer so we could dig ourselves out from under this load of shit. We have not qualified for one damn incentive that the Obama administration has instituted. We can't refinance because we aren't behind on our mortgage. The $4500 for a new car doesn't apply to us because we couldn't find a new car big enough for all of us that got better gas mileage than what we have now. Hubby probably made too much money for us to be able to qualify for money to send me back to school. And now this crap.
I can opt out of the program. Here's what happens when I do that. I kiss all my hard work and my good credit standing good bye. It reduces my available credit, which lowers my credit score. Hubby and I have not always had the best credit. We used to have incredibly bad credit. We have worked really hard to get it where it is. Alfred said it wouldn't reflect negatively because they wouldn't report it to the agencies. You are a stupid man, Alfred. I told him that was what I do. I do credit. I have worked with credit for many years and was even a credit manager at one time. No, they won't report bad credit to the agencies, he was right about that. But it takes several years worth of credit and throws it out the window. It takes all of my hard work and screws me with it. No kiss, no rub, no foreplay, no lube. Just a hard pounding. And I don't even get a good orgasm out of it.
I told Alfred he was the lucky man that answered the phone. I told him that his job was not easy. Then I told him he could take that letter and shove it up his ass. I told him that the American public bailed Citibank out, but they could only continue to fuck up. I unloaded on him and made the reputation of Americans to those overseas that answer these call a reality. Poor Alfred will probably learn more English cuss words over the next few days than he will ever want to know. I taught him a couple myself. Say it with me, Alfred. It just proves to me that once again, the little man gets taken for a ride. I told him if he was smart, he would cut up all his cards.
I could vent for days. I think I am going to close the account and just pay it off. As much as it kills me, it would hurt me more to give them any more of my money than I already owe them. 29.99% is insane. Stupid Citibank. My advice to you: it's coming. Do what you can to pay it off before it does. Just don't bend over or you might get reamed, too.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Junk in my Brain
Lots of superfluous stuff floating around in my brain. It's time to empty some of it so I can add more useless drivel. Cue the lights. Add sound. Here come the bullet points. And action.
- I have an addiction to Bath and Body Works. They have been sending me coupons for free travel size products and a % off of my purchase, which you can use together. My favorite scent is Moonlight Path. I have very sensitive sinuses and can't be in the store for long because of all the people that spray stuff to check the scent. Moonlight Path is the only one that doesn't send my nose into a seizure. It's kind of sexy, without being flowery. I can't stand the flowery stuff.
- I am really liking my new camera. At recital last year, hubby videoed the kids and our ancient camera couldn't keep up. We got a new one, that will be ancient by the end of the year probably, but I love it anyway. It's a Kodak and I got a really great deal on it. It cost us less than $75 and takes really great pictures. When I added the software disc that came with it, we got some really cool features. You can turn your pictures into coloring sheets. Very cool, very cool.
- I started a menu plan a couple of months ago. I did really good one month, then petered out. Our busy schedule has insisted that I go back to it. I did, and I love it. There are some really great websites out there for crockpot recipes and I need that. I normally don't like food cooked in a crockpot, but either food or crockpots or both have come a long way. So far, there is only one recipe that hasn't had the "you can make this again" consensus. It has helped tremendously, and I have been trying recipes that I normally wouldn't have tried. I can also take recipes that I already make and adapt them. BBQ chicken is on of those. I normally make it on the stove top, but I can make it in the crockpot and let it cook all day. Fall off the bone yumminess.
- One of my websites for crockpot recipes, is having a giveaway. I will post the website, but suddenly I can't remember if it's a blogspot or dot com. That's weird. I can't check it either, or I'll get kicked off my blog. Look at my last post about the Samsung give away. They are giving away a $200 gift card to Best Buy. Follow the link from that previous post to get there. I keep dreaming about what I would do with a $200 gift card. One thing would be buy Christmas gifts. I wouldn't have to worry where the money was coming from and I could get lots of little things. Then I think I would just blow it on something I want. Option 2 is probably what would happen. Let's just be honest, OK.
- I have started to really limit the amount of sugar I eat. I still have some joint pain in my thumb, and now have joint pain in the pinky of my other hand. It's hard to do that with all the chocolate I have in my pantry. I have cut down the amount of red meat I eat, but not the kids or hubby so much. I can't limit my dairy much more, because I don't eat or drink that much to begin with. I usually have a small glass of milk with dinner and that's it. Before you all go freaking out about my vitamin D and Calcium, you don't get that from your milk. By the time it gets to your table, it doesn't have much anyway. What it does have can't be absorbed efficiently by your body. I prefer to get my vitamin D from the good, ol' sun. It's much more efficient and is plentiful in our part of the country.
- Speaking of Mr. Sun, he just won't quit pounding out the heat. We are having record heat for October because we are on the wrong side of a low pressure system. On the back side of the system, people are experiencing record lows and having early snow. Frankly, that sounds really good for us right now. I am so tired of being hot. I just cannot sweat anymore than I already am. I'm drinking so much water, I would float if I wasn't going to the bathroom every five minutes. A little relief would be nice. Just a little. Please? I just keep thinking, come on low pressure system.
- These are the supplements hubby and I are taking: Juice Plus for overall health and wellness. Good nutrition is key to body function and immune system health. It is whole foods based, and keeps most of the nutrients. 17 fruits, veggies and grains, working in synergy for optimum health benefits. Two in the morning and two in the evening. Complex B for energy. I need this. By the end of the day I feel like I am dragging. I can tell when I haven't taken it and do not like it. I don't want to be asleep by 7 in the evening. COQ10 for bone and heart health, and periodontal health. I'm hoping that it will also help the inflammaiton and pain in my fingers. Fenugreek for our over active sinuses. It is so good for the boy that hubby and I have started taking it. It helped hubby this weekend and so far, so good with me as well. I can inhale through my nose without having to breathe through excessive mucus. Hubby and the big girl are taking Acidophilus and papaya for their tummies. Hubby has previously been diagnosed with an ulcer, but still has tummy trouble not related to that. The big girl has always had issues with her tummy. We'll see how it helps. Please look into the vitamins you use. Usually store brand or those you get at a super store do not have the right kind or enough of what you are looking for. Or they have fillers that you are wasting your money on. Always, always, always do your research.
I guess that's all for now. I will post more interesting fare again. Some day. When I get too much running around in my head, I have to empty the brain. Not all the way, just take some pressure off. I think I've done that.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Samsung Give Away
Samsung gave some reviewers from a website called blogher.com the opportunity to review some of their products. There was a range, microwave, washer, refrigerator, dishwasher and I don't know what else. All I know is that I would love to receive any of the products for free. I review curriculum for a couple of different sites, but this is right up my alley.
I would love to totally redo our kitchen. I would start at one end and not stop 'til I was at the other. I would love to have new appliances that work like they're supposed to. We have a new fridge, so the dishwasher and range would be much appreciated. The washer wouldn't get turned down either, I tell you what.
Samsung is giving away the chance to win a $200 gift card to Best Buy. All you have to do is go to the above link, and look for the Samsung giveaway. You have eight chances to win (seven for me because I don't Twitter). You register by leaving a comment on the reviewers blogs. Go enjoy, but if you win, I want a little something nice for Christmas.
I will end this by saying, as I have said on all my entries: I want the range, I want the range, and in case you weren't sure of what I said, I want the range. Break a leg!
I would love to totally redo our kitchen. I would start at one end and not stop 'til I was at the other. I would love to have new appliances that work like they're supposed to. We have a new fridge, so the dishwasher and range would be much appreciated. The washer wouldn't get turned down either, I tell you what.
Samsung is giving away the chance to win a $200 gift card to Best Buy. All you have to do is go to the above link, and look for the Samsung giveaway. You have eight chances to win (seven for me because I don't Twitter). You register by leaving a comment on the reviewers blogs. Go enjoy, but if you win, I want a little something nice for Christmas.
I will end this by saying, as I have said on all my entries: I want the range, I want the range, and in case you weren't sure of what I said, I want the range. Break a leg!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Complacency
Interesting conversations all around this weekend. One of the most interesting was about customer service. That term, anymore, is an oxymoron. It used to be that the customer was always right. Then it was the customer is right most of the time. Now, it's the customer is never right and you get what you pay for. Since everything is made in China by children who get a penny a day, it's not worth very much.
I have almost always worked customer service jobs. I worked the box office and concession stand at a movie theater in high school. I worked as a cashier and worked my way up to office manager of a furniture store. I did payroll for a home health care agency. And I worked in billing at a medical equipment store owned by a local hospital. When you start messing with people's money, payroll or what they are paying out, tempers can get a little frayed.
Our conversation started with the lack of motivation in most places of business. Most people don't start out in life thinking they want to be a cashier at a department store for the rest of their lives. I think after a while they become complacent. When that complacency sets in, they pass that on in their attitude. I have been known to use the following: I didn't ask you to take this job. You took this job of your own free will. If you don't like it, get another job. But don't take your bad day out on me. I do try to say that with a little tact and maybe a little feeling. I do try to get across to them that it's their job to make things right.
Service at most places we go is horrible. People don't care about service, and they certainly don't care about the customer. The worst part of it is that we have become complacent about it. That's just the way it is. No it isn't. It's that way because we've let it get that way. We have let the "service" part slide and have not challenged how we are treated. We just roll along and say OK. Stores like WalMart have taken advantage of that. And once again, we have let them. If you ask their employees where anything is, they have no clue. And they don't care to find out. They aren't making enough to care. Hubby used to work there, so I know of where I speak.
There are some bright spots in the customer service game. Chik-Fil-A is one of those places. Their employees are trained to say "My pleasure". It's not so much that they say it, but how they say it, with a smile and like they really mean it. It is refreshing to go somewhere to spend money and enjoy dropping the cash. It's refreshing to be treated like you matter. It's refreshing to feel important.
We have all become complacent about how we are treated. Here's a hint: stop patronizing the places that don't treat you right. Ask to speak to the manager. Write a letter to the corporate office. Do something, but don't get stepped on anymore. We need to not be complacent about being treated with respect and dignity. Complacency has gotten us car companies we don't really own, banks that fail, a president that hates our country and what it stands for, and representatives that don't represent us. Pretty soon there won't be a customer service department at all. Then what will we have to be complacent about?
I have almost always worked customer service jobs. I worked the box office and concession stand at a movie theater in high school. I worked as a cashier and worked my way up to office manager of a furniture store. I did payroll for a home health care agency. And I worked in billing at a medical equipment store owned by a local hospital. When you start messing with people's money, payroll or what they are paying out, tempers can get a little frayed.
Our conversation started with the lack of motivation in most places of business. Most people don't start out in life thinking they want to be a cashier at a department store for the rest of their lives. I think after a while they become complacent. When that complacency sets in, they pass that on in their attitude. I have been known to use the following: I didn't ask you to take this job. You took this job of your own free will. If you don't like it, get another job. But don't take your bad day out on me. I do try to say that with a little tact and maybe a little feeling. I do try to get across to them that it's their job to make things right.
Service at most places we go is horrible. People don't care about service, and they certainly don't care about the customer. The worst part of it is that we have become complacent about it. That's just the way it is. No it isn't. It's that way because we've let it get that way. We have let the "service" part slide and have not challenged how we are treated. We just roll along and say OK. Stores like WalMart have taken advantage of that. And once again, we have let them. If you ask their employees where anything is, they have no clue. And they don't care to find out. They aren't making enough to care. Hubby used to work there, so I know of where I speak.
There are some bright spots in the customer service game. Chik-Fil-A is one of those places. Their employees are trained to say "My pleasure". It's not so much that they say it, but how they say it, with a smile and like they really mean it. It is refreshing to go somewhere to spend money and enjoy dropping the cash. It's refreshing to be treated like you matter. It's refreshing to feel important.
We have all become complacent about how we are treated. Here's a hint: stop patronizing the places that don't treat you right. Ask to speak to the manager. Write a letter to the corporate office. Do something, but don't get stepped on anymore. We need to not be complacent about being treated with respect and dignity. Complacency has gotten us car companies we don't really own, banks that fail, a president that hates our country and what it stands for, and representatives that don't represent us. Pretty soon there won't be a customer service department at all. Then what will we have to be complacent about?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)