Please don't let my car cost too much

My car is way past due for inspection. It was supposed to get done in July and here we are in October and it's still not done. I was trying to push it back so it would coincide with my registration but I thought it would take me another year or two to get them synced.

I was going to go this week but then I decided that I didn't know how much it would cost so I decided to push it back until next week. That way I can take it just before I get paid and I know that I'll have enough to cover the cost.

I guess I procrastinate so much because I barely drive the car. Oh well, it needs to be done so I'll get on it.

Ugh Fall

So it's Fall already. You can tell by the fact that there is fall foliage on the trees, and the ground, in addition to the chill in the air. Sports enthusiasts love this type of weather but I hate it. I hate it every year when the seasons change and it seems to get worse.

I could move to somewhere warm, which is my dream by the way, but I have family obligations that are keeping me in the area. So for now it's just hoping and wishing and saving for a tropical vacation to take my mind off of the fact that it's cold outside.

Maybe if I keep envisioning Summer I won't notice the cold. Think that will work?

My car still isn't inspected

After I decided that I wasn't going anywhere for my vacation, I decided not to get my car inspected. I decided not to take the car in during my vacation so I would have it in case I decided to do any running around. Turns out that really wasn't necessary as I only ventured out a few times. I could have had the car done and back and still had several days to do running around.

I do have to still get it done but I'm going to put it off for another week or so. The inspection expired in July so it's not like I have to rush because I'm already late. I've thought about putting it off until October so the inspection matches the registration but I thought that would be pushing it.

To be perfectly honest, I'm just not ready to part with the several hundred dollars that I know it's going to cost me. Cars can be expensive!

I won't be going to a baseball game next week

Man things just keep getting worse and worse for me. First there was no real vacation planned which totally bites! I had gotten over that and I decided that I would do a mini-trip or two. Then last week I was out and I noticed that my car is not driving right at all. Did I mention that the inspection is expired so I would have to get that taken care of before I go anywhere? I also won't be able to get my car into a garage until Monday or Tuesday and I wanted to leave Monday?

That's not even the biggest reason that I'm not going though. I wanted to go to Toronto and watch a Yankees game. I was gonna shlep all the way up there Sunday, stay the night and go to the game on Monday, then shlep back Tuesday morning. It would have cost a few hundred bucks but it beats sitting at home doing nothing for a week.

Alas, it looks like I'm stuck in couchville for the week.

I got my spam problem taken care of

It was an easier fix than I thought it would be. Instead of logging in to my database and uploading all kinds of filters and comment boxes, I just increased the number of comments that I could see on my dashboard. Now instead of 20 comments, I see 250 at a time. Even though I had over 10k comments, 4 deletions is 1k comments so it really took no time at all to get them all deleted. I think it took me a little over a half an hour and that's while I was surfing and doing other stuff  in multiple windows.

It is so much easier to delete 2k spam comments every couple of days when you can load more at one time. Now if I could only figure out how to stop the comments and I would be very happy. Oh well, you can't have everything.

Spam sucks!

One of my other blogs gets a lot of spam comments, I mean a lot. I made a post Friday and cleaned out my spam filter. Today I go in to make a new post and I have over 6K comments. Yes 6 Thousand, and they're all junk!

I don't know what spam list I got made a part of but this stinks. Especially since it takes so long to load all of those comments. Then I usually delete some and the page errors out and I have to start over. Usually only about 1-2 thousand get deleted each go-round. As I type, I've been waiting almost 10 minutes for the comments to load. It doesn't help that I'm using a busy network today so it's going extra slow.

I just wish I could figure out how to make this stop.

Blogging Part 3

This is my last post on this subject. But I just keep thinking of things to make everyone better bloggers.

Write quality content. It's easy to write a post just to get something out there. But when people read it, they think what the heck is that. Believe me, they won't be back. Take time to write quality posts. Use spell-check, it's your friend. If you have to, write posts in advance and save them as drafts. Then publish as necessary.

Post often. Again, don't just post junk but you need to have regular posts. Make a schedule, or decide to post 3 times a week and try to stick to it. People understand that life happens and sometimes you won't be able to make your schedule. But don't make a post one day, the next post a week later, then skip a week or two. If your visitors don't see fresh material at least once or twice a week, they probably won't come back.

Put you email address out there for people to email you with questions. The reason? Some people just don't feel comfortable leaving comments but may have something they want to say. Maybe they feel what they have to say is personal and feel more at ease with email. Help them out. Either put your email address in your sidebar or on your about me page. To help catch spam, get a separate Yahoo or G-Mail account just for blogging.

If anyone has any ideas, leave a comment and help everybody become better bloggers.

Some things I've learned about blogging Part 2

This is a continuation of things I've learned about blogging. The more I think about it, the more things that come to me.

Building readership takes time. Some bloggers become really popular overnight. That's the exception not the norm. Most bloggers that have a following have been blogging for over 2 years. They've grown and their audience has grown with them. That also goes back to keeping true to the theme of your blog. If I have a following on my blog, and then I go way off track, I'll lose some of my readers. Once you lose a reader, you don't always get the chance to get them back.

You have to promote your blog. Make it easy for people to find you. Join communities, forums and exchange links and posts. Put your link in your email as your signature. Don't spam people however. If you go to a forum or community that you've never been to and just start putting your url everywhere, it will turn people off.

Some blogs are just no good. We've all seen them. Posts that make absolutely no sense, misspellings and poor grammar. Yet, they seem to be popular. Do not follow their lead. They may be popular because people are making fun of them. As tempting as it sounds it's not quality traffic and it's not likely to last. Keep doing what you're doing and your readership will increase.

Encourage your friends and family to read your blog. None of my friends read my blog. It's like pulling teeth to get them to visit occasionally. Fahgetabout them reading it regularly. They don't know what their missing. Only about 5% of my family is on the internet. Sad but true. I keep trying to get them on the internet, but they just won't budge. If you can get your family to read your blog, that can give you a boost in traffic. An added bonus is that they will send your site to their friends and their friends' friends.

I'll probably think of more things to write. I'm always learning something new about my blog and blogging in general. What things have your learned during your blogging career?

Some things I've learned about blogging

This is another post that I wrote eons ago. I actually wrote it back in 2007 or 2008 when I first started my blog. Anyway, better late than never.

Nothing earth shattering, just some observations that I've made.

One of the biggest things I've learned is that you should stay true to your blog. My other blogger blog is supposed to be a personal finance blog. That blog has lost its focus big time. I have a blog on my own domain which will be strictly personal finance. My personal finance categories include school, because it's personal growth and directly impacts my finances. I may change the title of that blog to reflect the fact that it's not just personal finance related anymore.

I've also learned that I am at the mercy of Google for getting my blog indexed. This blog has no rank since it's brand new. Hopefully when Google does their next update I'll go up to a 1, or better yet a 2. The higher your page rank, the more visitors you have. People are also more likely to link to you and help promote your blog.

While SEO (search engine optimization) is important, it's not the deciding factor on what you should blog about. You want to make your blog easy to find. SEO helps with that. Imagine your blog being #1 on Google search for whatever term people are looking for.

I've learned lots of other things that I will take into consideration, and attempt to put into action. I'm trying to put all of these things together to make me a better blogger. That benefits everyone. I become a better writer and my blog becomes more interesting to read.

I need a realistic furniture budget

My bedroom set is done, toast, finito -or however you spell it, and you get my drift. I need a new bedroom set. I got it when I moved into my current place. I thought I was moving out of town so I didn't want to spend a lot of money because I didn't plan on taking the furniture with me.

Then a lot of things happened and I decided to stay put. But I still have this cheap awful furniture. The mattress is worn and it needs to be replaced. I am not buying another piece of furniture as long as I'm in my current place. However I need a realistic budget as to how much new furniture will set me back.

I'm thinking of going piece mill and buying one thing at a time and doing a build-a-bedroom if you will. That way I can totally control the costs and I don't have to buy anything unless I have the cash. Before I make any final decisions however, I need to know what it's really going to cost me. I saw a bed for less than $600 but I still need mattress. No box spring because of the design of the frame. I also saw an entire set that would set me back over $2k which I absolutely do not have.

Maybe I'll go out in the next couple of weeks to see what I'm up against.

Allergy smallergy...apparently

Well I went to the allergist and got blood-work done. It took a week for the results to come in but I'm not allergic to anything that they tested me for. I made sure the pistachios, cola (or caffeine) and chocolate were all on the list but it came back negative.

I may have to go back and pay out of pocket to get another test done. It's the "prick" test where they put a bunch of dots on your arm and prick each one with an known allergen to see if it causes a reaction. It's not covered though since I already had a test done.

At this point I'm willing to go out of pocket and figure this out once and for all.

Great I have a new allergy

I've known that I was allergic to chocolate for a while now. I'm also allergic to regular brown cola. I can drink diet cola but not regular. I guess it's the amount of sugar vs artificial sweetener that gets me. I can also drink any other kind of soda out there, from Mountain Dew to any flavored soda (pineapple, grape). It's weird but I adapt.

Well yesterday I broke out something terrible and got blisters out the wazoo. I had a small amount of soda and chocolate and it should have happened on Sunday. Well it seems I am allergic to nuts. I ate a half of a bag on Sunday evening and Monday I paid for it.

As long as I have each thing in moderation I'm good. But it's annoying as hell to be allergic to so many things that I enjoy eating.

I need to stay away from chocolate

I'm allergic to chocolate in an annoying way. It gives me hives, makes me itch and occasionally gives me cold sores. But who can really give up chocolate? Especially when you've been eating it all of your life?

I usually keep Benadryl in my desk but I didn't have any yesterday. So after lunch I was itching and scratching like crazy. I took a pill as soon as I got home. I also added a couple to my purse to bring them to work for the next time this happens.

Unfortunately I know this will happen again. I just can't quit chocolate!

My 2013 resolutions

First let me say that this is posted across all of my blogs so if you're following my blogs (especially my blogger blogs), you'll see the same exact posting.
My goals are :

• Increase my liquid savings by $2,500-3,000.
• Add 1 $250 CD bringing me to 6 CD's. After I get my liquid account to $3,000 all additional savings will go into the cd's.
• Add $300 to my stock account.
• Save up at least half of the amount for my bedroom suite. With 24 months same as cash I'll be able to pay it over time.
• Close on my house no later than July. It should be sooner but I could push it back a few months.
• Lose 1 pants size. Sure why not! It never happens but whatever. 
• Save $1,000 for moving expenses and trips home. I have to go home at least 3 times this year including getting my stuff out of storage.

Nice and short. Hopefully I'll meet most of them.

I spelled the title of my last post wrong

I just noticed it too. It's been that way for over 2 weeks and I never noticed. I happened to look today and it stuck out like a sore thumb. That's what happens though when you're in a hurry and don't really take the time to proofread like you should.

Oh well hopefully it won't happen again.

I need moer hotel points

The program that I'm in had another sale on points. I was about half-way there to getting more points. I was surprised that they offered the points for as long as they did. Unfortunately, I was not able to save enough points to get another stack added to my account.

I really want to go on a nice vacation in the next couple of years and I want my air miles and hotel points to pay for the vast majority of it. Since I'm a beach goer it's not that expensive for my vacations anyway. And I'm sure most people would say that it's not a good use of points, but it works for me.

Now I just need to get to saving!

I got some hotel points

Yay!! It was earlier than expected and I didn't have enough points in my account to get as many hotel points as I wanted but I did add almost 3k points to my hotel loyalty account.

According to the previous schedule, the points should not have been available until after January. However, I kept looking just to make certain. Sure enough the points were available last week. I jumped up and logged in to get them before they sold out.

There are still points available but I don't have enough points to turn in for more points. By the time I gather enough points, I'm sure they'll be all gone. That's ok though, right now I have enough points for almost 2 days. If I get a deal on the stay, I can stay anywhere from 3 to 6 days. As most of my vacations are only 4 nights, this works for me.

Now it's time to start stockpiling again so I can take full advantage the next time.

Well I have a chance to get more hotel points

I was looking through one of the websites that I go to looking for information on hotel deals when I saw a contest. It's for the main hotel chain that I belong to which is a good thing. You can win 50k points which is 1-2 nights unless you get the severely discounted room and then it's between 5k-12.5k. Not bad. But combined with what I have, it's almost enough points to get me a free stay (5 days or 4 nights).

I love this program because the points never expire. For me that's a good thing since I don't travel a lot. I can save up and take my dream vacation. Right now I have one pegged for 2014 but I don't want to get into it until I get more concrete plans.

But it's definitely exciting to start saving towards that goal.

I need more hotel points

I belong to several frequent flier programs, even though I don't fly a lot. However most programs allow you to accumulate points and as long as there is some activity over the previous 18-24 months your account will stay active.

The problem is that I don't have any points in my hotel loyalty accounts. I have one hotel chain that I have points in. However, the points expire every 24 months and they don't have any hotels anywhere I want to go. I'm still in my beach phase where all I want to do is go chill at a beach resort. This particular chain only has 4 or 5 islands. The problem is that none of the hotels are one the beach. On one island the hotels are in the middle of the city nowhere near a beach. That's not a deal breaker because the last hotel I stayed at was basically across the street from the beach and that's no big deal.

I really wish I could afford to travel more.

I was really trying to go back on vacation

I had hoped that the hotel/casino that I stayed at would have offered me a deal to come back. They're a pretty cheap resort in the first place so I wasn't expecting a free night but I was hoping for a $15-20 off discount per night. Sadly, I haven't received any offers and I don't think I'll be receiving any.

It's been almost 3 weeks since I've been back so I should have received an offer by now. Since I haven't received one, I can only assume that I won't be getting one. In reality, it's probably a good thing that I haven't gotten a discount. I would have booked another trip so fast my own head would have spun.

Oh well, I guess there's always next year.

My vacation was awesome

And expensive. I booked a fairly low priced trip but all of the "extras" really started to add up. I had to buy new clothes, because I don't wear dresses and capri pants regularly. I also had to buy beach supplies like lotions, travel sized sundries etc. Then I had to pay for luggage fees, parking etc. After a while, those numbers started to add up.

I did not get the all-inclusive meal plan so I spent quite a bit of money buying food. It costs the same as any big city so I wasn't too surprised. The next time I will go for the all-inclusive hotel. It won't save too much money but I do like the idea of paying for everything in advance. Then I would just need a few bucks for incidentals, souvenirs etc.

However I had a great time and I would gladly do it all again. As a matter of fact, I hope to do it again next year.

2 weeks to relaxation

I've been so busy lately that I haven't had a chance to really relax. Even when I've had days off, I've been stressed about how much we've had to do at work. Well work is slowing down, which means we're almost at a normal pace instead of a break neck pace. But more importantly, it's vacation time for me.

I have to finish this week and then I have next week, then it's vacation time. I took my normal week and then the Monday afterward so I have 10 glorious days off. I want to get as much done as I can in the next 2 weeks so that while I'm on vacation, I don't have to worry about getting anything done or stressing.

I want this to be a totally relaxing time.

Oh we're related?

Oops. The post I wrote the other day was about someone who friended me on a social networking site. I didn't know who they were but I knew that it was someone close because of the way they addressed me and who else they were friends with on the site.

Well it turns out that the person is my relatives, one of my 2nd or 3rd cousins. I haven't seen her in a good 15 years minimum so it's no wonder the name rang a bell but I couldn't quite place her.

At least now we'll keep in touch more. That's always a good thing.

Who are you again?

I labeled this post friends, but that word should be in quotations. I just got a request on a networking site from a old friend. I accepted the request even though I have no idea who this person is. Then they private messaged me and asked how I was doing. They even referenced something personal so I know they know who I am.

The problem is that I have no idea who this person is. The name doesn't even remotely ring a bell. I know her last name could be different (marriage and such) but the first name doesn't sound familiar. She doesn't have a common first name either so I should know who she is. But nope, no clue.

Hopefully I'll figure it out soon.

My niece is driving me crazy

I just had to get her another phone. This is the second phone she's had in 2 years. I do understand that she's a teenager and they're rough and tough on phones but sheesh. This one had water damage in addition to wear and tear. That's all in addition to the cracked screen.

It will cost me $100 for her to get a new phone since it was due to water damage. Regular wear and tear is a small charge of less than $10 but the water did me in. I started to get her a phone off of Ebay and just paying cash but I decided against it.

Hopefully she gets a job soon and gets her own cell phone plan.

My walk almost killed me - not really

But it sure as hell felt like it this morning. It's not even that hot outside today. This past weekend it was in the high 80's and low 90's. This morning it was in the mid 70's but it was kinda humid.

My walk starts off at my normal bus-stop. Then I walk through downtown, over one of the many bridges and end up on the side of PNC Park on Federal Street. Normally I walk over the 7th St. Bridge (Andy Warhol Bridge) and cut down a side street. Then I walk the 2 or so blocks to my building. Then it's the torture of walking up 60 or so steps to get into my building. I could take the elevator but I really need the exercise.

Most days I'm totally fine but today I was out of breath, tired and sweaty. Yuck. Now I have to sit at work all day smelling like a baby goat. My legs were tired before I even got halfway here. I had figured by now that I would be used to the walk but days like today just get the best of me.

I need to do a quick body cleanse and drop a few pounds then I should be able to make the walk with no muss and no fuss.

Doximity is a new physician network that's starting to take off

Get the play on words? Doximity - Docs in proximity...pretty clever if I do say so myself. Doximity is new and growing with a total of 6% of US physicians using the service. New members have to go through a 3 step credential check to maintain both physician and provider privacy. The service even allows docs to connect securely through their smart phones to send HIPPA compliant text messages, exchange private information or even faxes from their phones. They can also connect with classmates and former residents.

Their biggest feature is the physician profiles. If you go to the search bar and type docs in California that speak Spanish and specialize in treating abdominal aortic aneurysm, doctors matching that profile will pop up. As an example Bryan Kurtz MD pops up and a doctor can refer their patient to him for treatment.

With everything that they do throughout the day, this saves doctors time by providing a rich directory right at their fingertips.

Winding down on overtime

Back in March I was talking about how tired I was because of overtime. I have been working overtime to get enough for a 3.5% down payment on the house that I want to purchase next year. My account is $50 short as of today but by this Saturday it will be at the full amount.

I'm also trying to raise my regular savings and that's pretty much what I'm working on now. I just paid off my car, in anticipation of buying a home next year, so I'm putting that money in savings. Unfortunately once I do buy my home, the car money will be used for monthly expenses. My rent is insanely cheap and there is no way I'm going to get a mortgage for that low of an amount. I also don't pay gas or water/sewage right now so those will increase my budget for sure.

I had planned on getting a second job just before overtime became available but this has really been much better for me. A second job would have been less money and way more hours so I'm pretty happy with how things turned out. My boss has been hinting that the overtime train might stop in June so I'm just going to keep chugging along and get what I can before it stops. I haven't really gone all out on overtime because the one time that I did I was almost catatonic the next week. The worse part, at least for me, was that I was really trying to help out and not trying to pad my check.

I may not get any more overtime after June, but at least I will have the bulk of summer to myself which will be nice!

It doesn't look like I'll take a vacation this year

Again. I haven't had a real vacation in almost 4 years. 5 years ago I went on a cruise that I didn't pay for (it was a gift), then the next year I went to Vegas for a few days. After that there's been nothing.

I had plans on going away this year but I waited to start planning and when I went to actually book the trip, the prices were way more than I was comfortable paying. I could still squeeze in a trip near the end of summer, when it's hurricane season, or just wait until next year and make sure to book early.

But right now my summer vacation plans are looking mighty bleak.

I am tired!

I've been working like crazy lately. I want to buy a house next year so I've been working to pay off some debt and save the down payment. I'm only going in with a 5% down payment instead of a larger amount. I could stay where I am and continue to save but it would take me an additional 3-5 years minimum to save the amount that I would need. I'll just go with what I have and pay the PMI.

Hopefully I can take a rest and not work as many hours in the next few months. In the past month I haven't worked less than 50 hours per week and most weeks it's closer to 58-60. Considering I my job has never had overtime in the past, I'm not used to working like this. Don't get me wrong, the extra money is great but the lack of time is a bummer.

Oh well, hopefully I can rest this weekend and hope back on that gravy train come Monday!

And here comes the weather craziness

On the news the other day, they kept saying that the weather would vary this week. The beginning of the week is supposed to be cold and then warm into the 60's by mid-week. The weekend is supposed to be in the 50's and dropping. Well, not so fast. It's snowing today. It was supposed to snow yesterday (a dusting) but not today. It's already tapered off but snow is snow and I want it to go away.

My job is moving to a new location next week and I just know that it's going to be nasty weather to accompany our move. On the bright side, Spring is just around the corner.

This weather is scaring me!

Two weeks ago it was freezing cold. Last week was pretty mild and today it's near 40 degrees. For February this is totally unheard of. The weather is supposed to change this weekend and get cold again with some rain and maybe even snow.

I'm just really fearful of March I must admit. I just feel like we're going to have a long blast of either sub-zero temperatures or a blizzard or two before Spring hits. I wish I could just hide out in my house until April.

On a positive note, baseball season is almost here and I'm ecstatic! Once pitchers and catchers report I know Spring is only around the corner. I do remember one season when it snowed in April during the opening week of baseball! All I know is that it's only a hop, skip and a jump until Summer now and that makes me very happy!

Some of my resolutions are coming in nicely

If I could get some of this weight off without pharmaceutical help I would be ecstatic. But as for my monetary goals, they're shaping up pretty nicely and it's only February. I already have almost $200 between my cash and investment accounts to add. That may not seem like a lot, but it's more than I typically budget for. If I can save the equivalent to one whole paycheck this year, I'll be pretty happy.

Now to just figure out a way to get a good 15 or more pounds to disappear like magic.

I should be used to snow

Every year when it snows people act like they've forgotten how to drive in the snow or act like it's something they've never seen before.

Last night I got home extremely late and there was already a decent amount of snow covering the ground. It was only a few inches but the plows hadn't been out yet and there was also ice to contend with. It took me over 45 minutes to make a drive that's usually 20 minutes. But I wasn't in a hurry and I just took my time to make sure I made it home safely.

Since everyone is afraid to drive, the roads should be pretty clear for me to go out shopping tomorrow.

Another year and batch of resolutions

And of course, another year where I don't meet half of them. I think I made 7 this year. 2 of them I will definitely meet because they're related to my housing purchase. Another I should hit because it's related to my housing purchase but it can occur in 2012 or 2013. Basically it's just make sure I close no later than March 31, 2013. Easy peasy since that's already in my plans. The rest are hit and miss.

I've had weight loss on my list for the past several years and it's always a bust. The first year I weighed more than I thought I did so even though I lost weight, I didn't get to where I wanted to be. The next two years I just maintained where I was at. Hopefully this is the year where I lost major poundage.

I do want to add money to my furniture and future loan accounts, mostly for student loans. I also want to add several hundred dollars to my investment fund this year. Then I made a goal for a cash savings account, after accounting for housing costs. Before I can determine whether I made the goal, I need to figure out what I already have.

If I meet 4 of my 7 goals, it will be a good year.

I'm going to start squirreling away vacation money

I had some vacation money but I added a good portion of it to my housing fund. I also sent my brother and my niece some money so my vacation stash is pretty short.

One of my plans for the new year is to start sending small amounts of money to my various accounts. One of those accounts is for stuff for my house, another is a savings account for my niece and now I'm going to add to my vacation money. I guess that I'll only have enough to go away once every two years which is not bad.

Especially when you consider that I haven't been on a vacation in about 4 years.

I need this cold to go away

I have a cold/the flu/yuckies...something. And I don't like it one bit! I've been sick for almost an entire week. I didn't feel well last Friday so when I got home from work I pretty much spent the entire weekend in bed. Then on Monday I left work early and spent the next two days in bed. I did go to work today but I felt terrible.

To add insult to injury, I burned two of my remaining vacation days so I have to reschedule my days off. I was supposed to have 1 4-day weekend and a 5-day weekend for Christmas. Now I have to decide if I want to give up one long weekend totally or have two long weekends, but shorter than I had anticipated.

I'm leaning towards 2 short weeks because I need all the time off I can get. Besides that it should be pretty quiet the week of Christmas anyway.

Yeah for another 3 day weekend!

Oh my how I love them! I'm pretty tired this week because in addition to working overtime, I worked 6 days last week so I haven't had a lot of rest. This morning, I almost overslept because I just didn't want to get up. Luckily tomorrow is Veteran's Day and I have the day off of work.

I don't have anything major planned. I'll sleep in, wash a few loads of clothes, run out to the store and then chill for the rest of the weekend. I'll also try to watch CNN or another news channel and watch one of the parades going on around the nation and watching the President put a wreath on the tomb of an unknown soldier. As far as my personal plans, I plan on getting as much done as possible tomorrow and Saturday because I am doing absolutely nothing on Sunday.

It is way too early in the year for snow!

Wow...but here it is. When I went to get something to eat this afternoon, I saw a truck today covered in snow and I was wondering where it came from. I asked the lady driving and she said they had just driven in from the eastern part of the state. All I saw was a lot of rain so I was curious about the snow.

When I got home, I turned on the Weather Channel and that's when I saw that there was a Nor'Easter that hit the entire East Coast. It's crazy because I was hoping the temperatures would get back into the high 40's and 50's. Instead it looks like I need to break out the parka's and ski pants.

One of my coworkers loves this type of weather. In addition to playing softball, he also plays ice hockey. He is totally ready to break out his hockey gear and hit the ice. Well he can have it because I know his wife will be sitting in the house watching hockey on tv and not sitting in the stands watching it in person.

I knew snow was coming sooner rather than later, but I was just hoping for much later.

I am so not ready for cold weather

When I left out on Tuesday it was semi nice outside. I didn't go outside at all on Wednesday because I wasn't feeling well and didn't come to work. So imagine my surprise yesterday morning when I walked outside and it was freezing cold!. The high for the day was in the 40's. Add to that the fact that it was raining all day and you have a pretty wet, cold, gloomy day. Today is a little better. It's still in the 40's but the sun is out and it's dry.

I am so not ready for this. I love fall and football but I could do without the cold weather part.

I'm starting my shopping early this year

I have to start early since we all know the holidays will be here before we know it. Generally I only bought a couple of gifts and I was done. Now both of my nieces have children and I won't get them anything as usual. However, you have to buy for the kids and I'm sure pocket door lowes are not at the top of their lists. But I'm quite sure zhu-zhu pets or some other furry toy is.

Of course while I'm buying stuff for them, I'll look for myself as well. I can always look for cheap radiators for my car. An even better bet is to look for sandbags for sale. I plan on using them for my new yoga regime. They're not expensive at all and I'll be able to put it to use right away.

The best part about shopping is that I can go to one website and find everything that I'm looking for. If for some reason I can't find it all at one place, I can find somewhere that carries it and I can find out what stores do carry it.

Now I'm debating whether or not to buy this radio that I just saw for my workouts. Oh wait, I'm supposed to be buying for the kids. I guess shopping for the holidays is going to be harder than I thought.

Yay for vacation days!

This is a 3 day weekend since tomorrow is Columbus Day. I still have several vacation days that I need to use before the year end, so I took Tuesday off as well. Now instead of having a nice 3 day weekend, I have 4 glorious days off.

I don't have that I plan on doing on my days off either. I just plan on relaxing and enjoying the days off. And the best part is that I still have 4 days of vacation/personal days left to take. I'll get in at least 2 more 3 days weekends! I surely won't know how to act next year when I get 3 weeks instead of 2.

Just when you thought a oral medication was better than a shot

All medications have side effects. Unfortunately some are more serious than others. There is a diabetes medication called Actos that came out with a great idea. Take it orally instead of by shot. I have several friends with diabetes and one has to take the shot every day. She would have been thrilled to be able to use a oral medications.

Instead there is now the possibility of there being a Actos lawsuit. Actos is for type 2 diabetes and only has to be taken once per day. Unfortunately, in recent studies, it has been show to lead to serious injuries including head attacks and heart failure. There is even an increased risk of bladder cancer. All of these can lead to an Actos lawsuit.

If you have taken Pioglitazone, the chemical name for Actos was sold under the trade names Actos, ActoplusMet, Competact and Duetact you may need to see your doctor for more tests to make sure your aren't experiencing any adverse side effects.

As always please read the small print and ask plenty of questions before taking any medication. Your health could depend on it.

I need a fall jacket

I did not expect to need a new jacket in mid-September. But the past couple of days have only been in the 60's and I don't have a light jacket to wear. I have a mid-weight jacket and my heavy coats and that's it.

Every year I realize I need a jacket in early Fall and late Spring when it starts getting nice. I think I'm just going to go ahead and spring for one next week when I get paid.

Two short work weeks in a row

Just the way I like it. I was off last week and I didn't work on Monday of this week, resulting in a 4 day work week. Monday is Labor Day in the US and a federal holiday so I'll just work 4 days next week as well. Sadly, I don't have any plans to do anything special except hang around the house but just knowing that I don't have to go to work is cool with me.

Hopefully I'll have a way cool vacation planned for next year.

This summer is going way too fast

It always seems like the summer is the shortest season of the year anyway, but this summer is ridiculous. Partly because I don't have any plans and partly be, cause I'm working overtime. It seems like I leave work, go home, and go straight to bed and start all over. I shouldn't complain because I am making some extra cash and my job generally never authorizes overtime.

But I'll be glad when I get a moment to stop and catch my breath.

Those MegaBus cheap rates are the real deal

I have to admit I had my doubts about the availability of those really cheap rates. Until I talked to a friend of mine and she said that she had booked several tickets to go to DC, Cleveland and Toronto. She didn't pay more than $50 for all of the trips combined, and that was for multiple people. She told me that the trick is to book as soon as you think you may be travelling before all of the seats sell out.

I need to get to booking a trip for myself soon. Since money is tight again this year, that's the only way I'll be able to get out of town for the time being. Now to figure out where to go.

I'm getting travel fever

I haven't really been on a vacation in several years and I'm itching to go. To make matters worse, I've been reading a bunch of travel blogs getting ideas about where to go. Unfortunately, I don't have the money to go on a real vacation. I may have to consider going to visit family and calling it a trip.

I'm going to start saving now for next year because I miss my yearly vacations.

Another family member is ill

I got a call a few days ago that another family member is dealing with a pretty serious illness. I feel bad because our close family unit is dwindling down. However you can only have so much sympathy when the person is in a self destructive mode. Still it's pretty hard to think about another family member being that ill.

I should learn how to do my own hair

I only get my hair done once or twice a year. Cost is a small factor but the time issue is a major factor. I hate sitting in the salon all day waiting for my hair to get done. When you consider the fact that I have fairly long hair and get a really easy style, I should be in and out in about an hour.

I've often thought about going somewhere like Columbia beauty school to learn how to do hair. Not only would I learn how to do hair from expert instructors, I would also get to get offer discounted salon services to my friends and family. The discount is available to the general public but of course I would invite those closest to me.

I also believe the education that I receive would benefit me and the community at large. Once I'm finished with the program and have a license, I could work in a salon or even open my own salon. It's definitely worth a second look.


This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com or contact Regency Beauty Institute – 260T Harbison Boulevard – Columbia, SC 29212

Where is Spring?

Brrrrr it's cold outside. It's supposed to be spring but it still feels like winter. Yesterday it was downright cold all day. I had on a spring jacket with a long sleeved shirt and I was still cold. Today is a little better but not by much.

I am so ready for 70's and up.

I may hit up MegaBus soon

MegaBus travels out of Pittsburgh and it goes to some really neat places. I can go to places in Ohio, New York or even 3 different cities in Canada. At this very moment Canada would prove to be a problem since my passport has expired, but I plan on taking care of that within the next month or two.

I figure if I can get a cheap bus trip, I can stay at a budget hotel and have a short getaway which I desperately need right now. It's not the beach vacation that I really want but anywhere is better than where I'm at right now.

You may want to stop taking Topamax

If you have serious migraine issues, often a doctor will prescribe Topamax to ease your pain. It's also a anti-convulsant that's given to children and adults to battle epileptic seizures. The problem is that it can cause cleft palates. They can range from a small notched lip to a severe open groove that extends from the roof of the mouth to the nose.

Because of all of the side effects, there is a serious Topamax lawsuit going on right now and there are highly trained attorney's ready to handle your product liability claim. Call the attorney's below for your consultation today.

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949

It's March Madness Time!

And it's time for me to get my bracket together. I really don't like basketball but I do like watching college more so than the pros. That being said, I've probably only seen 3 games all season. Nonetheless I'll be making out my brackets like everyone else.

Now I just need to figure out who's going to be my sleeper team this year.

My cousin wants to go on a shopping trip

And I'm scared!!! I'm not a big shopper and I never have been. My cousin on the other hand loves to shop. What's scaring me though is she's very label conscious. If I see something I like but I wouldn't normally buy, she'll encourage me to buy it, especially depending on who the designer is. If it's a big designer she'll be extremely gung-ho. Anyone else and she'll waffle.

Before I make any plans I'm going to sit down and make my budget. Then I'm going to decide what I can and can't afford and stick to that budget like glue!

That crazy woman almost hit my car

What is with people driving and texting? Everywhere you look there are ads saying how dangerous it is. Not to mention that it's illegal in a lot of places. That doesn't stop people though. I thought I would need a lawyer since she almost side swiped me. Of course that caused me to swerve which almost led to me hitting someone else.

Luckily it wasn't icy that day or I would have been in trouble. I would have hired someone similar to a Austin Personal Injury Attorney here locally. You can best believe I would have had a personal injury lawyer on my side if I had gotten hurt. Especially since they almost always have a free initial consultation. Sometimes you need someone who will vigorously defend you against people that can't follow the law.

If someone side swipes you or causes an injury, you may need a personal injury attorney. If you are in the Austin area you should look at the attorney's of:
O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949

It doesn't matter if you're in Austin, North Richland Hills, Hood County or anywhere in between, and they'll meet with you at a convenient time and place. Get the legal representation that you need for experienced attorney's.

It's finally here

Wow Super Bowl weekend is finally here! I can't wait for the game on Sunday. Once I leave work today I'm going to get all of my running around done so I don't have anything left on Sunday. Today I'm going to the store right after work to get some hair care products. Then I'll wash clothes this afternoon and I'll iron at least enough clothes to get me through Wednesday of next week.

I'll also cook for today and tomorrow. It will be something easy like kielbasa and kraut and maybe some beans. I'm only making this because I still have kraut left over from New Year's that I want to use before it goes bad. I'll clean my house tomorrow and then I can kick back, relax and wait for Sunday.

Now I just have to decide who's house I'm going to watch the game at. Decisions, decisions.

I still haven't settled everything

When someone passes away there is so much stuff to be done to settle their estate. I don't have a death certificate yet so I'm having trouble getting a lot of stuff done. I can't say that I blame the company's that I'm dealing with but it's still a pain. One company will accept the obituary however most of the other company's will not. As of right now, all of the utilities are still on and bills are still accruing. I have to take care of this soon so these bills can be shut off.

I haven't even begun to go through all of the paperwork that I've found. That's another month-long project that I have to deal with.

I had a death in the family

I usually don't write as much on this blog as I should or as I want to. If I get in 3 blog posts a month, I'm doing good. This month however, a death in the family impeded my blogging progress. I had planned on doing a post every 2 weeks at least if not more. Hopefully now that the madness is over, I'll get back to that schedule.

At least I hope so. My blog looks pretty bland and boring right now!

Investing for Christmas

Most people never think to invest for Christmas. It's all about gifts and shiny things. Now you can have the best of both worlds when you buy gold coins from US Gold Bureau. Think about it for a minute. Not only is gold a beautiful gift that most people would love to have. But it's shiny, pretty and fun to look at. Most people would be so happy that they would constantly show it off and brag about it. One of the best feelings for a gift giver is to see their recipient truly enjoying their gifts.

Now what better gift can you give someone? It's something that they'll enjoy now and the value will keep rising so it will be worth much more later. Gold coins are really the perfect gift.

I haven't blogged in almost a month

Not on this blog anyway. For some strange reason, I could not log in. I kept trying to use my all of my available email addresses but I could not figure out which one would let me log in. It's been extremely frustrating because I've had a lot to say but I couldn't get in to say it. Now I don't even remember what I wanted to say.

Oh well, at least I can get in now. Hopefully it won't happen again and I'll be able to blog like normal.

What an abrupt end to Summer

It's been really warm since the middle of September. Last week it was still in the 70's. Boy did that change and change quickly today. It was in the low 60's, windy and rainy. And I do mean windy. I was walking close to where they had close off a portion of the sidewalk and the caution tape had come loose and was flying through the air. Just as I walked by, it slapped me across the chest and neck. I was disgusted because the tape was dirty and wet. I was just happy that it didn't hit me in the face.

I miss Summer already.

Sometimes you need a attorney on your side

And the highly trained attorneys at O’Hanlon, McCollum & Demerath want to be just that attorney representing you in the DePuy Hip Replacement lawsuit. They are uniquely well-equipped to handle even the most complex products liability claims including this lawsuit.

On August 26, 2010 DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. recalled over 93,000 hip replacement systems. An unusually high number of people are experiencing severe pain and swelling. Some of the pain is so bad that users are requiring a second hip replacement. Most people don't even want to undergo one surgery, let alone two.

If you have hip pain from a potentially faulty system, give the attorney's a call.

I definitely won't go to a playoff game this year

Last year I tried to get playoff tickets for several baseball games. I waited until the last minute so I wasn't able to get tickets. This year is a way different story though. I don't know what I've been doing with my money this year but I don't have any extra money right now.

At least I'll be able to watch most of the playoff games on tv.

I can't believe it's already October

This year is flying by. It's already October and it seems like I haven't accomplished anything this year. I haven't met any of my financial educational goals. I did graduate from college last year but I was thinking about going for a graduate program this year. If I do decide to go back to school, it definitely won't be until next summer.

I need to get in gear because I am way off of my game.

I'm really getting good ideas from this shopping channel

I watch a ton of tv. I mean it's almost always on. If I can't find a good baseball or football game to watch, then I turn on the shopping channel. But I never seem to buy anything from them. The main reason is that I've found that I can get a better deal in a regular store or even on another website. Take gold coins for instance. With gold at over $1200 per ounce, they'll sell a coin for close to that amount but it will only be 1/4-1/2 of an ounce.

I already know that I can go to a website like the United States Gold Bureau and get a coin for a great price. More importantly, it will be a quality coin not some left over coin that's all scratched up and almost worthless for collecting purposes.

I'll still watch the shopping channel though. Those people really entertain me.

I wasn't able to do anything for vacation

And this stinks! I've been sitting at home doing nothing for a whole week. At this point I am totally bored. I found out that my favorite baseball team is on a road trip. I could have gone to either of the cities that they're playing in but there were some obstacles so I had to cancel those plans.

I need to figure out what's going on for next year. Sitting at home for a whole week is for the birds.

I still don't know what I'm doing for vacation

And it officially started today. I'm supposed to go visit my mom but I'm not sure what day I'm going or if I'm actually going at all. One of my friends gave me a short-cut to try but I don't know if I really want to take that drive at all.

I really should have planned ahead because I wanted to go away for a week. Of course I waited until the last minute and now I'm unable to actually go away. I don't have the money like I did a few years ago where I was able to make spur of the moment decisions.

I'm not getting stuck again next year, I've already started looking at travel arrangements. I will be on a beach somewhere in 2011.

This computer is making me cut into my fun money

I had a small amount of fun money set aside. It can range from a few dollars to a couple of hundred bucks, it just really depends on what's going on in my life at that particular moment. Right now my fun money is pretty low, it's less than $25 because I'm going to visit relatives this month and I want to make sure I have enough to have a good time.

I'll take the money that I have closer to the Christmas holiday and buy a new netbook. I had really wanted to take that money and buy gold bars to add to my portfolio. I already bought a coin and now I'm ready for something else to help me preserve my wealth. Gold also tends to grow with you. Even though it can be cyclical and go up and then way down, over time the value of gold rises.

Hopefully I'll find a way to buy both. That would make for a really happy holiday season for me.

I hope we get another radio station soon

I'm going crazy listening to the same music all of the time. We don't have a urban radio station at all. Everything is top 40 and pop which isn't too bad except there's really only 1 station and it seems like they only have 8-10 songs in their rotation. You can seriously listen to the radio for 2 hours and hear at least 3 sounds twice in those 2 hours. If you hear a song that's over 6 months old, that's considered "old school".

I can't even stream music over the internet anymore so I'm really stuck listening to the same old songs.

Where did my post go?

Ughhhh this computer is driving me insane. I just sat here and wrote a whole post and it totally disappeared. The auto-save feature did not work so when I started working on something else, my post got sucked into no-mans land.

I've put off getting a computer for quite some time now. There was a sale today but I'm going to visit family and I couldn't afford to put the money out right now. I wanted to save up and buy myself something else for Christmas, but I just may buy a new computer instead.

I'm not quite ready to sell my investments

In my last post I talked about how hot it's been here in Pittsburgh. It's been dangerously hot and I needed a air conditioner. Of course by this being the middle of summer, they're sky high making stores a huge profit. I didn't have a lot of cash available so I thought I would have to sell some of my assets.

I considered selling some of the stocks or mutual funds that I own, but I never considered selling my bullion pieces. I bought them as a unique investment to help preserve my wealth and purchasing power. I got a great deal by doing my due diligence with the United States Gold Bureau before I made my purchase. I'm glad I did.

I plan on holding onto my gold for quite some time to come.

Summer is usually my favorite season

But this summer has been brutal. It's over 90 today which means it will be over that threshold at least 3 days this week. Add to that the humidity and it's just ridiculously hot. I had to go to the post office yesterday and by the time I got back to the bus-stop I was sweaty and tired from the heat. I even stopped in the store to buy something to drink.

I had better stop complaining because the cold weather will be here before you know it and I'll really be sad then.

I won't be going to any baseball games

I went to a baseball game with my company a few months ago. I thought I would go to another game before the summer was out but it doesn't look like I'll make it. I really wanted to go to tomorrows game because it's a bobble-head night. I love bobble-heads and I was looking forward to adding another one to my collection. Besides that I don't have any real Pirates memorabilia.

Unfortunately none of my friends are baseball fans so I don't have anyone to go with. I really need new friends.

Now is the time to invest

When the market seems to be tanking it's usually a great time to invest. Most people are running in the opposite direction and selling at market lows. If you invest with the US Gold Bureau, now is a great time to buy gold in any form. You can buy ingots, gold bars or even gold coins as a way to round out your portfolio. US Gold Bureau also makes it easy to buy gold which you can have them hold at their repository or a independent bank. You can also have the gold delivered to you to store at your convenience.

Buying gold has been recognized for centuries as one of the best ways to preserve one’s wealth and purchasing power. With gold at all time highs most people are afraid to invest. I, however, plan on adding small amounts to my portfolio. Even if the price of gold starts to decrease, I'll be adding amounts at lower prices. A win-win if you ask me.

This summer is really flying by

I'm happy and sad at the same time. Sad because this is my favorite time of the year and I don't have a lot of money to spend. So I'm pretty much stuck in the house for a while. I'm happy because it's so hot in my apartment. I did buy a air conditioner but it doesn't fit in my window. I don't have the receipt or remember where I got it from so I'm pretty much stuck with it.

I hope I get my hands on some money and soon. That way I can at least take a short getaway and buy a decent air conditioner. Then I would be very happy.

This is a really good game

The Cubs vs The White Sox are on right now. Ted Lilly gave up a hit in the 9th to break up his no hit bid. The White Sox pitcher gave up a hit in the 7th to break up his no hit bid. The score is 1-0 Cubs and I'm rooting for the Cubs to win. They're in the same division as the Pirates but that doesn't even matter right now. I think we all know that the Pirates won't make a run.

I love Sunday night baseball.

Comparing prices on gold coins

I'm looking to increase the value of my portfolio while diversifying across different asset classes. One thing I'm looking to do now is to buy gold coins from a reputable source. I've looked at a online auction site but their prices are ridiculously high. The prices they want aren't' even competitive with the market place.

I've also looked at a tv show but their coins aren't always as advertised which leaves me with US Gold Bureau which sells coins or ingots. Ingots are ingots of bullion cast. I can have the coins delivered directly to me which is very convenient. If the price of gold keeps rising and I decide I want to cash out the gold, I'll have the physical coins in my possession.

When you consider that they have very competitive prices as well as being America's best dealer, I guess you can see why I'm going with US Gold Bureau.

The concert is not a go

I don't have anyone to go with and I don't want to go by myself. Especially since I would have to go out of town. I have no problem travelling by myself but a concert is different. I have gone out of town and gone to a baseball game by myself but that wasn't the reason I went to that city. It just happened to be the way things worked out.

I'm kinda hoping someone changes their mind soon. If I don't plan the trip I won't go. I don't want to go to either of those cities last minute.

I wanna go to a concert

Which is very unusual for me because I hate sudden loud noises and I don't like large crowds of people either. It's a Jay Z/Eminem co-headlined concert. Jay will headline NY while Em will headline in Detroit. I'm sure those Yankee Stadium NY tickets will sell out. I would actually prefer to try to go to the Detroit show.

Now I just have to figure out a way to swing the cost.

I finally found something to watch on tv

I never thought I would but I have and it's not what you would expect. It's a program that shows you have to invest by starting with the opportunity to buy gold bullion. I can get gold ingots or in coin form. Coins would work for me because I can store them at home in my lockbox. Bullion presents a great way to preserve your wealth and and preserve your purchasing power.

The United States Gold Bureau lets you purchase gold or coins for personal delivery or you can have them hold the items at a independent bank or depository. This is a great time to invest since production is slowing down. The items will soon be hard to get which will make their value skyrocket.

I have a few extra dollars laying around that I plan on investing very soon.

The tv schedule really stinks

Geez I was just complaining about the lack of baseball. Now I see that there is nothing on television at all. Everything is repeats for the majority of the summer season. The only bright spot for me is sports which I lamented about in my last post. The new season of several shows does start in mid-June.

I for one can not wait!

I'm getting antsy for baseball games

There haven't been any games on tv that I've wanted to see. There have been games but I wasn't interested in any of them. Basketball on the other hand is in full force. There are games on almost everyday. The fact that it's the playoffs has something to do with it but it's still annoying. Let's go with some more games!

My hair turned out great

I got my hair cut this past weekend and it looks really nice. I don't have any split ends or frizzy/fly away hair. My hair dresser went to a great school but she could have gone to a Cosmetology school in Colorado where she would have learned the same things. Regency students work on real clients under the supervision of their faculty members. After they graduate the school has an excellent placement program that can put you anywhere from cruise ships to runway fashion shows.

I know my hairdresser got a top notch education because her work is awesome. I saw 2 people that she worked on before my appointment time and they both looked great. I will definitely go back to her and her number is on my speed dial.

I hate spam

I have a ton of spam comments on this blog and on my other blog. I don't mind so much on this blog since I don't have any page rank. I don't know if my blog is banned by Google or not, but it has no rank what-so-ever. Not even a zero. It shows up as unranked. However my other blog is now ranked at a pr3 which is cool considering my previous high was a 2 then a rank spank for several years with a big goose egg to match. You can best believe I watch the comments on that blog very carefully.

Now I just need to sit down and weed through the comments on this blog.

I need new clothes

I don't have anything to wear. I've finally gotten my weight to stabilize but I still weigh more than I really want to. I need to lose at least 1 size and until I do I refuse to buy a lot of clothes. Unfortunately that means that I have to make due with what I have which isn't a lot. It just seems like if I keep buying clothes at the bigger size that I'm agreeing with it or something and I most certainly don't like being this size.

I may have to take drastic action to get some of this weight off and I don't cherish the thought of going through this again. But I definitely need to get some of this weight off.

Our economy is in shambles

And that ain't no random rambling either. We are not doing good right now at all. Wages are not even remotely keeping up with inflation. And that's if you're even lucky enough to have a job. Interest rates stink right now. The United States dollar index fell as much as 0.5 percent. The dollar fell amid speculation of the euro’s recent losses, Greece’s financial tumult and improving corporate earnings all of which reduced the demand for the safest assets.

Right now is the best time to diversify your portfolio. It's time to invest in all asset classes, not just cash and stocks. This may be the perfect time to buy gold bullion. Think about it, gold is just rising in price while everything else is stagnant. With the dollar devaluing, gold is a good hedge against inflation.

Now may be the time for you to look into buying gold too.

I do not like meetings

They are so boring. We do have a small meeting every Friday but it only lasts for 10 minutes. I've had a training meeting twice in the past 2 weeks that have lasted over an hour. They're on the phone and computer but all we do is listen and watch. It's so unbelievably boring that it's ridiculous.

The last time me and my coworker ended up texting back and forth with each other for the whole hour. I can see that happening again today.

I totally missed my brothers birthday

I didn't forget it but I never sent his card. I never heard from him to thank me but that's not unusual because I don't always get to talk to him. So when I cleaned my computer desk off and found the card I was pretty surprised. The card was signed and I even wrote out his personal greeting. I had never even sealed the envelope though, the money was still inside and everything.

I'll mail the card either today or tomorrow. I guess better late than never right?

They're finally getting married

I can't believe it. My two friends who have been dating forever have finally decided to get married. And they're doing it in style I might add. They were going to go to Vegas but vetoed the idea. They decided to do one of those destination weddings to the Mayan Riviera. Ohh la la. Sounds like fun to me.

The picked the El Dorado Royale Resort and it sounds like heaven. They have air conditioning and ceiling fans which is perfect for me. They also have a artificial river that I can float on and when I'm ready to have a drink they have a swim up bar. Add to that the gourmet all-inclusive meals and beach side aerobics and what more can you ask for? I'm not even the one getting married and it sounds like a blast.

I better start planning now because I wouldn't miss this for the world.

I need new boots

I don't have any snow boots. I do have a pair of dress boots that have a block heel that keeps my feet off of the ground in the snow and I don't slide. I can't continue to wear them though because they're only man-made materials and of course they're starting to crack. As it stands I can't wear them as anything but snow boots but pretty soon I won't be able to wear them for that either.

I guess I need to start comparison shopping to see who will give me the best deal.

This weather stink

It is so cold outside right now. As if that's not bad enough, it's snowing like crazy. It's been snowing all week and it's not supposed to stop until at least Saturday. They're claiming we're only getting 3"-5" but it seems like so much more. I really hate Winter, Spring can't get here fast enough.

I can't believe it's almost Christmas

This year seems to have flown by. It's crazy because it seems like it was just yesterday that we were bringing in 2009. Now it's only 3 days till Christmas. I'm leaving to go home on Christmas Day. I have to work on the 24th until 2:30. It would be dark halfway on my journey and I don't want to try to drive that far once it's dark. Weird I know but that's how I drive.

I hope you and your family have a safe and joyous holiday!

I am so ready for a vacation

My job is so stressful right now. Between all of the problems that I'm having with my job search and wondering who is going to potentially get laid off, I'm not having a good time right now. I would love to take one of the cheap vacations that I've seen advertised lately.

There are some great deals going on right now. Especially if you're looking to go to the Riviera Maya. You can get a great all inclusive vacations at several distinct hotels. The best part is that each hotel offers something different. There are adult only resorts, family friendly resorts and if you're particularly adventurous there's a naturalist resort.

I don't know what I'm looking for right now. I wouldn't be opposed to staying at a family friendly resort or a adults only retreat. I'm not so sure about the naturalist resort though. I think that would stress me out even more. And right now, the only thing I want to do is relax.

I think I know what's wrong with my computer

I've been having trouble with my home computer for a while now. I couldn't figure out what it was but now I think I know. I have spy ware on my computer. At first I thought it was a virus but my anti-virus doesn't turn up anything. Then I realized that I downloaded this program. I've heard that the program contained spy ware but it never caused me any problems. Now that I'm having problems I've figured out what it is.

Hopefully once I delete that program my computer will cooperate for a few more months. Or at least until I get enough money to buy a new one.

Fall is officially over

For me anyway. I know that Winter is still almost a month away but for me it's as good as here. Baseball season ended last week with a Yankees World Series win, YAY!. But booooo it means that Fall is over. Done. Kaput. All I have to look forward to now is the days off between now and the end of the year.

It's gonna be a long time until spring training starts.

This is my least favorite time of the year

While I love the fact that football is in full swing, it's the end of the baseball playoffs. At most there will only be 4 more games and then it's done. Not only do I mourn the loss of my second favorite sport, I also know that Winter is rapidly approaching.

I'm ready to start counting down the days to spring training!

Insuring and protecting my assets

My bank has decided to go green. As such the new safe deposit boxes are not as secure as I would like them to be. They are also not fire-proof which doesn't bother me as much. I don't expect anything to happen to the bank any time soon.

I need to put a few things that I have in there. I have several insurance policies that I need to be able to put my hands on. I also have a few paper savings bonds and my personal papers. One thing that I don't have right now is my ingots. I'm looking at both silver and gold. Monex sells bullion or I can also buy American Eagle coins. I can put them in the box that I have or I can have Monex store them for me.

I like the idea of hedging my bets against a failing economy and I want to add metals to my portfolio. I might as well do it now while prices are low and make my profit with the rise in prices.

What a horrible start to the season

I can't believe we're 1-2. I know it's early and we can turn it around and all that jazz. It's pretty bad when you lose to the Bengals though. I know the old adage about "any given Sunday" and "any team can win" but seriously they stink. They have no team continuity or chemistry and they still won.

We need to get it together and quick or this will be a long season.

My vacation was so boring

It was last week but it was very boring. I didn't do anything for the 1st 5 days except rest and watch a lot of tv. Then I went to visit my Mom the last 5 days. I should have visited her the first part because that drive to and from her house really tired me out. But it was great to see her and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

Hopefully next year I'll get to go on a trip somewhere.