It's snowing again, making the outdoors a pretty white winterland. However, I think I'm starting to get cabin fever. I should have done some shopping yesterday, just to get out for a while. But clothes shopping was out since I was all bloated yesterday--nothing would have fit right. Should have done a Target run. Except I'm really trying to limit my spending until I get my heat pump and my vacation paid off.
So instead on this snowy day, I will do my taxes. I got my W-2 the other day and Amazon.com shipped me Turbo Tax, so I'm all set to go. I'm hoping my tax return will cover my portion of the heat pump so that I can divert all the rest of my money towards paying for my vacation. After watching the PBS Frontline episode about credit card companies, I'm ever more determined to get them paid down to zero. And by next year, when I pay my car off, I'm determined to start saving some money. My intention is to try paying cash for items instead of using credit.
This is one of those cases where someone needs to come forward with some $$$ for the DNA testing. If this woman who has staked claim to the child is in fact the mother, then she should be able to take custody of him. And if not, the hospital needs to test each of the other families who has suggested that the child is theirs. If he is not anyone's then the whole thing gets stickier. And it's possible that his family was consumed by the tsunami. Jeez, what a terrible tragedy.....
Several years back I mentioned my blog to an online acquaintance. Her remark back then was, "what the hell is a blog?" and more or less indicated she wasn't interested in my blog or any other blog.
Fast forward 2 or 3 years, and now she's decided to put together a family blog. A good idea in itself. Not a problem. However, she keeps emailing everyone with every update and every problem she has encountered with her blog. We're talking an email a day or every other day. It's getting old really quick.
I've considered teasing her about it in an email, or hinting at it in some way, but I haven't come up with a way to do that I can be sure she'll take it the right way. I just don't think it's worth making a big stink over, so I've avoided emailing her about it. Also, I think some RL stuff has got her overfocussed on this blog thing as a coping mechanism. So I don't want to take away from that.
What I really want is to not receive so many emails about her blog, LOL.
I've realized that I've been really depressed since the election and the breakup. My job has sucked for quite a while and the weather ain't been great either. So I feel I need to add something positive to my life. Maybe some volunteer work? A new project? A new job?
I'm just not quite sure what. All I know is that I've become a very angry and impatient person these last few months. I just can't keep going on this way. I need a change of attitude or something. It's simply not healthy or productive to be angry all the time. And unfortunately, we're all stuck with Bush & Co.and his acolytes (obnoxious Bush supporters) for approximately four more years. (Unless there is a God, and he strikes Bush down with lightning or something, LOL. There's a thought!)
I've got to base my happiness on something other than my job or current events. How does one break such a vicious circle of frustration and anger?
I made the mad dash to the grocery store this morning to get a gallon of milk. I was going to do it last night but was too tired to do it on the way home. When I got to the Safeway at 9:30 AM in the snow, the whole parking lot looked like a nightmare. It was jam packed. I continued driving to the Mobil Mini Mart in the same plaza and got my gallon of milk with no wait in line. Yeah me!
However, when I went to return home, I slid badly as I tried to make a turn. I wasn't going all that fast and the road just looked wet and somewhat slushy. I ended up making the turn, barely, but the guy behind me (who was going straight) laid on the horn.
Last I checked, the horn doesn't work too well as a brake. What the hell did the guy want me to do? I wasn't exactly pleased myself that my car kept sliding forward as I tried to turn right. But I don't think a horn blowing was warranted or even productive. What an asshole.
Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to give the guy the bird, LOL. I was too busy trying to make sure I didn't spin out my car.
I went to college in Rochester, NY, so I do have experience driving in lots of snow. However, they know how to treat the roads and plow up there. The real culprit here is the county who are skimping on salt because of a budget crunch. If the road had been salted properly, it wouldn't have iced up at the intersection. Not to mention even when there is not a budget crunch, they don't come anywhere close to road crews in Rochester, NY.
I'll be staying home the rest of the day so I can avoid the assholes out on the snowy roads.
I'm so relieved that it is Friday....it's been a long week.
On a happy note, I decided that I need a vacation, so I booked a trip to Hawaii! A friend is going to a conference in Honolulu in March. I'm going to tag along and hang out at the beach while she's in her conference. Then she has a couple days after her conference where we will do some touristy stuff.
Not that I really should be spending the money, but I need a rest in paradise. And if I waited until I had the money, I'd be 80 years old and not able to enjoy it.. Besides I haven't taken a trip since 2002. But I guess that's what happens when you buy a house in 2003. LOL.
Now I just have to get through the rest of January and February.
You ever have one of those days?
One so bad, that finally makes you decide you need to change jobs ASAP or maybe even change careers?
I better start reworking my resume, before I end up having a breakdown. I'm just miserable stuck where I'm at. Of course, having GWB as president doesn't help my outlook at all either.
*sigh*
After much speculation about whether the Eagles could be successful without T.O., the Eagles shut these folks up, by beating the Minnesota Vikings pretty soundly.
Of course, today, I'll still hear a bunch of Redskins fans insisting that Philly will do the big choke or that they can't possibly beat any of the remaining teams. Hahahaha....at least I'm not a bitter Redskins fan. ;)
I signed the MoveOn petition about Social Security. As much as I glossed over some of the stuff MoveOn has sent around, this was one thing I made sure to do immediately. My parents will be of retirement age within the next 10 years. Neither they or I can afford to have Social Security not be there for them. They have some 401k and savings, but they still need Social Security on top of that since they only started saving for retirement in the last maybe 10 years. And they've never been swimming in cash, so it's not like they have enough saved.
Here's latest 'great' post I've seen on Social Security
Our government continues to do more and more things that make me frightened that fredom and democracy are going to be only a memory in the not so distant future. Here's yet another example: Congress passes "doomsday" plan.
Soon they won't have to worry about stealing elections.....
It's really tough to come up with much to blog about after the holidays. While in the spring and summer I can talk about my garden or places that I visit, there just isn't that much going on during the winter months.
I did finally finish A Catch of Consequence a few weeks ago. The historical context was interesting, but I found the actual storyline to be odd and rather unbelievable (think soap operish), though I do believe the what the main character realizes about herself by the end to be reasonable. The book just didn't grab me as a great novel and not even a fun read.
Now I've moved onto reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels. I finished One for the Money last week and have started Two for the Dough. This series is light fun reading about a woman who takes on the job of being a bounty hunter simply because she couldn't find any other job. And it takes place in Jersey, so you can imagine the humor in that.
Made it through the first week back. It wasn't a bad week but it was at least one day too long. By Thursday I just didn't wasnt to be there, though Friday was a bit better. Yesterday was spent away from home, so today, I'm in the mood to siimply veg. However I have a bunch of Christmas stuff to put away, so I'd better find some motivation to get that done.
I survived the first day back to work. And I managed to hang onto a shred of a better more rested attitude. I figure it'll be gone by tomorrow or the end of the week at the latest. ;)
It seems I wasn't alone in being sick over the holidays. Much of the rest of the office had been sick as well. Apparently, we'd been passing the plague around the office in the last days before Christmas. LOL. My boss was one of the few who escaped it's wrath.
Most agreed that the only motivation for returning to work was knowing how much they charged up on their cards prior to Christmas. Ahhh...if only the things in life were free. Imagine how fun life might be.
Instead we have to work. ;)
Finally managing to get better from my cold just in time to go back to work. Next time, remind me not to get sick during my vacation. ;)
Not only is it not relaxing, but it prevented me from getting as much done around the house as I had planned to get done. And yesterday I had feared I was getting much worse, since I had a bad headache all day and had started wheezing. Thankfully a dose of Nyquil and a good long night's sleep did wonders for me.
My New Years Resolution? To stay healthy. ;)