I had a very enlightening conversation with Jen, my renter, last night. And why do I have so many Jennifer's in my life, lol? She called me last night and we talked for over an hour. It's really too bad that she lives so far away because I really think we'd be friends if we were neighbors. That's all beside my point here though. I found out that my rental management company isn't exactly doing their job.
The story:
I interviewed a couple different rental management companies back in VT. This one seemed to be the best for the right amount of money. We pay them 6% of the rent a month in exchange for their handling collection of the rent, any issues that come up with the house, and a once a month drive by of the property to make sure the renters aren't tearing the place up. We also paid them a one time "lease up" fee that was equal to one month's rent. This fee should have covered their writing the lease, interviewing potential renters, running background, employment, and reference checks, and ads in the paper. Now, here's my problem...
1.) In the beginning, I gave them a copy of a lease that C and I had drawn up that included specific paragraphs that we wanted them to include in their lease but wasn't supposed to be used as the actual lease. Turns out, they used it anyway despite me specifically telling them not to because it also included language that I didn't want included in the lease. Plus, I had marked it up and highlighted a bunch of stuff which should have made it obvious that I didn't want it used as the actual lease. They also only had Jen sign a 6 month lease and it should have been a 12 month lease.
2.) When we moved out, we were given very little notice as to when the MC was going to let us move which didn't allow for a lot of prep time. As the movers cleared each room, I went around behind them cleaning. Considering the time I was able to give it, I got the house really clean including scrubbing out all the cabinets, cleaning all the bathrooms, and vacuuming and mopping all the rooms. When Patti, the management lady, took over the house to prepare for Jen to move in, she called and said that the house was "pretty dirty", something she brought up in several different conversations, which really offended me. A.) We're not dirty people. And B.) I know how to clean a house when moving out. It's not like I haven't done a dozen times before. This has been bothering me since January so I asked Jen about it last night and she said that other than the normal stuff you do when moving in, she thought the house was pretty clean. She also said, "They even had the carpets cleaned for us." Which brings me to my next point.
3.) Before Jen moved in, Patti called and asked me if we would be willing to pay to have the carpets professionally cleaned because Jen had requested we do so. We agreed even though it hadn't been that long since the carpets had been shampooed. And Jen also said that every time she vacuums, white powdery stuff comes out of the carpet. Since this never happened to me, this tells me the cleaners didn't clean the carpets right.
4.) I posted about how I had to have roofers out to the house to see if the snow needed to be cleaned off. Well, it didn't and I e-mailed Patti about it and also told her to give Jen the roofer's number in case of an emergency since he only lives 5 minutes away and said that Jen could call him 24/7 if need be. Found out last night that Jen didn't even know the roofer had been out at all. This was back on March 7.
5.) Back during the roof deal, I found out that Jen had only paid $2016 upon moving in which should have been $2850 to include first month's rent, deposit, and a non-refundable pet fee. They were supposed to have cleared that up this month (March) and gotten the rest of the money to me on April 1st. Jen told me last night that nobody called her about it. With it being so late in the game and the fact that it was Patti's responsibility, I don't even feel right making Jen pay the rest of the money. I know if I was in her position, I wouldn't want to pay it.
6.) Also, Jen said that she's called them about a couple different things and they never got back to her about any of it. And when then loaned her a roof rake for the snow, they only gave the 5 foot woman 2 hours to use it and when she wasn't able to clean the entire roof off in the amount of time while standing up to her waist in snow, Patti bitched about the little bit of snow she cleaned off. Geez!
I'm pissed. Since Jen's moved in, I've felt like Patti's been nickle and diming us for every little thing which is why I handled the roof deal myself, and with the carpet thing, turns out I was right. All the repairs and stuff like that, Patti keeps in-house because they keep a handyman on staff and I think it was her son's "business" that cleaned the carpets which, in turn, is supposed to save us money. Since Jen's moved in, Patti's taken over $800 of the rent for various "fees" for the house. I have receipts for all of it so it looks legit, but now I'm not so sure. Everyone warned us about renting out our house but it was for the renters tearing the house up or not paying their rent or whatever. My renters are wonderful and we've already opened negotiations for them to buy the house. They aren't the problem. We were supposed to be able to trust the management company for pete's freaking sake!!! So now I have to call Patti and figure out wtf is going on and I'm not sure how to approach it. If I bitch her out too much, the level of service might drop off even more and then what am I supposed to do? If I let her get away with it, then the house isn't being taken care of properly and we're wasting our money. It's not like I'm in a position to find another company and besides that, we signed a 12 month contract (hence why it would have made sense for Jen to sign a 12 month lease). I don't know what to do here. Good thing I have a couple hours to figure it out. Whatever.
To be continued...
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Too Much TV
I think it's safe to say that I watch too much television. I have several shows that are on my "can't miss" list. Now that this season is starting to wind down, I'm feeling a panic come on, lol. I caught up on two weeks worth of Prison Break and next week's preview was for the season finale. I'm so sad! I love that show and it's fun looking at Wentworth Miller although he should change his first name, lol. But there is a silver lining since so many networks have their summer shows like The Closer for instance. I don't think I remember there being such a thing as a kid.
Also, I think someone stole my newspaper. Unless the kids hid it from me this morning or the delivery person forgot us, I didn't get a paper today. I like to broaden my horizons by reading the newspaper everyday.
And now that the telemarketing calls have finally stopped, we've started getting calls from bill collectors for a Bill Weist or something like that. They're persistent enough that they even leave voice mails. I completely, totally, and wholeheartedly hate having a land line. We never get off the wall calls on either of our cell phones. Only 8 more months before we can get new plans. I can hold out without killing someone.
Also, I think someone stole my newspaper. Unless the kids hid it from me this morning or the delivery person forgot us, I didn't get a paper today. I like to broaden my horizons by reading the newspaper everyday.
And now that the telemarketing calls have finally stopped, we've started getting calls from bill collectors for a Bill Weist or something like that. They're persistent enough that they even leave voice mails. I completely, totally, and wholeheartedly hate having a land line. We never get off the wall calls on either of our cell phones. Only 8 more months before we can get new plans. I can hold out without killing someone.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Burn, Baby Burn
I hate it when people burn trash or yard clippings in their backyards. Hate. It. I love having my windows open in the spring and summer and people that burn in their yards take away from my enjoyment of that experience. I either have to endure the smoke and/or smell or shut my windows. Ever since 2003, I have a very low tolerance for the smell of smoke and every time I smell it, I run to my windows to check the sky to make sure the world isn't on fire again. I also feel that I have to keep an eye on their fires to make sure they don't get out of control. Our house in VT had a wood burning fireplace and we used it maybe 4 or 5 times the whole time we lived there. I'm probably being completely irrational but I can't help it.
Monday, March 26, 2007
The Big Comfy Couch
We had a full to bursting weekend. I'm going to open today's post with the funniest part: Friday night.
Friday night, C and I were watching tv in bed. We got to talking about how in the twelve years we've been together, he's never spent a night of it on the sofa in the dog house. He pointed out that the one night he did try to sleep on the couch was because he had a cold and his coughing was keeping me up. After only 10 or 15 minutes, I felt bad and went out and made him come back to bed. So, I started picking on him and he said that if I didn't stop, he was hitting the couch. Of course, I didn't stop so he got up and went out onto the couch after trying to take my pillows with him. After he left, I promptly situated myself smack dab in the middle of the bed so that when he gave up and came back, he'd see that I had no intention of fetching him off the couch that night. Then, we both fell asleep, lmao. He comes back to bed at 6 am bitching that he can't believe that I left him out on the couch all night. Yes. He blames me for his immaturity. And it turns out that all the deliberating we did on buying our sofa was for the good because he slept like a rock until he woke up Saturday morning. Men.
So, for the rest of the weekend...Saturday, we spent the afternoon in J'ville shopping. We bought the neatest set of dishes that I absolutely LOVE and a drink shaker thingy for making Mojitos. Well, you can make other drinks in it too, but we had Mojitos in mind when we picked it up.
We took the girls for a walk around the neighborhood when we got home. There are so many houses for sale right now. We started picking up the "take ones" from houses as we were walking to get an idea of what the houses are going for around here. What I don't get is that this one house that's at the apex of a hairpin curve in the road so that I'm sure they probably have had a few cars end up in their front yard has a tax value of about $90,000 but they're asking $150,000 for it. And it's small. I would not pay that much for that house in a million years. What the heck? Back in VT, we paid $15,000 less than the tax value of our house not $60,000 more. Anyway, I went totally off the subject there. Now we're on the lookout for a house. We can't move right now cuz we're in a lease, but I'm ready to not live in somebody else's house all the while paying an astronomical amount of money for the electric to live there. It's annoying. Sunday we spent most of the day driving around all different kinds of neighborhoods looking at houses and we also took the girls for another walk/bike ride around our neighborhood.
All in all, it was a great family-type weekend.
Friday night, C and I were watching tv in bed. We got to talking about how in the twelve years we've been together, he's never spent a night of it on the sofa in the dog house. He pointed out that the one night he did try to sleep on the couch was because he had a cold and his coughing was keeping me up. After only 10 or 15 minutes, I felt bad and went out and made him come back to bed. So, I started picking on him and he said that if I didn't stop, he was hitting the couch. Of course, I didn't stop so he got up and went out onto the couch after trying to take my pillows with him. After he left, I promptly situated myself smack dab in the middle of the bed so that when he gave up and came back, he'd see that I had no intention of fetching him off the couch that night. Then, we both fell asleep, lmao. He comes back to bed at 6 am bitching that he can't believe that I left him out on the couch all night. Yes. He blames me for his immaturity. And it turns out that all the deliberating we did on buying our sofa was for the good because he slept like a rock until he woke up Saturday morning. Men.
So, for the rest of the weekend...Saturday, we spent the afternoon in J'ville shopping. We bought the neatest set of dishes that I absolutely LOVE and a drink shaker thingy for making Mojitos. Well, you can make other drinks in it too, but we had Mojitos in mind when we picked it up.
We took the girls for a walk around the neighborhood when we got home. There are so many houses for sale right now. We started picking up the "take ones" from houses as we were walking to get an idea of what the houses are going for around here. What I don't get is that this one house that's at the apex of a hairpin curve in the road so that I'm sure they probably have had a few cars end up in their front yard has a tax value of about $90,000 but they're asking $150,000 for it. And it's small. I would not pay that much for that house in a million years. What the heck? Back in VT, we paid $15,000 less than the tax value of our house not $60,000 more. Anyway, I went totally off the subject there. Now we're on the lookout for a house. We can't move right now cuz we're in a lease, but I'm ready to not live in somebody else's house all the while paying an astronomical amount of money for the electric to live there. It's annoying. Sunday we spent most of the day driving around all different kinds of neighborhoods looking at houses and we also took the girls for another walk/bike ride around our neighborhood.
All in all, it was a great family-type weekend.
Friday, March 23, 2007
What I Did
First and foremost: A very Happy Birthday to my friend Jennifer S. Long distance ((((HUGS!!!!)))) And if you see this before I talk to you, I plan on calling in a bit. I tried calling earlier but you were still at work.
Also, Happy Birthday to C's sister. You already called today, so I'll talk to you sometime this week I'm sure.
Ok. Anyway, I didn't do much today and that's why I'm posting so late. I watched HBO's Elizabeth I this morning into the afternoon cuz it was FOUR hours long. It was great though. Worth every single minute. It was a brilliant movie. I think I'm gonna buy the DVD from HBO's store cuz I have seen it in stores anywhere. Fun factoid: Did you know, that after Elizabeth I died, it was discovered that she owned over 2,000 dresses? That's enough dresses to be able to wear a different one each day of the year for approx. 5.4 years!!! I have like, three dresses in my closet and I probably don't fit into a-one of them.
Did I sit on my ass all day? Well, no I didn't thank you very much. I took a walk and did some house cleaning. Aren't ya jealous? On my walk, the way that I go, there are no side streets that aren't cul-de-sacs. So, I pass this chick walking her baby; we pass walking toward each other. A little while later, I pass her again and we are still walking toward each other. How is that possible when there are no streets that she could have cut over on? It would be rough going pushing a stroller with a newborn through people's yards which is the only thing she could've done. Weird.
My freaking ears are sore from listening to my iPod so much. I wonder if it's like sore muscles and my ears will eventually adjust. Hmmm. I decided to check out some new podcasts today. I noticed that the same people that subscribe to The Dawn and Drew Show and Keith and the Girl also subscribe to this show called Soccergirl, Incorporated so I figured I might like it too. I listened to a bit of the last two shows and didn't like it one bit. It was about Smurf sex. A.)Hasn't that been covered by other people before? and B.) It's dumb. I deleted it. So much for that.
Also, Happy Birthday to C's sister. You already called today, so I'll talk to you sometime this week I'm sure.
Ok. Anyway, I didn't do much today and that's why I'm posting so late. I watched HBO's Elizabeth I this morning into the afternoon cuz it was FOUR hours long. It was great though. Worth every single minute. It was a brilliant movie. I think I'm gonna buy the DVD from HBO's store cuz I have seen it in stores anywhere. Fun factoid: Did you know, that after Elizabeth I died, it was discovered that she owned over 2,000 dresses? That's enough dresses to be able to wear a different one each day of the year for approx. 5.4 years!!! I have like, three dresses in my closet and I probably don't fit into a-one of them.
Did I sit on my ass all day? Well, no I didn't thank you very much. I took a walk and did some house cleaning. Aren't ya jealous? On my walk, the way that I go, there are no side streets that aren't cul-de-sacs. So, I pass this chick walking her baby; we pass walking toward each other. A little while later, I pass her again and we are still walking toward each other. How is that possible when there are no streets that she could have cut over on? It would be rough going pushing a stroller with a newborn through people's yards which is the only thing she could've done. Weird.
My freaking ears are sore from listening to my iPod so much. I wonder if it's like sore muscles and my ears will eventually adjust. Hmmm. I decided to check out some new podcasts today. I noticed that the same people that subscribe to The Dawn and Drew Show and Keith and the Girl also subscribe to this show called Soccergirl, Incorporated so I figured I might like it too. I listened to a bit of the last two shows and didn't like it one bit. It was about Smurf sex. A.)Hasn't that been covered by other people before? and B.) It's dumb. I deleted it. So much for that.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Still Lovin' It
I'm having too much fun with my new iPod. I downloaded the pilot episode of Raines (Man is Jeff Goldblum looking old) because it was free, lol, and watched it on my iPod last night. The video quality is pretty good and the show was ok.
My thanks goes out to Jacki for turning me on to Diggnation. While I am geekier for having watched their podcast, it was freaking funny. I watched the 3/17 episode and the ending where they were "accidentally" prank calling that girl was so funny.
Anyway, did I mention how my neighbors thought it would be nifty to take a jackhammer to their patio Tuesday afternoon and then begin the building of their deck at 6 something yesterday morning?? Yeah. Hammering before the sun was even up. That's what I like to wake up to in the morning.
And did I also mention how it's supposed to be in the 70's and 80's for at least the next 7 days?? Woot, woot!! Pleasant weather is much better for me than nasty weather. I'm one of those people that gets that S.A.D. condition in the winters. Maybe I should buy one of those light deals.
Wouldn't you figure that being able to talk on the phone for hours at a time like you did when you were a teenager would be something that you eventually grow out of? Well, not me. I managed to have a 2 hour long phone conversation with my very good friend today. I didn't even realize we had been on the phone that long until we hung up and I saw the call timer, lol.
One last iPod thing. Well, it's not just iPod, it's a music thing but I just downloaded the album...ANYway, if you haven't listened to Lily Allen you're missing out. If you're interested, check out her song Smile first. Pay attention the lyrics; she's mean and funny. She's British so it can be tricky. She's awesome though. I like the whole album and that's not something I say very often.
I'm off.
My thanks goes out to Jacki for turning me on to Diggnation. While I am geekier for having watched their podcast, it was freaking funny. I watched the 3/17 episode and the ending where they were "accidentally" prank calling that girl was so funny.
Anyway, did I mention how my neighbors thought it would be nifty to take a jackhammer to their patio Tuesday afternoon and then begin the building of their deck at 6 something yesterday morning?? Yeah. Hammering before the sun was even up. That's what I like to wake up to in the morning.
And did I also mention how it's supposed to be in the 70's and 80's for at least the next 7 days?? Woot, woot!! Pleasant weather is much better for me than nasty weather. I'm one of those people that gets that S.A.D. condition in the winters. Maybe I should buy one of those light deals.
Wouldn't you figure that being able to talk on the phone for hours at a time like you did when you were a teenager would be something that you eventually grow out of? Well, not me. I managed to have a 2 hour long phone conversation with my very good friend today. I didn't even realize we had been on the phone that long until we hung up and I saw the call timer, lol.
One last iPod thing. Well, it's not just iPod, it's a music thing but I just downloaded the album...ANYway, if you haven't listened to Lily Allen you're missing out. If you're interested, check out her song Smile first. Pay attention the lyrics; she's mean and funny. She's British so it can be tricky. She's awesome though. I like the whole album and that's not something I say very often.
I'm off.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Amendment
I can't believe in my last post that I totally forgot about my last, and most notorious, experience with key wives. SHEESH!!! I think I went temporarily insane to have forgotten that. So, aside from the call tonight, I've had two prior experiences with key wives and the second time was a million times worse than the first and the first time I was trying to get C home on a Red Cross call cuz we were told his mom was dying. So you figure it out how bad the second encounter would've been.
To be fair, this woman sounded perfectly sane. There. Both sides of the coin.
That's enuff of that.
To be fair, this woman sounded perfectly sane. There. Both sides of the coin.
That's enuff of that.
I Have the BEST Husband
EVER!! He surprised me tonight with a new iPod. It's a full sized one that plays videos. I was so excited. I had a Nano already but all it does is play audio files. Now I can play my Podcasts that are in video. Woohoo! Now C has my Nano since all he wanted it for was music anyway. He also gave me the sweetest card with it. Talk about turning my heart to mush.
Also, while I was typing this post I received a phone call from my key wife, hehehe. I don't particularly like key wives so I declined her offer of becoming one. Besides that, they wouldn't want me anyway. I like to speak my mind too often and they frown on that. Oh. If you don't know what a key wife is, they're Marine Corps wives that...well, I can't really say that I know what their official function is since the only one that ever contacted me before today was worthless. Sheesh. Almost five years later and I'm still bitter, lmao. I do know from personal experience that they stir up more drama than they do help. But whatever.
So, I'm off to play with my new toy which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!
Also, while I was typing this post I received a phone call from my key wife, hehehe. I don't particularly like key wives so I declined her offer of becoming one. Besides that, they wouldn't want me anyway. I like to speak my mind too often and they frown on that. Oh. If you don't know what a key wife is, they're Marine Corps wives that...well, I can't really say that I know what their official function is since the only one that ever contacted me before today was worthless. Sheesh. Almost five years later and I'm still bitter, lmao. I do know from personal experience that they stir up more drama than they do help. But whatever.
So, I'm off to play with my new toy which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!
Vernal Equinox
Yes. Today is the first day of Spring. Despite the fact that we spent part of the winter here in N.C., winter seemed especially long this time around. It's a gloomy, doomy day here today. Oh well. Excellent weather will here tomorrow.
I registered for my summer classes. I'm taking Creative Writing, Intro to Business Management (it's for my minor, ugh) and a Mythology class. I can't wait to start the writing and mythology class and I'm curious about the business management class. This class is sort of experimental. I'm not sure if I want it to be my minor or not. But, I have quite a few electives to kill, so I figured, why not.
Oh. And the blog thing I was talking about yesterday, turns out it was my computer. I ran two different spyware programs, my virus scanner, and I deleted all of my browser history and it took care of the problem. Vicious computer people suck. Well, most people suck but today, I'm singling out people who like to mess with other people's computers. You suck.
I registered for my summer classes. I'm taking Creative Writing, Intro to Business Management (it's for my minor, ugh) and a Mythology class. I can't wait to start the writing and mythology class and I'm curious about the business management class. This class is sort of experimental. I'm not sure if I want it to be my minor or not. But, I have quite a few electives to kill, so I figured, why not.
Oh. And the blog thing I was talking about yesterday, turns out it was my computer. I ran two different spyware programs, my virus scanner, and I deleted all of my browser history and it took care of the problem. Vicious computer people suck. Well, most people suck but today, I'm singling out people who like to mess with other people's computers. You suck.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Blog Issues
I don't know about everyone else, but my blog page keeps redirecting me to another page after a few seconds. I'm trying to figure out if this is a bug with my blog or if I have some sort of spyware or virus on my computer. I'd appreciate a comment if this is happening to anyone else.
Second Life
Has anyone else heard of Second Life? It's pretty basically just a virtual world form of Yahoo messenger or AIM. I had to give it a try just to see what the hype was about. People are pretty into it from what I can tell. They spend actual money in exchange for Second Life currency based on real life exchange rates. You can look on their website and see that over $1.5 million in U.S. currency has been spent there in the last 24 hours. How crazy is that? They also have jobs, build houses, and have online meetings there as well. I have an avatar but I don't have a job, a house, or participate in any gatherings. I actually find it kinda boring. Sony is coming out with their own version for the PS3 called Home. Surprisingly enough, it's going to be a free download for the console. The Sims also tried something similar as well. I tried the free trial out but as much as I love the whole Sims world, I couldn't get into that either. Maybe I'm missing something?
Anyway, if you want to try it out too, it's a free download for the basic version which gives you no Second Life currency, lol. I would recommend that your computer have a pretty good processor and graphics card as their world lags quite a bit. I would like to hear opinions if anyone does decide to give it a whirl.
Anyway, if you want to try it out too, it's a free download for the basic version which gives you no Second Life currency, lol. I would recommend that your computer have a pretty good processor and graphics card as their world lags quite a bit. I would like to hear opinions if anyone does decide to give it a whirl.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Musings and Observations
In an honest, truly equal marriage, should there be such a thing as "yours" and "mine"?
I've recently learned that saying a busybody, nosy person has "no life" isn't necessarily true.
Being a quiet person doesn't automatically make you a snob.
Read Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 and 130.
Corporal punishment for a dog is not an effective training tool. All you're doing is teaching the dog fear.
The saying, "What doesn't kills us only makes us stronger" should be changed to "What doesn't kill us, didn't kill us" because not everybody learns from their mistakes.
There are some people that I know that should give themselves more credit for their accomplishments instead of giving their parents credit for them.
Mojitos are GOOOOOD!
Saying that what somebody does is their business and that it's not your place to judge doesn't automatically make you a good person when you're ignoring certain issues such as child or spousal abuse just to name two examples.
Children's birthday parties should not be a competition for the parents to exhibit their generosity.
What is with all the Shriners and Free Masons in North Carolina?
And last but certainly not least:
Mojitos are GOOOOOD!!
I've recently learned that saying a busybody, nosy person has "no life" isn't necessarily true.
Being a quiet person doesn't automatically make you a snob.
Read Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 and 130.
Corporal punishment for a dog is not an effective training tool. All you're doing is teaching the dog fear.
The saying, "What doesn't kills us only makes us stronger" should be changed to "What doesn't kill us, didn't kill us" because not everybody learns from their mistakes.
There are some people that I know that should give themselves more credit for their accomplishments instead of giving their parents credit for them.
Mojitos are GOOOOOD!
Saying that what somebody does is their business and that it's not your place to judge doesn't automatically make you a good person when you're ignoring certain issues such as child or spousal abuse just to name two examples.
Children's birthday parties should not be a competition for the parents to exhibit their generosity.
What is with all the Shriners and Free Masons in North Carolina?
And last but certainly not least:
Mojitos are GOOOOOD!!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Saturday
I didn't want my last post for the weekend to be about porn so here I am today. One last thing before I change the subject though. Talk about drama, drama, drama, last night. The phone lines were burning up from California to Vermont to North Carolina and back again. This whole thing has definitely caused a scandal. Okay. Nuff about that.
We did our commissary shopping today. Fun, fun. We were watching this show this morning on the History Channel about distilleries and they showed how to make Mojitos so we picked the stuff up while we were out to make a batch. I've never tried one before and have always wanted to. What better day than St. Patrick's Day, right?
We ran into C's Gunny while we were at the commissary too. I hadn't met him yet and he and his family seemed really nice. Too bad he's retiring in June.
So that's my weekend edition post. I hope everyone has a fun weekend and Happy St. Patrick's Day!! Here's a pinch for those of you who didn't wear your green today.
We did our commissary shopping today. Fun, fun. We were watching this show this morning on the History Channel about distilleries and they showed how to make Mojitos so we picked the stuff up while we were out to make a batch. I've never tried one before and have always wanted to. What better day than St. Patrick's Day, right?
We ran into C's Gunny while we were at the commissary too. I hadn't met him yet and he and his family seemed really nice. Too bad he's retiring in June.
So that's my weekend edition post. I hope everyone has a fun weekend and Happy St. Patrick's Day!! Here's a pinch for those of you who didn't wear your green today.
Friday, March 16, 2007
I Just Gotta Say
This is pure, unadulterated gossip and I just don't care.
We found out today that one of the wives from...wellll, wherever, has an adult website and boy is it SLUTTY!! I only met this individual once about 2 years ago or so and seeing what she's doing on the side and knowing that I had her in my house makes me want to boil myself in some antiseptic and burn everything she touched. I knew that I didn't like her but I just didn't know why until today. Well, that and they beat their kids all the while spouting off about how "religious" they are. But DAYUM!! I'm not even going to post the link on my blog because it's just smut, but rest assured, it's NASTY!
HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!!!!
We found out today that one of the wives from...wellll, wherever, has an adult website and boy is it SLUTTY!! I only met this individual once about 2 years ago or so and seeing what she's doing on the side and knowing that I had her in my house makes me want to boil myself in some antiseptic and burn everything she touched. I knew that I didn't like her but I just didn't know why until today. Well, that and they beat their kids all the while spouting off about how "religious" they are. But DAYUM!! I'm not even going to post the link on my blog because it's just smut, but rest assured, it's NASTY!
HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!!!!
Boys Today
In our neighborhood, the kids that regularly play outside are my girls, ages 10 and 8, another girl age 10 and her brother age 8, and then 5 or 6 other boys all aged 12 or about to turn 12. I sat outside on the porch yesterday while they were all outside because my kids and the other girl were being harassed by the 12 year old boys. While observing their behavior and the blatant ill manners they were displaying in front of an adult, I couldn't help thinking that I was looking at the Future Inmates of America. Are all 12 year old boys monsters? They were calling my 10 year old and her friend very nasty names. I know that pulling hair and stuff like that used to be the way that young boys showed interest in girls, but has that evolved into name calling that would result in an adult being brought up on hate crime charges? And where in the world are these kids' parents?? It's gotten to the point where the neighbor girl gets on the bus at our house because one of those 12 year olds (I'm not sure who is who.) won't let her get on the bus at her own stop.
And furthermore, what the heck is up with boys' hair cuts these days or lack thereof? This long hair, nasty, unruliness is ugly. I hate long hair on boys. Having a Marine for a husband probably doesn't help but they look unkempt with long hair. CUT YOUR FREAKING HAIR!! And learn some respect. Geez. Kids these days... I know everyone says that girls are more trouble than boys but I don't think I'm equipped to raise boys. The universe knew what it was doing when it gave me two girls, lol.
And furthermore, what the heck is up with boys' hair cuts these days or lack thereof? This long hair, nasty, unruliness is ugly. I hate long hair on boys. Having a Marine for a husband probably doesn't help but they look unkempt with long hair. CUT YOUR FREAKING HAIR!! And learn some respect. Geez. Kids these days... I know everyone says that girls are more trouble than boys but I don't think I'm equipped to raise boys. The universe knew what it was doing when it gave me two girls, lol.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
I've had this window open for ten minutes now while I was surfing the net trying to figure out what to say. I'm in a quiet mood today. Not depressed or mad or anything; just quiet. Mostly, I'm just enjoying our weather and don't really want to be sitting inside. I've been getting a lot of use out of our back yard the last few days. With temps in the 80's, it seems like a shame to be wasting it on the couch. Especially since this is the last day of nice weather for a bit.
So, that's it for today. I'm gonna grab the dog and head outside.
So, that's it for today. I'm gonna grab the dog and head outside.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Bookcase = Adult???
This was on an episode of a show that used to be on TV. Well, I guess it still is but it's in reruns now. Anyway, the woman on there broke up with her boyfriend because he had an empty bookcase in his apartment and didn't care to fill it up. According to her, if you're an adult your bookcase should be filled. This got me to thinking because I have 3 bookcases and 2 other shelves stuffed to capacity with books. Does this make me any more or less of an adult? Additionally, does the contents of the shelves matter? I have tons of books but I would say that maybe a quarter of them would actually be considered literature and not just leisure reading. So does the fact that my bookshelves contain Harry Potter and Nora Roberts' books make me immature?
Can you accurately judge a person by the cover of their books?
Can you accurately judge a person by the cover of their books?
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Ghosts
Just when you think the coast is clear, just when you decide to let your guard down, and just when you think things are looking up, shit happens. I'm being dramatic. It's not as big as all that but like I told C: Recruiting duty is like dog crap that you can't get off your shoe. The smell just won't go away.
The "extremely interesting" news we got yesterday was that C is on the outbound roster with orders to another base despite the fact that he's only been here for three weeks. Why? Because bastards with delusions of grandeur tried to mess C over. And mess is not the preferred word here. Is he actually going? No because he just happened to check into his current unit early and so the new orders won't go through. How much did he miss it by? Just over a week. And what would that have meant for us? Well, because it's less than 50 miles away, we wouldn't have been able to get out of our lease and even if we could, we would have had to pay for the move ourselves or else C would have had to commute about an hour one way. So the choices would be: Stay put so that our kids wouldn't have to change schools again and pay out the butt for gas. OR, move at our own expense, change the kids' schools again, and uproot our family for the for the fourth time in as many years. Thankfully, we don't have to make these choices. We missed having had to do so by a hair.
All's well that ends well, right? Sure. I'll just keep telling myself that.
The "extremely interesting" news we got yesterday was that C is on the outbound roster with orders to another base despite the fact that he's only been here for three weeks. Why? Because bastards with delusions of grandeur tried to mess C over. And mess is not the preferred word here. Is he actually going? No because he just happened to check into his current unit early and so the new orders won't go through. How much did he miss it by? Just over a week. And what would that have meant for us? Well, because it's less than 50 miles away, we wouldn't have been able to get out of our lease and even if we could, we would have had to pay for the move ourselves or else C would have had to commute about an hour one way. So the choices would be: Stay put so that our kids wouldn't have to change schools again and pay out the butt for gas. OR, move at our own expense, change the kids' schools again, and uproot our family for the for the fourth time in as many years. Thankfully, we don't have to make these choices. We missed having had to do so by a hair.
All's well that ends well, right? Sure. I'll just keep telling myself that.
Monday, March 12, 2007
A Failed Attempt
So I see nobody was brave enough to post a guess to the poem. It’s a pregnant lady people. “A riddle in nine syllables” = Nine months of pregnancy. “A melon strolling on two tendrils” Just picture it. Well, that was my attempt at bringing some culture to the picture and I obviously failed.
Anyway, we had an interesting weekend most of which I can’t even talk about so I’ll just hint around, lol.
We fed our gadget whore beast this weekend. That’s all I’m saying about that.
I bought Twilight Princess FINALLY. I preordered the dumb thing 2 years ago but because of the Wii, Nintendo pushed back the release date. And then we moved and so I had to call the EB Games in Vermont to get my money back and they actually sent it to me on a gift card. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually got my money back.
And let’s see…We went to the beach again. It was such a nice day too. It got up to about 70 on Saturday while we were there and it was lovely. Which beach was it? Well, I can’t say.
And after a giganto ordeal with the cable company, we finally have HDTV. I have to say, it’s worth the extra money. There is definitely a noticeable difference between regular tv and HDTV.
This is the last week of one of my classes. Woohoo! It was only a half semester class because it’s only one credit. And then next week, I’m on Spring Break. Woohoo! Again. I’m looking forward to my week off.
And today…Well, well, well. I just got some extremely interesting news from C a few minutes ago. Extremely interesting. It won’t be verified until tomorrow, however, so I’m not going to say what it is until we’re sure one way or the other. I want to say more but I just can’t. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the update. I’ll post as soon as I hear anything.
Anyway, we had an interesting weekend most of which I can’t even talk about so I’ll just hint around, lol.
We fed our gadget whore beast this weekend. That’s all I’m saying about that.
I bought Twilight Princess FINALLY. I preordered the dumb thing 2 years ago but because of the Wii, Nintendo pushed back the release date. And then we moved and so I had to call the EB Games in Vermont to get my money back and they actually sent it to me on a gift card. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually got my money back.
And let’s see…We went to the beach again. It was such a nice day too. It got up to about 70 on Saturday while we were there and it was lovely. Which beach was it? Well, I can’t say.
And after a giganto ordeal with the cable company, we finally have HDTV. I have to say, it’s worth the extra money. There is definitely a noticeable difference between regular tv and HDTV.
This is the last week of one of my classes. Woohoo! It was only a half semester class because it’s only one credit. And then next week, I’m on Spring Break. Woohoo! Again. I’m looking forward to my week off.
And today…Well, well, well. I just got some extremely interesting news from C a few minutes ago. Extremely interesting. It won’t be verified until tomorrow, however, so I’m not going to say what it is until we’re sure one way or the other. I want to say more but I just can’t. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the update. I’ll post as soon as I hear anything.
Friday, March 09, 2007
A Poem
I read this last night in my Lit book and enjoyed it, so I thought I'd post it for something a little more lighthearted than my other post for today.
Metaphors
by
Sylvia Plath
I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.
Do you know the answer to the riddle?
Metaphors
by
Sylvia Plath
I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.
Do you know the answer to the riddle?
I'm Disturbed
I saw a blurb last night about a news story and then I forgot to watch it, lol. Anyway, the headline was about how gangs are having their "members" enlist into the military in order to get weapons and munitions out onto the street and also to infiltrate overseas. Some of you might find this shocking and some of you might have heard this before and, in your cynical ways, figured it was just a matter of time. With the hubby just coming off of recruiting duty, this is something that never even crossed my mind. Of course, you don't see too many gangs in rural VT, lol. In retrospect, however, I can see how easy it would be for gangs to get their members into the military. This touches on the politics of recruiting duty which I am not ready to discuss, but believe me, it's not an impossible possibility. A recent stabbing in nearby Jacksonville, NC that was committed by two Marines suspected of having ties to gangs only reinforces this and the timing of that incident with the news reports is uncanny. In fact, this subject has been in the news all over the country:
News Story 1
News Story 2
News Story 3
And there are plenty more where those came from if you want to Google it.
It makes you wonder what the world is coming to and just who you can trust. I certainly wouldn't want my husband or any other respectable member of the military over in Iraq with some degenerate gang member guarding his back.
News Story 1
News Story 2
News Story 3
And there are plenty more where those came from if you want to Google it.
It makes you wonder what the world is coming to and just who you can trust. I certainly wouldn't want my husband or any other respectable member of the military over in Iraq with some degenerate gang member guarding his back.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Ft. Macon
I was looking through my picture folder this afternoon and ran across these pics and realized that I never posted them like I said that I would. Oops.
The first one is, obviously, a cannon, lol.
The second one is a view of the inside of the fort taken from the inside.
The third is a view of the area surrounding the fort taken from the top, outside level.
The fourth is a view of the inside of the fort taken from the top level.
Just thought I'd share. We had a good time and it was educational for the kids.
The first one is, obviously, a cannon, lol.
The second one is a view of the inside of the fort taken from the inside.
The third is a view of the area surrounding the fort taken from the top, outside level.
The fourth is a view of the inside of the fort taken from the top level.
Just thought I'd share. We had a good time and it was educational for the kids.
Sweating the Small Stuff
I'm sitting here freaking out over my electric bill again. They'll be out to read the meter in the next 4 or 5 days. I checked it out myself today and we've already used 2320 kWh which amounts to about $260 and there's going to be a few more days added onto that. We sit around freezing our butts off a lot of the time since I have the thermostat set on 66 and it doesn't seem to be making a difference. I just have a really hard time believing that our energy bills (electric+heating oil) were more reasonable in VT than it is in NC (for just electric) where the temps have been in the 50's and 60's during the day for the most part. This is craziness. I have run out of ideas on how to conserve. We keep the lights off in rooms where we aren't in them, the water heater is set on the recommended 120 degrees, the thermostat is set on 66 (in VT I kept it on 72), we don't hang the fridge door open or any of the doors and windows for that matter, the duct work on the house was recently inspected, and the heater filters were recently changed too. What the heck else is there????
And on top of that expense, I called a roofer out to the house in VT to look at the snow situation there. He said that since Jan 1, they've gotten 99 inches of snow and that most people have 20 to 30 inches on their roofs. Added to that, it's supposed to rain this weekend which will make the snow denser and heavier. He said that most of the state is going to have to have the snow removed off of their roofs before Sunday. How freaking ridiculous is that?? Do I miss it there? Not on your freaking life!!
I feel a headache coming on.
And on top of that expense, I called a roofer out to the house in VT to look at the snow situation there. He said that since Jan 1, they've gotten 99 inches of snow and that most people have 20 to 30 inches on their roofs. Added to that, it's supposed to rain this weekend which will make the snow denser and heavier. He said that most of the state is going to have to have the snow removed off of their roofs before Sunday. How freaking ridiculous is that?? Do I miss it there? Not on your freaking life!!
I feel a headache coming on.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Lotsa Stuff
Well, I got my paper finished and turned in. I'm really nervous about it since it's 20% of my grade. I'd appreciate good vibes if anyone has any to spare.
C and I tried to get our DVR swapped out for a HD DVR today but the cable company sucks. C took his lunch hour to do this and we show up at the office and they were closed for, wouldn't you guess it? Lunch. And they're closed on the weekends too, the butt munches. Have I ever mentioned how much people suck?
Meanwhile, our old cable company is getting bitchy cuz I haven't sent them back their cable box yet, heheh. Our movers were dummies and packed it even though I told them not to. Did you know those things cost $200? I didn't.
I spoke with our renters for the first time since they moved in today. They've been having an interesting winter, lol. First, they're not from VT so they're not used to the snow. They had to get a roof rake, which I had never even heard of let alone used, to clean the snow off of the roof. And then...They have MICE!! Sheesh! So, she asked for permission to get a cat which I readily agreed to since it'll save us the expense of having to pay for an exterminator. She also said that they are so interested in buying the house that they're already thinking of it as their own. How great is that? I've heard so many horror stories from people that rented out their houses that I just can't believe how lucky we got. Our renters are awesome.
C and I tried to get our DVR swapped out for a HD DVR today but the cable company sucks. C took his lunch hour to do this and we show up at the office and they were closed for, wouldn't you guess it? Lunch. And they're closed on the weekends too, the butt munches. Have I ever mentioned how much people suck?
Meanwhile, our old cable company is getting bitchy cuz I haven't sent them back their cable box yet, heheh. Our movers were dummies and packed it even though I told them not to. Did you know those things cost $200? I didn't.
I spoke with our renters for the first time since they moved in today. They've been having an interesting winter, lol. First, they're not from VT so they're not used to the snow. They had to get a roof rake, which I had never even heard of let alone used, to clean the snow off of the roof. And then...They have MICE!! Sheesh! So, she asked for permission to get a cat which I readily agreed to since it'll save us the expense of having to pay for an exterminator. She also said that they are so interested in buying the house that they're already thinking of it as their own. How great is that? I've heard so many horror stories from people that rented out their houses that I just can't believe how lucky we got. Our renters are awesome.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Nocturnal Reflections
I feel like I'm turning into some nighttime animal. I have absolutely no energy in the mornings and would sleep until noon or later if I let myself. For the first few weeks after we moved, I was sleeping like a rock at night. I don't know if it was due to the relief that came with moving or if I was just physically exhausted from moving activities. I didn't get to sleep until 8 am this morning which is real conducive to getting anything done during the day. I have laundry sitting in the family room waiting to be sorted, my paper that's due tomorrow and is still only about half done, as well as half a dozen other chores that just need to be done. I'm so freaking tired I could sleep right now with my head on my desk. Instead, I'm gearing up my iPod for another walk. I'm trying not to give in to my compulsion to sleep during the day. Sometimes I wish I was one of those people who happily pop pills for any reason. I don't even like taking Tylenol.
Well, I'm off. Hopefully the fresh air will revive me.
Well, I'm off. Hopefully the fresh air will revive me.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Medieval Times
We had, yet another, quiet weekend. Our lives were in such an upheaval there for a while that I totally appreciate peace, quiet, and doing absolutely nothing. My biggest stress was rewriting my study group paper which took me about two hours but wth. Oh, and playing ring master to two ten year old girls who thought that staying up until 2 am is a good thing.
I ordered HDTV for us today. We've had an HD television for quite some time now but they didn't have HD service in Vermont. Once again, we're advancing into modern times, lol.
C sold his Bug over the weekend. He went back and forth over selling it for a couple months but in the end, he decided he was ready to let it go. He figures he'll just buy himself another one, lol.
I'm doing something that I hardly ever do and can't actually remember doing this for a long time. I stopped reading "Life of Pi" in the middle and started reading another book. I always finish books that I start before moving on to a new one. This time is different because we decided to check out the local library over the weekend and I ended up checking out two books by Alison Weir and a third about Elizabeth I and since they're library books, I figured I should read them first. I started out with Alison Weir's "The Princes in the Tower". So far, so good. I think medieval England is so fascinating. This new rash of reading was inspired when I watched "Elizabeth" on Friday. Cate Blanchett was made for that role. It's a 1998 movie so I was probably one of the last people to see it, but if you haven't, go rent it.
I ordered HDTV for us today. We've had an HD television for quite some time now but they didn't have HD service in Vermont. Once again, we're advancing into modern times, lol.
C sold his Bug over the weekend. He went back and forth over selling it for a couple months but in the end, he decided he was ready to let it go. He figures he'll just buy himself another one, lol.
I'm doing something that I hardly ever do and can't actually remember doing this for a long time. I stopped reading "Life of Pi" in the middle and started reading another book. I always finish books that I start before moving on to a new one. This time is different because we decided to check out the local library over the weekend and I ended up checking out two books by Alison Weir and a third about Elizabeth I and since they're library books, I figured I should read them first. I started out with Alison Weir's "The Princes in the Tower". So far, so good. I think medieval England is so fascinating. This new rash of reading was inspired when I watched "Elizabeth" on Friday. Cate Blanchett was made for that role. It's a 1998 movie so I was probably one of the last people to see it, but if you haven't, go rent it.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Ladidadidadida
I'm bored.
We did something sorta interesting tonight. M is having a sleep over so I figured we'd order pizza for dinner. Guess how? We ordered it off of the Internet. How nifty is that? It's straight out of the movie, "The Net". Ya know? With Sandra Bullock in it. C and I saw that at the theater. Hmm.
Anyway, I'm also working on trying to find an internship program for my degree. With the field of work I'm going into and where I live, I'm probably going to be looking a loooong time. I'm trying to be optimistic about it though. I've applied at 5 different places and plan on making additional phone calls on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed or whatever mojo you go by for me.
We did something sorta interesting tonight. M is having a sleep over so I figured we'd order pizza for dinner. Guess how? We ordered it off of the Internet. How nifty is that? It's straight out of the movie, "The Net". Ya know? With Sandra Bullock in it. C and I saw that at the theater. Hmm.
Anyway, I'm also working on trying to find an internship program for my degree. With the field of work I'm going into and where I live, I'm probably going to be looking a loooong time. I'm trying to be optimistic about it though. I've applied at 5 different places and plan on making additional phone calls on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed or whatever mojo you go by for me.
Crazy Night
Wow! We had our first taste of North Carolina storms over last night and into this morning. It was craziness. We had tropical storm force winds, thunder and lighting, and several times the rain was literally blowing sideways. Our trees are minus lots of bark, pine cones, and limbs. My trash cans ended up in my neighbor's yard. Luckily they have locking handles on them because they had trash bags inside. And through all that we didn't lose power, cable or phone service once. All of the lines here must be buried. Oh, and it's 72 degrees out and the temps were mild all night long hence the strong storms. Craziness I tell you! The really shocking part is that my kids slept through it all, thankfully. They haven't experienced too many storms in their lifetimes and they tend to frighten easily.
Because of the storms and my cold I got about 2 hours of sleep last night. I'm pretty tired and my voice is gone again. It's such a strange sensation when you first try to talk and nothing comes out, lol. I have two very important phone calls to make today so hopefully my voice will be back before the close of business.
Because of the storms and my cold I got about 2 hours of sleep last night. I'm pretty tired and my voice is gone again. It's such a strange sensation when you first try to talk and nothing comes out, lol. I have two very important phone calls to make today so hopefully my voice will be back before the close of business.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Inventive Solutions
I forgot to mention earlier how I have resolved to deal with telemarketers. It's actually pretty funny.
First, when they call and ask me for, I tell them to hold on while I get "her" and make them wait a little bit. Then I pull up "Here to Stay" by Korn, turn the sound up real loud, hold the phone up to the speaker and hit play. They get treated to very loud, obnoxious Korn, lmao. It's therapeutic for me as well since it's a nice, loud, angry song and nothing pisses me off faster than telemarketers and stupid drivers.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!
If your're a telemarketer, consider yourself warned.
First, when they call and ask me for, I tell them to hold on while I get "her" and make them wait a little bit. Then I pull up "Here to Stay" by Korn, turn the sound up real loud, hold the phone up to the speaker and hit play. They get treated to very loud, obnoxious Korn, lmao. It's therapeutic for me as well since it's a nice, loud, angry song and nothing pisses me off faster than telemarketers and stupid drivers.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!
If your're a telemarketer, consider yourself warned.
Doors, Windows, and Eyes Wide Open
March 1st and I have my windows open to a lovely breeze. Hopefully, the lovely breeze doesn't turn into tornadoes this evening, heheh.
The welcome lady just left. I'm really glad she came so thanks to whoever put my name in for the visit. She brought all kinds of freebies, gift certificates, coupons, and information about New Bern. She also said that we were lucky to find a rental as nice as ours and that our rent is a steal. That's always nice to hear. Oh. And my voice came back about an hour before she got here so good for me.
I picked out my courses for the summer semester. I may not see the light of day for the whole summer. I have to take an upper level writing intensive course so I'm going to have to write 6,000 words/25 pages for just one class. And I'm taking a stupid, idiot, lamebrain math class that I shouldn't have to take but that's just my luck. I'm also taking some other English class that I can't remember right now. Fun for me, right?
C had to do these online preliminary course deals for his job last night. There were five in all and it took him 5 1/2 hours to just do three of them. But these courses will get him into this class that will make him big bucks should he ever decide to change careers. Can't ask for more than that. So anyway, I kept him company as best I could and now the couch is calling me home for a nap.
The welcome lady just left. I'm really glad she came so thanks to whoever put my name in for the visit. She brought all kinds of freebies, gift certificates, coupons, and information about New Bern. She also said that we were lucky to find a rental as nice as ours and that our rent is a steal. That's always nice to hear. Oh. And my voice came back about an hour before she got here so good for me.
I picked out my courses for the summer semester. I may not see the light of day for the whole summer. I have to take an upper level writing intensive course so I'm going to have to write 6,000 words/25 pages for just one class. And I'm taking a stupid, idiot, lamebrain math class that I shouldn't have to take but that's just my luck. I'm also taking some other English class that I can't remember right now. Fun for me, right?
C had to do these online preliminary course deals for his job last night. There were five in all and it took him 5 1/2 hours to just do three of them. But these courses will get him into this class that will make him big bucks should he ever decide to change careers. Can't ask for more than that. So anyway, I kept him company as best I could and now the couch is calling me home for a nap.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Yuckiness
I'd have to say that this is my first not awesome day I've had since we've moved. Cramps, scratchy throat, and nasty gunk coming out of the nose makes for a not so great day. I'm probably going to end up with laryngitis by this evening. And to top it off, I have the welcome committee, literally, coming to my house tomorrow afternoon so I have to get ready for them today. Hopefully, I'll have a voice to talk to them with, lol.
I do have some pretty great news however. C registered for classes yesterday!! Woohoo!! I'm so very excited for him. He's taken some classes before but while he was recruiting, he wasn't allowed to take even one so he had to put his education on hold for three years. It's going to be a lot of fun taking classes together even though our semesters are different.
I'm reading a new book too. "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. It sounded interesting and is unlike books that I usually read so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm only about a chapter in so I haven't really formed an opinion yet. Here's a review and synopsis from Barnes and Noble if anyone is interested:
I do have some pretty great news however. C registered for classes yesterday!! Woohoo!! I'm so very excited for him. He's taken some classes before but while he was recruiting, he wasn't allowed to take even one so he had to put his education on hold for three years. It's going to be a lot of fun taking classes together even though our semesters are different.
I'm reading a new book too. "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. It sounded interesting and is unlike books that I usually read so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm only about a chapter in so I haven't really formed an opinion yet. Here's a review and synopsis from Barnes and Noble if anyone is interested:
The Barnes & Noble Review from Discover Great New WritersThough all of our volunteer readers weighed in with "two thumbs up," we knew this was a winner when our fiction buyer -- not given to hyperbole -- declared it "one of the best books I've ever read!" Yann Martel's Life of Pi deserves every word of that praise. Drawing parallels between zoology and theology, Martel's novel is by turns amusing, intellectually astute, and poignant. And his Kiplingesque adventure tale will cause readers to reexamine beliefs of all kinds.
Meet Pi Patel, a young man on the cusp of adulthood when fate steps in and hastens his lessons in maturity. En route with his family from their home in India to Canada, their cargo ship sinks, and Pi finds himself adrift in a lifeboat -- alone, save for a few surviving animals, some of the very same animals Pi's zookeeper father warned him would tear him to pieces if they got a chance. But Pi's seafaring journey is about much more than a struggle for survival. It becomes a test of everything he's learned -- about both man and beast, their creator, and the nature of truth itself.
With a brilliant combination of sensitivity and a precise economy of language, Martel develops a story some readers might find less than credible. But his capacity for the mysterious, and a true understanding of the depths of human resilience will compel even the most skeptical of readers to continue on the fantastic journey with Pi, and an unusual 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. (Summer 2002 Selection)
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Sniffle Sniffle
Isn't spring lovely when you're coming down with a cold? These are the joys of having children.
So, about an hour after starting this post, I'm here to finish it. I just got home from taking a walk. Our block, if you can call it that, is exactly one mile from start to finish. Pretty lucky, eh? It's a GORGEOUS day. It's only 61 but the sun is blazing and I could've worn shorts and not been cold. I love my neighborhood. I know I've said that before, but while I was out walking, for about 40 minutes, I only saw maybe ten cars the whole time with the exception of one road cuz that's a main road. But anyway. That's so nice and peaceful. Of course, it's hard to be peaceful with Korn blaring over the iPod but you get my drift. I feel totally great. Scratchy throat and all.
Now I have about 90 minutes before the kiddies arrive home from school and I'm going to take my work to the deck and read some poetry. Fun, fun.
So, about an hour after starting this post, I'm here to finish it. I just got home from taking a walk. Our block, if you can call it that, is exactly one mile from start to finish. Pretty lucky, eh? It's a GORGEOUS day. It's only 61 but the sun is blazing and I could've worn shorts and not been cold. I love my neighborhood. I know I've said that before, but while I was out walking, for about 40 minutes, I only saw maybe ten cars the whole time with the exception of one road cuz that's a main road. But anyway. That's so nice and peaceful. Of course, it's hard to be peaceful with Korn blaring over the iPod but you get my drift. I feel totally great. Scratchy throat and all.
Now I have about 90 minutes before the kiddies arrive home from school and I'm going to take my work to the deck and read some poetry. Fun, fun.
Monday, February 26, 2007
1 Month
We have officially been in NC 1 month as of today. It's been a great month. And it seems like it's been longer than one month which is a good thing.
We had a first happen yesterday. We did our commissary shopping (again, spending less than $100, heheh) and when we were checking out, we didn't get a bagger. This is the first time that has happened in the almost 10 years we've been shopping at commissaries. If you've never been, you wouldn't understand. Normally, there's a line of baggers vying for space at the checkout lines. They work on tips so if they don't bag, they don't get paid. They also walk out with you and put your groceries into your car. It was highly unusual to have to bag our own groceries. C said that there was one time that he started bagging his own stuff and a bagger came up and literally pushed him out of the way to do it for him. Have things changed so much while we were in VT?
Anyway, we had another laid back weekend. Now I'm trying to get my Poe paper finished up. I've written so many papers in the last few years that I don't even remember them all. This is the first one that I've had this much trouble with. Sure, there are ones that I don't like writing cuz they're boring or I'm just lazy, but this one won't flow and it's so frustrating. Normally, I can get a 5 page paper knocked off in 4 or 5 hours of solid work. And, btw, I get A's on them. :P This one, I've put in days on it and it's still only about half way there. Is this writer's block or what?
So, I've taken my break and I need to get back to work now.
We had a first happen yesterday. We did our commissary shopping (again, spending less than $100, heheh) and when we were checking out, we didn't get a bagger. This is the first time that has happened in the almost 10 years we've been shopping at commissaries. If you've never been, you wouldn't understand. Normally, there's a line of baggers vying for space at the checkout lines. They work on tips so if they don't bag, they don't get paid. They also walk out with you and put your groceries into your car. It was highly unusual to have to bag our own groceries. C said that there was one time that he started bagging his own stuff and a bagger came up and literally pushed him out of the way to do it for him. Have things changed so much while we were in VT?
Anyway, we had another laid back weekend. Now I'm trying to get my Poe paper finished up. I've written so many papers in the last few years that I don't even remember them all. This is the first one that I've had this much trouble with. Sure, there are ones that I don't like writing cuz they're boring or I'm just lazy, but this one won't flow and it's so frustrating. Normally, I can get a 5 page paper knocked off in 4 or 5 hours of solid work. And, btw, I get A's on them. :P This one, I've put in days on it and it's still only about half way there. Is this writer's block or what?
So, I've taken my break and I need to get back to work now.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Today
Something that I dislike about blogging is coming up with a title. I'm usually at a loss for them and it annoys me.
I devoted yesterday's post to S since it was her birthday and didn't update on anything else. So this is what happened yesterday:
At about 10 am, I looked out my front window and saw a pick up truck parked in my driveway. I couldn't see what it said on the side of the truck and I didn't see anyone out front so I figured maybe they had stopped to turn around or something. I waited about ten minutes and looked out again and they were still there so at this point I'm like, "What's going on?" I let Bailey out back to do her business and saw orange spray paint all over the place and little orange flags stuck in the yard. After all that, I decided to go out front and see if I could find the owner of the pick up. He was in our side yard spray painting and throwing orange flags down like yard darts. His accuracy was pretty impressive. Turns out that they're getting ready to dig up my yard to hook our house up to the city sewer lines. And they were back at some point today with red spray paint so now my yard looks like a circus or something. Fun, fun.
I also finally sucked it up and talked to my landlord about the electric bill. He was so cool about it. He had an electrician out to the house about an hour after I talked to him to check things over and he's having a new heat pump put in. How lucky did I get with such a good landlord? After having the devil incarnate for a landlord at our first house in VT, I'm totally appreciative of having a landlord with a conscience.
I called about flute lessons for my daughter and they charge about $100 a month. Does that sound right? I've never looked into this type of thing before so I don't know if that's reasonable or not.
I also got bad news that I'm a math class or 3 credits short so I have to take a THIRD math class. Big, giganto, UGH!!! I thought I had put math classes behind me like a nasty, little, nightmare but apparently I was wrong.
Lastly, books. I finished reading my first Laurell K. Hamilton book the other day. I was entirely leery about reading a vampire book but did so at the recommendation of others and it wasn't that bad. It was certainly over the edge unbelievable with it having to do with vampires and lycanthropes and all, but entertaining all the same. I have to say I'd read more of her books. Today, I started J.D. Robb's newest release, Innocent in Death, and after reading her last two releases which I considered to be mediocre for J.D. Robb, this one has been a pleasant surprise. I'm thoroughly enjoying it and will have it finished tonight much to C's disgust. He hates how I can read an entire book in less than two days, heheh.
So, he just walked in the door from work so I'm outtie.
I devoted yesterday's post to S since it was her birthday and didn't update on anything else. So this is what happened yesterday:
At about 10 am, I looked out my front window and saw a pick up truck parked in my driveway. I couldn't see what it said on the side of the truck and I didn't see anyone out front so I figured maybe they had stopped to turn around or something. I waited about ten minutes and looked out again and they were still there so at this point I'm like, "What's going on?" I let Bailey out back to do her business and saw orange spray paint all over the place and little orange flags stuck in the yard. After all that, I decided to go out front and see if I could find the owner of the pick up. He was in our side yard spray painting and throwing orange flags down like yard darts. His accuracy was pretty impressive. Turns out that they're getting ready to dig up my yard to hook our house up to the city sewer lines. And they were back at some point today with red spray paint so now my yard looks like a circus or something. Fun, fun.
I also finally sucked it up and talked to my landlord about the electric bill. He was so cool about it. He had an electrician out to the house about an hour after I talked to him to check things over and he's having a new heat pump put in. How lucky did I get with such a good landlord? After having the devil incarnate for a landlord at our first house in VT, I'm totally appreciative of having a landlord with a conscience.
I called about flute lessons for my daughter and they charge about $100 a month. Does that sound right? I've never looked into this type of thing before so I don't know if that's reasonable or not.
I also got bad news that I'm a math class or 3 credits short so I have to take a THIRD math class. Big, giganto, UGH!!! I thought I had put math classes behind me like a nasty, little, nightmare but apparently I was wrong.
Lastly, books. I finished reading my first Laurell K. Hamilton book the other day. I was entirely leery about reading a vampire book but did so at the recommendation of others and it wasn't that bad. It was certainly over the edge unbelievable with it having to do with vampires and lycanthropes and all, but entertaining all the same. I have to say I'd read more of her books. Today, I started J.D. Robb's newest release, Innocent in Death, and after reading her last two releases which I considered to be mediocre for J.D. Robb, this one has been a pleasant surprise. I'm thoroughly enjoying it and will have it finished tonight much to C's disgust. He hates how I can read an entire book in less than two days, heheh.
So, he just walked in the door from work so I'm outtie.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Happy Birthday S!
Today is my youngest daughter's 8th birthday. So far, she's having a great day. We started out the morning with some birthday cards that she had gotten in the mail from friends and family. Then while she was at school she got a flower cake delivery from my friend J in Cali. Isn't it pretty?
This post turned into a two-parter. We just got home from taking S out to dinner. We decided to try a new restaurant and went to Ham's. It was really good. We'll definitely be going back and S had a really good time.
She also enjoyed her presents. She said her favorite present was the framed picture that her sister made for her. How sweet is that?
So, Happy Birthday S!! Have eight spankings and one to grow on.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
I'm All Alone
C is checking into his new unit today. After such an extended amount of time off work, it's really weird having him gone. I have extremely mixed feelings about him going back to work. On the one hand, I'm looking forward to having my routine back. He goes to work, the kids go to school, and I try and get as much done as I can before they descend upon me and nothing else gets done. On the other hand, we had a really great time, just the two of us while the kids were in school and I feel a little abandoned. It's strange cuz for the three years we were in VT I was very independent. I had to be and while it was rough in the beginning, I enjoyed being able to do everything for myself, when I wanted to, and how I wanted things done. Now I just have to find that in me again. Besides, I have so many things on my "to do" list today, I'll hardly have time to notice anything different.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
I Spoke Too Soon
So, I had to go on and on about how great things are and then shit happens. We got our first electric/water bill today. For 18 days of billing (that's not even an entire month in case you couldn't tell), our bill is $408. Our kilowatt hours are triple what they were in VT, literally. This totally sucks out loud. I called and talked to the company today and the guy was reading off to me the past bills for this house and there was one that was $597 for ONE month. How the freak is that possible??? It's not as if this is a large house, it's only 1700sqft. We keep the thermostat set on 66 and if we're cold, which doesn't really happen with us a lot cuz we're used to a LOT more colder weather than this, we grab a throw blanket. My landlord said before we moved that if our bill was high that he'd bring someone out to look at the house and the heat pump but it sucks that I'm going to have to bitch and we haven't even been here a month yet. Grrr!!!
Enough of that.
We went shopping for S's birthday gifts today. That was a lot of fun cuz we went to this specialty toy store in downtown New Bern. I really like walking around downtown especially with it being in the 60's today. We also stopped in at this wine and cheese shop and bought a nifty bottle of Pinot Grigio and we were invited to a wine tasting on Thursday. We won't be able to go cuz it's a school night and we don't have babysitters but maybe some other time. They have one twice a month.
I also got my hair cut today which was really nice for me. It had been a loooong while since I had had a cut. It was nothing special but now it's not so shaggy and it's all one color, lol.
We had a parent/teacher conference for both kids today. Usually these things give me migraines but today wasn't bad. It was basically just a deal to touch base since we're new to the school.
Oh! And we stopped in at the used book store again today, heheh. We had some old VHS movies and books that we traded in for store credit and I walked out with 8 or 9 new books. Yay for me!
That's about it. It was a rather busy day for me today and I'm tired from it all. Ok. And even though the electric/water bill sucks, life is still good and it's not keeping me down. Woohoo!
Enough of that.
We went shopping for S's birthday gifts today. That was a lot of fun cuz we went to this specialty toy store in downtown New Bern. I really like walking around downtown especially with it being in the 60's today. We also stopped in at this wine and cheese shop and bought a nifty bottle of Pinot Grigio and we were invited to a wine tasting on Thursday. We won't be able to go cuz it's a school night and we don't have babysitters but maybe some other time. They have one twice a month.
I also got my hair cut today which was really nice for me. It had been a loooong while since I had had a cut. It was nothing special but now it's not so shaggy and it's all one color, lol.
We had a parent/teacher conference for both kids today. Usually these things give me migraines but today wasn't bad. It was basically just a deal to touch base since we're new to the school.
Oh! And we stopped in at the used book store again today, heheh. We had some old VHS movies and books that we traded in for store credit and I walked out with 8 or 9 new books. Yay for me!
That's about it. It was a rather busy day for me today and I'm tired from it all. Ok. And even though the electric/water bill sucks, life is still good and it's not keeping me down. Woohoo!
Monday, February 19, 2007
President's Day
I almost forgot that this was Monday with the kids being home and stuff.
I had a relatively boring weekend which was soooo nice. I don't remember the last time we sat around and did NOTHING. Saturday, we hit the beach again with the dog. Bailey loved the beach but was afraid of the water. We brought her ball and she ate so much sand she probably poo'ed it for days, heheh. Sunday was my day of rest. I stayed in, caught up on my DVR watching, read a book, did some homework, and washed up some laundry. I didn't leave the house the whole entire day. Ahhhhh! Today we hit the Best Buy so that C could get a new flat screen monitor for his comp. He's now a happy camper.
Wanna hear something totally nerdy? I joined my school's English club, heheh. It's so nerdy, that I debated even posting that here, but if you can't bare it all on your blog, where else do you do it? I also bowed to conformity and downloaded the Myspace instant messenger. I'm about as equally embarrassed by that as I am about the English club. I also had a friend tell me that reading Harry Potter when your kids don't read it is creepy. I told him that he was just jealous because I actually know how to read but you have to wonder about the creepiness.
I'm currently writing a paper on Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado". Ever read it? It was a good, twisted Poe piece. You have to wonder about someone who can come up with that stuff. The same things you would wonder about Stephen King.
You wanna know what else? When I lived in Vermont, I had no problem coming up with posts about things that piss me off. Since I've moved, I can't come up with one single thing. I even thought of positive things about Vermont that I liked: 1.) Cabot cheese. No other domestic cheese can even compare with Cabot's cheese. It's the best. 2.) Ben and Jerry's. Need I say more? 3.) Vermont Teddy Bears. Build a Bear should take some lessons from them. 4.) No smoking and no billboards. I posted about this before. AND...I think that's about it. I could list all the things that's great about not living there, but I don't have the time.
Life is abso-freaking-lutely grand.
I had a relatively boring weekend which was soooo nice. I don't remember the last time we sat around and did NOTHING. Saturday, we hit the beach again with the dog. Bailey loved the beach but was afraid of the water. We brought her ball and she ate so much sand she probably poo'ed it for days, heheh. Sunday was my day of rest. I stayed in, caught up on my DVR watching, read a book, did some homework, and washed up some laundry. I didn't leave the house the whole entire day. Ahhhhh! Today we hit the Best Buy so that C could get a new flat screen monitor for his comp. He's now a happy camper.
Wanna hear something totally nerdy? I joined my school's English club, heheh. It's so nerdy, that I debated even posting that here, but if you can't bare it all on your blog, where else do you do it? I also bowed to conformity and downloaded the Myspace instant messenger. I'm about as equally embarrassed by that as I am about the English club. I also had a friend tell me that reading Harry Potter when your kids don't read it is creepy. I told him that he was just jealous because I actually know how to read but you have to wonder about the creepiness.
I'm currently writing a paper on Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado". Ever read it? It was a good, twisted Poe piece. You have to wonder about someone who can come up with that stuff. The same things you would wonder about Stephen King.
You wanna know what else? When I lived in Vermont, I had no problem coming up with posts about things that piss me off. Since I've moved, I can't come up with one single thing. I even thought of positive things about Vermont that I liked: 1.) Cabot cheese. No other domestic cheese can even compare with Cabot's cheese. It's the best. 2.) Ben and Jerry's. Need I say more? 3.) Vermont Teddy Bears. Build a Bear should take some lessons from them. 4.) No smoking and no billboards. I posted about this before. AND...I think that's about it. I could list all the things that's great about not living there, but I don't have the time.
Life is abso-freaking-lutely grand.
Friday, February 16, 2007
TGIF
I had a great week, but I'm soooo looking forward to being able to sleep in this weekend, lol. I have a hard time with 6:30am. At least with the days getting longer, it's not so dark when I get up anymore.
It was a day of ups and downs with the kids though, let me tell ya. This morning, S got up in a bad mood and M was fine. This afternoon, M got herself sent to her room about 3 different times and S was fine. Now that we're heading back towards bedtime, S is in her room crying (I don't know why) and M is fine. UGH!!! Kids! And they're not even teenagers yet.
C got his bookcase sanded and we both got the first layer of stain put on tonight. It's looking really good. I have stain in my hair and C has it all over his hands and it's impossible to get off. We're going to have to hit the Lowes in the morning and find some remover. I think I might just go and get my hair cut, lol.
Also, we're going to take Bailey to the beach tomorrow. It's her first time at the ocean or any body of water for that matter. I can't wait to see how she reacts to it. Some Boxers have a hard time swimming because they have such large chests and small rear ends so we'll have to wait and see how she does.
Oh, and another trip to the commissary netted us a week's worth of groceries for 4 at less than $100. I LOVE IT!!! Woohoo!
Anywho, we're getting ready to watch some Sopranos so I hope everyone has a great weekend especially those of you with a long weekend cuz of Pres. Day. Laters.
It was a day of ups and downs with the kids though, let me tell ya. This morning, S got up in a bad mood and M was fine. This afternoon, M got herself sent to her room about 3 different times and S was fine. Now that we're heading back towards bedtime, S is in her room crying (I don't know why) and M is fine. UGH!!! Kids! And they're not even teenagers yet.
C got his bookcase sanded and we both got the first layer of stain put on tonight. It's looking really good. I have stain in my hair and C has it all over his hands and it's impossible to get off. We're going to have to hit the Lowes in the morning and find some remover. I think I might just go and get my hair cut, lol.
Also, we're going to take Bailey to the beach tomorrow. It's her first time at the ocean or any body of water for that matter. I can't wait to see how she reacts to it. Some Boxers have a hard time swimming because they have such large chests and small rear ends so we'll have to wait and see how she does.
Oh, and another trip to the commissary netted us a week's worth of groceries for 4 at less than $100. I LOVE IT!!! Woohoo!
Anywho, we're getting ready to watch some Sopranos so I hope everyone has a great weekend especially those of you with a long weekend cuz of Pres. Day. Laters.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Can I Interest You in Lunch?
I had a really awesome day. We met a friend (Hi, D!!) in Jax for lunch and had a great time. I like being able to have conversations with someone other than my 10 year old or my 7 year old. It's a nice change of pace especially since we share a lot of the same interests.
While we were in Jax, we stopped in at Bed Bath and Beyond for some new lamps. They're totally nifty and I really likes. I also saw some dishes and bedding that I might have to go back and get, heheh.
Something else cool that happened today was that C got the part for his table saw that he needed (the movers lost it) in the mail today so that he could build a bookcase for me. It's all finished except for sanding and staining. He did a super job on it too especially considering that this is his first wood working project ever. I'll be sure and post pictures of the finished product. Actually, it turned out so well that he's going to build another one and hopefully I'll have room for all my books. Right now they're shoved two deep onto the bookcases that I currently have.
I also got the 30 Seconds from Mars CD. It's good. I liked almost every track on it except for the 12th one which was a bonus track anyway. C got the new Rodney Atkins CD too. It wasn't too bad if you like country music. We also got the second season of The Sopranos on DVD. I can't wait to break into that. I LOVE The Sopranos.
And now I have work to do before Grey's comes on. Woohoo!!
While we were in Jax, we stopped in at Bed Bath and Beyond for some new lamps. They're totally nifty and I really likes. I also saw some dishes and bedding that I might have to go back and get, heheh.
Something else cool that happened today was that C got the part for his table saw that he needed (the movers lost it) in the mail today so that he could build a bookcase for me. It's all finished except for sanding and staining. He did a super job on it too especially considering that this is his first wood working project ever. I'll be sure and post pictures of the finished product. Actually, it turned out so well that he's going to build another one and hopefully I'll have room for all my books. Right now they're shoved two deep onto the bookcases that I currently have.
I also got the 30 Seconds from Mars CD. It's good. I liked almost every track on it except for the 12th one which was a bonus track anyway. C got the new Rodney Atkins CD too. It wasn't too bad if you like country music. We also got the second season of The Sopranos on DVD. I can't wait to break into that. I LOVE The Sopranos.
And now I have work to do before Grey's comes on. Woohoo!!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Heheheheh!
Just a warning: If you live where they got all the snow that past couple of days of if you live where it is currently snowing, don't call me if you don't want to hear that it was 72 degrees at my house yesterday. HEHEHEHEHE!! Hey! I've paid my dues by living in South Canada for three years. Now, I get to sit back and laugh. Deal with it.
Enough meanness.
You ever file your taxes with H&R Block and have them be totally wrong? I'd be interested to know.
Have you ever had to write a 5 page paper on a story that's only 4 pages long? I do and I have no idea how I'm going to stretch out the 2 pages I've already written into 5 without it ending up being totally dumb.
And now my brain's strained enough and I have to type up my pathetic paper.
Enough meanness.
You ever file your taxes with H&R Block and have them be totally wrong? I'd be interested to know.
Have you ever had to write a 5 page paper on a story that's only 4 pages long? I do and I have no idea how I'm going to stretch out the 2 pages I've already written into 5 without it ending up being totally dumb.
And now my brain's strained enough and I have to type up my pathetic paper.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Surprise!!
We bought our new sofa today. We also got a chair and an ottoman. What do I think of it? Well, it's not that bad. It's not my first choice but apparently my first choice doesn't exist so we settled. Can I live with it? Yep especially since we're done looking and I don't have to look anymore. So, that's that.
We discovered a used book store yesterday. It is AWESOME!! They have books stacked, literally, to the ceiling. It was The Queen's paradise on Earth. AND, it's only about a minute from my house. How lucky is that? I have a feeling it's going to become my new home away from home.
Another difference I have noticed since living in N.C. is billboards. In Vermont, there were no billboards. At first, I thought it was dumb but now that I've lived without them for three years, I really see how they take away from the landscape. They're ugly. Along highway 70 there's about 6 or 7 all in a row of the same thing. Maybe VT knew what they were doing after all.
Furthermore, people made fun of California for the longest time for outlawing smoking in public places and then the rest of the country seemed to catch on to why this is such a good idea. Now we live in the tobacco capital of the U.S. and people smoke freaking everywhere. I'm sorry. I hate it. It's annoying, smelly, and sickening.
And now, I have homework to do. I have a rough draft of my first paper due tomorrow and I haven't even started it yet. I'm bad, I know.
We discovered a used book store yesterday. It is AWESOME!! They have books stacked, literally, to the ceiling. It was The Queen's paradise on Earth. AND, it's only about a minute from my house. How lucky is that? I have a feeling it's going to become my new home away from home.
Another difference I have noticed since living in N.C. is billboards. In Vermont, there were no billboards. At first, I thought it was dumb but now that I've lived without them for three years, I really see how they take away from the landscape. They're ugly. Along highway 70 there's about 6 or 7 all in a row of the same thing. Maybe VT knew what they were doing after all.
Furthermore, people made fun of California for the longest time for outlawing smoking in public places and then the rest of the country seemed to catch on to why this is such a good idea. Now we live in the tobacco capital of the U.S. and people smoke freaking everywhere. I'm sorry. I hate it. It's annoying, smelly, and sickening.
Lastly, I forgot to mention our trip to the beach we took on Sunday. It was fabulous! It was a gorgeous day with not a cloud in the sky. A bit breezy at 50 degrees but it didn't matter. We went to Atlantic Beach and then drove along the causeway back to Swansboro and then home from there. Talk about being deserted though. Hardly anybody was out and about and some of the hotels and most of the restaurants were closed for the season. So parking wasn't a problem, lol. It was really nice though. We also took a tour of Ft. Macon which was originally a Civil War fort and then it was also occupied for the Spanish American War and WWII. It was really neat. I took pictures that I'll post later.
And now, I have homework to do. I have a rough draft of my first paper due tomorrow and I haven't even started it yet. I'm bad, I know.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Widgits
I've discovered widgets. I spent quite a bit of time perusing through a gallery of widgits last night. I'm telling ya, I could've added a ton of them to my blog but stopped myself at three. They are so much fun. My favorite so far is Meebo. You can look at all your different instant messengers at one time and in the same window instead of having to run a bunch of different programs. I likey. Leave a Meebo message on the right if you'd like to.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Music for the Soul
Do you ever hear a song and just sink into it? You hear the sounds of the opening chords coming through your speakers and your whole body just falls into the music. I'm listening to music that does that for me right now. I heard the notes and I can only explain it as a sigh. I hope you have songs that do this for you too.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Settling In
Getting used to being back in the military world after living in the civilian world for three years is going to take some getting used to. It's weird when everywhere you turn, there's a Marine. We've noticed some changes too i.e. uniform regulations and base decal procedures among other things. What's really different is the size of Cherry Point. That base is freaking huge. It strikes me everytime we're there. On base officer housing seems to be pretty nice. SNCO housing, on the other hand, is shameful. It's no wonder they're building new units. I don't understand how families have fit into the old housing. It doesn't look big enough for more than 2 people. I have no regrets on turning down base housing. At all. A.) I like living away from the base. And B.) Our house in nice and we have a reasonable rent.
Oh, and the people that I've heard in the past that have said that the commissary isn't worth it are missing a few marbles. Both times we've gone shopping for a week's worth of groceries since we've lived here, we spent about $100 each time. In Vermont, a week's worth of groceries ran us about $160-$170 a week. That is going to amount to huge savings for us. I just don't understand why people don't think the commissary saves you money. I have receipts that prove that it does.
Oh, and the people that I've heard in the past that have said that the commissary isn't worth it are missing a few marbles. Both times we've gone shopping for a week's worth of groceries since we've lived here, we spent about $100 each time. In Vermont, a week's worth of groceries ran us about $160-$170 a week. That is going to amount to huge savings for us. I just don't understand why people don't think the commissary saves you money. I have receipts that prove that it does.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
unFREAKINGbelievable!
The second phone call I get on my new line which has only been active since this morning, and it's a freaking TELEMARKETER!! Can you believe that? Sheesh, geez, and omfg. I was so stunned that I listened to the lady's entire spiel before I remembered to hang up on her. How do they work that fast? And it wasn't some random thing either. She asked for me by name. Man.
Needless to say, I have now registered our number at the do not call deal thing but from what I've been told, that's about worthless anyway. But at least I tried.
And speaking of phone calls, I really wish that people would stop telling me things that I really don't want to know and then expect me to not get mad about the thing(s). I'm an angry, grudge-holding, karma-loving, even getter, bitch and if you've known me longer than a minute, you'd know that about me.
DON'T TELL ME THINGS THAT WILL PISS ME OFF AND NOT EXPECT ME TO GET MAD ABOUT IT AND TO STAY MAD. THAT'S NOT WHO I AM.
Geez! It's been a busy day at my house.
Needless to say, I have now registered our number at the do not call deal thing but from what I've been told, that's about worthless anyway. But at least I tried.
And speaking of phone calls, I really wish that people would stop telling me things that I really don't want to know and then expect me to not get mad about the thing(s). I'm an angry, grudge-holding, karma-loving, even getter, bitch and if you've known me longer than a minute, you'd know that about me.
DON'T TELL ME THINGS THAT WILL PISS ME OFF AND NOT EXPECT ME TO GET MAD ABOUT IT AND TO STAY MAD. THAT'S NOT WHO I AM.
Geez! It's been a busy day at my house.
Mr. Right
When is the last time you were entertained at Wendy's? C and I stopped in for a quick bite and the cashier guy whose name tag read, "Mr. Right" was hilarious. The customer in front of must've been his friend because Mr. Right loaned him $3 and then proceeded to discount his meal. Customer guy got a combo meal for the bargain price of $2.87 and then proceeded to make a big deal out of how fresh the burgers were and how hot the fries were. Then when it was our turn, he took our drink order which was 2 medium Cokes and then when we went to pay he said he only charged us for small drinks. That was after harassing the prep girl to make sure she got our orders correct. Even after we sat down we continued to be entertained by Mr. Right as we listened to him chat it up with the other customers. I need some of whatever he was on, lol.
Oh. And banks suck too. Why should you have to have an account with them to get something notarized? Our bank is in San Antonio and I don't think we're driving all that way just to get two pieces of paper notarized. Good thing our GPS was able to find us a UPS store.
And I forgot to mention how the Lowes was on fire last night. We just happened to follow the 3 fire trucks into the store cuz we were on the way to buy a thermostat. There wasn't really too much to see since the fire was outside in the storage area but the fire alarm went off again while we were in the store. It's funny how a fire alarm can go off and nobody reacts but continues to do their shopping.
S and I were attacked by a rolled up area rug last night. It bonked her right on the head and left an abrasion on my arm. We all laughed so hard at the whole thing. It't not too often that you see a rug assault people.
Oh. And banks suck too. Why should you have to have an account with them to get something notarized? Our bank is in San Antonio and I don't think we're driving all that way just to get two pieces of paper notarized. Good thing our GPS was able to find us a UPS store.
And I forgot to mention how the Lowes was on fire last night. We just happened to follow the 3 fire trucks into the store cuz we were on the way to buy a thermostat. There wasn't really too much to see since the fire was outside in the storage area but the fire alarm went off again while we were in the store. It's funny how a fire alarm can go off and nobody reacts but continues to do their shopping.
S and I were attacked by a rolled up area rug last night. It bonked her right on the head and left an abrasion on my arm. We all laughed so hard at the whole thing. It't not too often that you see a rug assault people.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Kill Me Now
We're back and without the sofa. We got to the store and saw it again and decided we couldn't live with it after all. I was seriously close to tears. I hate sofa shopping.
Day 2 of The Great Sofa Search
2 days, 4 counties, 4 cities, and an innumerable amount of stores and we still haven't found exactly what we're looking for in a sofa. We're to the point where it's not fun looking anymore and we're pretty sure we're going to get the Broyhill we saw yesterday and call ourselves done. We left this morning at 9:15 am and just got home at about 2:30 pm and I'm not sure how long we shopped yesterday but geez! I really think it's that we're being too picky. But is it wrong to be picky when you're spending so much on furniture? Shouldn't you make sure that you get good quality furniture that you like? It's not as if you replace sofas every year. You have to live with your decision for several years. I guess I could always buy slipcovers, heheh.
I also have to comment on Jacksonville, NC. Since 1991, I've spent quite a bit of time there. My brother was stationed there and C also went to MCT and OJT there as well. Granted, before we moved down here, I hadn't been to Jax since 1998 but GEEZ! That town has changed. It's changed so much that it doesn't even have the same feeling to it. I know cities go through growth and change, but this is extreme. I'm sad at the fact that I don't recognize it anymore. I have a ton of great memories there. And the people there could give California drivers a run for their money. They are CRAZY and they love their horns. It's just strange all around.
Has anyone been watching Dirt on F/X? I've been watching it from the beginning because I have a loyalty to Courtney Cox (where'd the Arquette go?) from her days on Friends. I really like it. It's as dark as dark can get and a lot of it is shocking (Ummm...What happened to Prince for example!!) but I really enjoy it every week. I've been hearing that it's having problems keeping up it's viewership so I hope it doesn't get the ax but at least F/X gives shows a chance and it'll make it to it's season finale (which Jennifer Aniston will be guesting on. Yay!) at the very least. If you haven't watched it, you should give it a try. Tuesday nights at 10pm and then they rerun it a few other times throughout the week but I'm not sure what days or when.
Anyway, the girls will be home in 10 so I'm off..................................
I also have to comment on Jacksonville, NC. Since 1991, I've spent quite a bit of time there. My brother was stationed there and C also went to MCT and OJT there as well. Granted, before we moved down here, I hadn't been to Jax since 1998 but GEEZ! That town has changed. It's changed so much that it doesn't even have the same feeling to it. I know cities go through growth and change, but this is extreme. I'm sad at the fact that I don't recognize it anymore. I have a ton of great memories there. And the people there could give California drivers a run for their money. They are CRAZY and they love their horns. It's just strange all around.
Has anyone been watching Dirt on F/X? I've been watching it from the beginning because I have a loyalty to Courtney Cox (where'd the Arquette go?) from her days on Friends. I really like it. It's as dark as dark can get and a lot of it is shocking (Ummm...What happened to Prince for example!!) but I really enjoy it every week. I've been hearing that it's having problems keeping up it's viewership so I hope it doesn't get the ax but at least F/X gives shows a chance and it'll make it to it's season finale (which Jennifer Aniston will be guesting on. Yay!) at the very least. If you haven't watched it, you should give it a try. Tuesday nights at 10pm and then they rerun it a few other times throughout the week but I'm not sure what days or when.
Anyway, the girls will be home in 10 so I'm off..................................
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Fudge
I forgot to mention...In our sofa search we happened to visit a store in downtown New Bern and while walking to the store (we had to park around the block) we walked past Bear City Fudge. They have, quite possibly, the best fudge in the world. We got the 1 1/2 lb sampler box and OH*MY*GOSH!! It was sooooo good. We tried out chocolate, mochachino, Heath Toffee, Butterfinger, cookie dough, and cookies and creme. So far, the mochachino is our favorite. (Me and C). They have a bunch of cute little Valentine's Day gifts too. They make the fudge in the store every day so it's homemade and fresh.
You can't place an order from their website, but their number is listed and you could probably place a phone order. It'd totally be worth your time and money to do so, let me tell ya.
You can't place an order from their website, but their number is listed and you could probably place a phone order. It'd totally be worth your time and money to do so, let me tell ya.
So much for the land line deal. They said it'd be working between noon and 7 pm (nice window, eh?) and it's 7:40 and still no phone. Maybe I'm just not destined to have a decent phone.
We went sofa shopping today. We hit 6 or 7 different stores today and didn't see too much that we liked. I think my problem is that I'm being overly picky. I want something that's modern in style, with legs, no dust ruffle on the bottom, and in a kid friendly material. In the sofa world, that's a lot to ask for. We saw a Broyhill that we'll probably end up settling on though. I'll update on that tomorrow.
Two somethings that I forgot to mention about our trip south...In Virginia, we paid $1.99 for gas! Can you believe that? It was less than 2 bucks. And then in New Jersey we bought gas there too on the turnpike. On the pumps it said that it's New Jersey law to have full service gas stations. I've never seen that law before. You can't pump your own gas there. Weird, right? Maybe they had a problem with the mobsters making fast getaways and not paying for their gas, heheh.
Well, I'm off to do some work. Since we were gone shopping all day, I didn't get any school work done at all. Laters.
We went sofa shopping today. We hit 6 or 7 different stores today and didn't see too much that we liked. I think my problem is that I'm being overly picky. I want something that's modern in style, with legs, no dust ruffle on the bottom, and in a kid friendly material. In the sofa world, that's a lot to ask for. We saw a Broyhill that we'll probably end up settling on though. I'll update on that tomorrow.
Two somethings that I forgot to mention about our trip south...In Virginia, we paid $1.99 for gas! Can you believe that? It was less than 2 bucks. And then in New Jersey we bought gas there too on the turnpike. On the pumps it said that it's New Jersey law to have full service gas stations. I've never seen that law before. You can't pump your own gas there. Weird, right? Maybe they had a problem with the mobsters making fast getaways and not paying for their gas, heheh.
Well, I'm off to do some work. Since we were gone shopping all day, I didn't get any school work done at all. Laters.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Shoo!
Soooo, we had to get us a land line. It sucks. We haven't had one in three years and have been very happy without it. I hate having an extra bill. Verizon sucks too. They admitted to us at the store that they know we don't get a strong signal where we live and that there is absolutely no signal at the base and they still won't let us out of our contracts. And then they didn't understand why I didn't want to sign up for another 2 year contract. HELLO! Put your brain on and figure it out. Why in the world would I sign up to pay for something that I can't use?!?!?! As a result, we'll be keeping our VT phone #'s on the cells because they won't change them unless you sign another contract. Morons.
Good news is that we're done unpacking. Shoo! I'd rather pack than unpack. We've already made one trip to the recycling place with boxes and we'll be making multiple trips tomorrow with more boxes and packing paper. And now that we're done unpacking, I love my new house even more than I did when we first got here. We have so much extra room here despite a smaller kitchen and smaller baths. And the neighborhood is the best. There are a ton of kids here. Today, I went to call S in from playing outside and she was out there with 5 other kids. I don't think there were five kids total at our other house let alone 5 kids her age.
I'm finally caught up with my school work. My instructors were awesome in understanding what I was trying to do and they didn't take off any points for my assignments being turned in late. How great is that? And I LOVE my English class. I know. That makes me a total nerd but I do. My other two classes are pretty much living up to my expectations of what they were going to be: Dull. Oh well.
And Tricare sucks big, hairy, butts. I hate them and the horse they rode in on. They suck, suck, suckity, suck.
And now, it's time for dinner.
Good news is that we're done unpacking. Shoo! I'd rather pack than unpack. We've already made one trip to the recycling place with boxes and we'll be making multiple trips tomorrow with more boxes and packing paper. And now that we're done unpacking, I love my new house even more than I did when we first got here. We have so much extra room here despite a smaller kitchen and smaller baths. And the neighborhood is the best. There are a ton of kids here. Today, I went to call S in from playing outside and she was out there with 5 other kids. I don't think there were five kids total at our other house let alone 5 kids her age.
I'm finally caught up with my school work. My instructors were awesome in understanding what I was trying to do and they didn't take off any points for my assignments being turned in late. How great is that? And I LOVE my English class. I know. That makes me a total nerd but I do. My other two classes are pretty much living up to my expectations of what they were going to be: Dull. Oh well.
And Tricare sucks big, hairy, butts. I hate them and the horse they rode in on. They suck, suck, suckity, suck.
And now, it's time for dinner.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Totally Bummed
We went to the pet store tonight. Big mistake. Minutes before we arrived, they had just gotten a teeny tiny Boxer puppy. It had the sweetest little face and they had it out of its crate and in the dog room where people were petting him. I fell in love on the spot. We've been wanting to get another Boxer for a long time now but wanted to wait until after we moved. When those people were done petting the puppy, the pet store people put him back in his crate where he whined and pawed at the cage, shaking from head to toe. It was the saddest thing ever! It made me want to cry and if we hadn't just moved a week ago, we'd have a new addition to our family tonight. I just don't think it'd be right to ask our landlord to allow us another dog a mere week after moving in to his house.
Onto some good news which is sort of a pain in the ass at the same time...
We have renters moving into our house today. Woot woot! That's the good news. The pain in the ass part is that the rental management lady keeps calling me asking me questions all the time. Can they do this? We will pay for that? Can I make this call for them? Blah, blah, blah. I swear if they ask me to pay for one more thing I'll drive back to Vermont just to burn the house to the ground. And the management lady talks and talks and TALKS! I can be on the phone with her for 15 minutes and only get in one word the whole time. And with the lousy cell reception that we're getting and the fact that my phone likes to randomly shut down with no warning, it's just a big pain.
So, what's everyone's plans for the weekend?
Onto some good news which is sort of a pain in the ass at the same time...
We have renters moving into our house today. Woot woot! That's the good news. The pain in the ass part is that the rental management lady keeps calling me asking me questions all the time. Can they do this? We will pay for that? Can I make this call for them? Blah, blah, blah. I swear if they ask me to pay for one more thing I'll drive back to Vermont just to burn the house to the ground. And the management lady talks and talks and TALKS! I can be on the phone with her for 15 minutes and only get in one word the whole time. And with the lousy cell reception that we're getting and the fact that my phone likes to randomly shut down with no warning, it's just a big pain.
So, what's everyone's plans for the weekend?
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Ok. Yeah.
So I said yesterday that I'd be updating more regularly now. Problem with that is that all I'm doing is unpacking, sorting, and settling in. Nothing much else is going on with me and I don't have the time to even watch the news to have something else to comment on. The weather's been kinda freaky lately. I guess it snowed a bunch in western N.C. but all we got was a ton of rain.
See? I got nuthin.
Oh. A little something funny. When our movers unloaded our grill off the truck, it still had ice on it from Vermont, heheh. Is that cold or what?
See? I got nuthin.
Oh. A little something funny. When our movers unloaded our grill off the truck, it still had ice on it from Vermont, heheh. Is that cold or what?
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