Money, Money, Money

I went to two different banks today and actually went inside both instead of using the drive thru. One doesn't have a drive thru and the other I had to go in because I had to order new checks. Both closed at 1 PM. I got to the first bank around 12:45 PM and when I got there, there were four people ahead of me in line and at the tellers. Two tellers were working and various other employees were assisting the tellers, who seemed new and in need of assistance. By the time I was the next person to be helped there were at least four other people behind me and the tellers were getting anxious. One kept screwing up and the other seemed to be over-explaining everything. Finally, it was my turn, and my transaction took about 30 seconds. I left and made it to the second bank a couple minutes before 1 PM. No one was in line there and my transaction was done at 1:03 PM at which time I started looking at the check choices, picked one out and left around 1:10 PM.

Now, what's weird about this mundane task is that throughout all of the fuss at the first bank, none of the tellers got upset or angry. None of the other managers/employees got perturbed. The customers weren't hassled. Overall, service was very good. My teller even said, "have a good day... and weekend!" when I was leaving. At the second bank, I didn't feel hurried in my transaction or when picking out checks even though some banks would have locked their doors a few minutes before 1 PM. While I was picking out checks, I noticed that the drive thru remained open past closing. My teller made a point of saying my name while helping me. When I was leaving they had just locked the doors and the gentleman who was letting people out called me "young lady."

This remarkable bit of customer service must be attributed to the bad economy. If the masses are getting good service, how are they treating the high rollers?

Sam 'n Ella

Yesterday, I made a pot of turkey chili. I put it in the fridge last night, and this morning I got it out to pack up some containers. I was in a hurry, and I forgot to put the pot of the remaining chili back in the fridge. I just got home and discovered it on the stove where it's been all day.

Now, I didn't just open a can and heat the stuff up. I put some time and effort into making it. I really don't want to throw it away. I really don't want to get sick either. Of the two people I talked to since discovering it, one told me to throw it away and the other said it was probably fine.

Because my kitchen is most likely the coldest room in the house and the pot (and the chili) was cold to the touch, I think the chili is safe to eat. As a test, I forced* myself to eat a small bowl tonight and if I get sick tomorrow, I'll throw it out. If I don't, I'll keep it. So far, I feel fine.

*forced because I'm still stuffed from my steak and shrimp dinner

Book of Job

Since I've been doing contract work for a few years now, not knowing whether I'll have a job to go to tomorrow is nothing new. Of the three and a half contracts I've done, one is currently ongoing, one gave me a few weeks notice before ending, one transitioned into another contract (hence the half) and the last one ended suddenly. The common theme for all of them has been that they could end at a moment's notice. The soft hammer was swung today when I was told that the current project would likely come to an end, they think, in all probability, by mid-February. This isn't the first time I've been told the project was ending, but the last warnings they gave were for a month out not just two weeks. I'm guessing it's more eminent, but who knows?

Still, no time like the present to work on one of my New Year's resolutions, which is to get a full-time permanent job. I think I know approximately what I want to do in the next phase of my career, but I'm not sure they're hiring. It's not as if I haven't been looking and applying for jobs while doing these temporary gigs but it's time to step up the search. The first thing I have to do is get my resume in shipshape.

Light and Power

I'm having issues with electricity. The batteries from my PC and digital camera aren't holding a charge for long. The camera ones have been a problem for longer than just recently. The computer just started losing juice. I guess I'll buy a replacement for the camera soon, but I'm not sure I need to buy a new battery for the computer since I almost always plug it in when I'm working on it. Speaking of batteries, I should replace the ones in my smoke detectors since I meant to change them when we got out of Daylight Savings Time.

The other problem is with light bulbs. The main light in my bathroom blew right before Christmas, and I didn't replace it since I don't have any compact fluorescent bulbs. The next to go was the secondary light in my bathroom, which I replaced with a regular joe light bulb immediately. Next came a bulb in my kitchen fixture, followed by one in my living room. Also, one light in my bedroom flickers. The last three are ceiling fan light bulbs that are kind of a pain to replace.

I wonder if all the static electricity in the house is contributing to the blowouts? I know I shock Nigel (or he shocks me) on a regular basis.

Not Sure What I Bought

The two on the left are definitely sweet potatoes, but I'm not so sure about the ones on the right. Maybe they're just potatoes? I'll cook them tomorrow and find out for sure.

My Favorite Year

Happy New Year! Today starts the Year of the Ox. It just so happens that I'm an Ox! Looks like I'm going to have a great year.

Hello Kitty and I celebrated with some Almond Cookies and Green Tea.

Life Less Ordinary

Today was one of those days that you expect to be one way and it turns out another.

Oscar's Wild

The Academy Award nominee announcements on Thursday made me sad because I've seen very few of the contenders. I wish I had an excuse like the movies aren't/weren't showing near me, but I live nearly walking distance from the Cedar Lee. I even have a Marquee Club membership, which gives me less of an excuse.
I've seen The Dark Knight, Changeling, Slumdog Millionaire, Bolt, Wall-E, Kung Fu Panda, Hellboy II, Iron Man, Wanted and In Bruges. Ooh, I've just realized that I've seen all the nominees for Sound Editing, Best Song and Best Animated Feature. Well, I'm sure to guess those right on February 22.
I'd like to see as many of the nominated movies as I can before the ceremony. I've always wanted to go to the Best Picture Showcase at AMC. Most years I've seen more than just one best picture nominee by the time they're announced so it's not worth it. If an AMC theatre near me is participating I might do it this year. One of my favorite movie theaters used to be an AMC but now it's a Regal. Before it was an AMC it was the Loews where I won the Ultimate Film Fan competition, which may or may not have something to do with the fact that it's one of my favorite movie theaters.

Too Cold, Too Cold

I did an informal poll of my neighborhood and determined that I have the biggest icicles in the tri-block area. Here's a picture of the east side of my house.

I took pictures this morning. The icicles have melted a little since then. The west side of the house has icicles too, but they are not nearly as impressive as these.

Timber!

The last of my Christmas decorations including the old fake tree are getting put away tonight. I had planned to have the tree down no later than MLK Jr. Day. I figured that if I didn't get it done before this past Monday I would be able to do it then since I had the holiday off. That got delayed because I was on my death bed. But now I'm recovered and it's nearly February so I'm putting away childish, I mean Christmas, things.
But before I do any of that, I'm going to eat a piece of pound cake and drink a cup of coffee. It's good to be not sick anymore!

Read 'em and Sleep

I found the perfect Christmas gift for my future godson, a Little Golden Book called Bible Heroes at Giant Eagle about a month before Christmas. I didn't buy it right away because it wasn't a good looking book -- the pages stuck out from the cover way too much. Plus, I figured I had time to find another copy. Well, it turns out that bookstores don't stock Little Golden Books on a regular basis. And at least four other Giant Eagle grocery stores didn't carry them either. Finally, a week or so after Christmas, I went back to the store where I first found the book and discovered they were sold out! I ended up ordering it from Amazon and threw in a few more biblical books to round out the collection. I thought it was a good godmom gift.

I could have gotten him this same assortment if his name was Jesus or Noah.

Belle of the Ball

My pal and I got all dolled up and went to an inauguration ball tonight at the Joseph Beth Bookstore. During the evening, we happened to sit with a Russian translator and the emcee. For a hot second, there was also a journalist, but he didn't stick around past the appetizers since he wasn't dressed for a gala. I was happy that I was recovered from my illness and able to eat normal food. As far as drinking, I stuck with club soda but had a glass of champagne as part of the toast to the new commander-in-chief.

It was mentioned (by the host or the emcee?) that the bookstore was an appropriate place since the President was first thrown into the limelight as an author. Fittingly, we got one of Obama's books in our goody bag. Overall it was a fun time. I'm not sure it was a ball, but I guess on Inauguration Day you can call any party a ball.

What Difference Does It Make?

All day yesterday that Smiths song was running through my head, specifically the lyrics, "I'm too tired. I'm so sick and tired. And I'm feeling very sick and ill today." Actually not all day since I woke up feeling okay and progressively felt worse as the day went on. I took some Tylenol and went to bed in the middle of the day. I got up for a few hours and went to bed for the night around 8pm. I would have gotten about 12 hours of sleep if I didn't keep waking up.
I haven't eaten anything since dinner on Saturday and have only had ginger ale and water to drink. I'm feeling a little hungry so I'm going to chance eating a banana. I think the worst is over.
Why do I always seem to get sick on the weekends or when I have a day off?

Hair Today

I like to think that I'm prematurely gray since I've been dying my hair for years and years. When I first started dying my hair I used semi-permanent colors. I switched to more permanent stuff when the grays became more prominent. Soon I'll have to change to a dye that is specifically for gray coverage or start getting my hair dyed by a professional because those hairs are getting resistant to my current hair color of choice, which is Clairol Nice 'N Easy number 130, Medium Reddish Brown.

Doesn't the model on this box look like Kristy Joe from Rock of Love/Charm School? Maybe her hair used to be the same color as mine!

Mind on My Money

Today I went to the Brown Aveda Institute for a haircut. This was my second time there and my second fantastic experience. No surprise, I first went there because I heard it was a cheap place to get spa services, but I went back because it's such a great place. The first time I went, John cut and styled my hair and made it super curly. This time, Beth went the other direction and flat ironed it straight and silky. Usually, my hair falls somewhere between curly and straight so it's fun to see what a training professional can do with it. The end result of spending more than a few minutes on my hair is pretty incredible.

My favorite thing about Brown Aveda, besides the $13 price tag, is the extras that come with a cut and style. You get a scalp massage, hand massage, mini-facial and makeup touch-up for no additional cost. The only downside is that it takes at least 2-3 hours from start to finish. In my experience, it's been worth the time spent getting beautified, and I'd recommend Brown Aveda to anyone who's not in a hurry to get gorgeous.

No Bones About It

Did you ever start watching a television show a few seasons into its run? The show I started watching this past fall is Bones, which is in its fourth season. I've seen all of this season's episodes and will watch the new ones when they start airing next week. It's been surprisingly easy to follow the storylines and get to know the characters without the background of the first three seasons.

I couldn't have picked a better time to start watching Bones since old episodes are shown every night on TNT. The series started over tonight with the pilot. I'm looking forward to watching the episodes in order and starting with the first one. Some episodes are also on Hulu.com, which is one of the best websites for a television junkie like me. And fourth season episodes that originally air on Fox repeat Tuesday nights on TNT. That's a lot of shows.

I'm not sure why I didn't watch the first (or second or third) season. Most likely there was a scheduling conflict with something like Gilmore Girls or Scrubs.

About Facebook

I have friends and relatives who are on Facebook and all of them seem to love it. Strangely enough, I've only been invited to join once and that was over a year ago. Maybe it's my lack of popularity that makes me indifferent to the site. I don't not want to join, I'm just not sold on the whole concept. To me, Facebook feels like a giant brag book more than a social networking site. The whole thing screams "look at me!" I'm not sure I want people looking at me.

But then today, I wanted to email a former coworker so I googled him and the first thing that popped up was his Facebook profile. The second was his company's website, which was what I wanted. Of course, I clicked on the first result to see what picture he posted, knowing that if he had kids they would be featured. Sure enough there was a picture of his little nuclear family on his profile. And you know what? If I was on Facebook, I would have sent him a friend request.

I told one of my friends that I realize it's just a matter of time before something hooks me. I wasn't hooked today, but I feel one step closer to taking the bait.

Ahead of the Weather

Tonight's forecasted low is 5 degrees. Oddly enough, that's the forecasted high on Friday. The lows for the next couple days are in the negative numbers. Brrrr is an understatement.

According to this article you should set your thermostat to 58 degrees and use space heaters in order to keep your gas bills down during this frigid weather. I think that's a great idea if you aren't prone to falling asleep while watching television like I am. I don't trust myself to burn a candle let alone have a space heater running.

I'm not the intended audience for the article because I keep my thermostat set to 60-62 degrees. If other people are in the house, I turn it up to 68-72 degrees. My house is old and drafty and always feels somewhat cold regardless of what the thermostat says, but I have a lot of blankets, afghans, comforters and robes to keep myself warm. I'd use my fireplace but I don't think you're supposed to burn fires in subzero weather. It's more pretty than warm anyway.

An Offer I Can't Refuse

Almost 15 years ago, I was asked to be the godmother to my first cousin, once removed (or my first cousin's daughter.) This year, I get to have that honor again with my friends' son.
It's fun that I'll now have a goddaughter and a godson. Admittedly, my church skills are a little rusty, but I'm working on that. In anticipation of the christening, I've been doing a little church shopping with my godson-to-be's family. We all attended a service last year and his mom and I went this year. We're all hoping to pick a church and join so that the baby can be baptized there.
I don't know how strict the church is these days about godparents being certified Catholic. The last time around was easy since she was baptized at my home parish. I would guess that being a member of a church might qualify me for godparentdom -- after all, I've had all my sacraments.
I always liked church. I like the ceremony and celebration. I have dislikes too, but I'll save my grouses for when I have an audience with the Pope. I'd love to bend that guy's ear.

Am I Blue?

I've been meaning to paint the walls of my living room for as long as I've owned my house. Other rooms have been painted various colors but the living room is still a boring white. At some point, I picked out a pacific blue that I've since decided is too dark for the space. I think I've settled on a light grayish blue from a poster that's hanging in the living room, but I haven't found a paint color that matches it. I might have to lug the picture over to the paint store to get an exact match because the tens of swatches I've brought home aren't even close.
Although I haven't quite picked the main color, I might use a second color (a darker blue from the poster?) on the wall with my fireplace and built-in shelves. I don't know how a two-toned room will look in real life, but they do that kind of stuff on design shows all the time.

Re-giftbagging

I gave two belated Christmas gifts recently where I used a gift bag instead of wrapping the presents. Both times, I gave the bag to the recipient and both times I left the recipient's house with the bag full of different stuff. The first time I got some clementines and a cute food calendar that my friend had not had time to wrap and the second time I got some pizzelles and a few bags of tea that I had just gifted to the second friend.

The weird thing is that I used the same bag both times! Now I'm wondering if they each wanted to recycle the gift bag or if they just wanted it out of their houses without the guilt of throwing it away. I thought it was kind of cute. It has a little girl with her eyes closed like she's wishing and the words "You Gotta Believe" on it.

I'm not sure where the bag originated. I didn't buy it but found it in the stack of gift bags I keep to recycle. My favorite thing to do is keep the original tag with my name on it and just change the "to" to "from."

Hair Apparent

When I was a kid I had really long hair. There are pictures of me where it's down to my waist. I really loved my long hair. I remember yelling at my mom not to cut too much when she trimmed it. That lasted until the summer of 1981 when I got a Dorothy Hamill cut. Although it wasn't my idea to get the cut, it was nice not to have to wear a bathing cap when swimming.
From then on, I've been a hairhopper. My hair has been buzzed, it's been shoulder length and it's been everywhere in between.

For the past two years or so I've been growing it out, and now it's the longest it's been in my adult life. I let it grow past the point where I usually get sick of it and cut it. I'm getting it trimmed next week, but I won't do anything drastic. Not yet anyway. I'm sure I'll cut it short again in the future.

I think I kind of like it, but I'm still getting used to it. I forgot stupid things like detangling and washing or how to wear jewelry without hurting yourself. And maybe it is because my hair was young and undyed but I seem to lose a lot hair in a day. The worst is finding hairballs in my newly washed clothes. Sure they're bunches of clean hair but it's gross and unnecessary and not a problem when you have short hair.

Snow Fun

My kitty Nigey likes snow. He eats snow off of the ground and the doormat, but mostly he likes to lick shoes and boots. It cracks me up that you can see his tongue in this picture.

He likes to lick plastic bags too, but I'm not sure what that's about.

Making Papers

Here's part of my clutter problem. I used to get the newspaper delivered four days a week but it was too much for me. I switched to just Sundays except that Wednesdays come free with delivery so I get those too. And holidays. I gotta cancel those holiday papers. I pay for those and never read them any time near the holiday.

It seems that when I get caught up with the papers a week goes by and I'm starting the pile-up again. I hate to recycle them before I read them, but I'm going to have to give myself a month time limit or something because the papers, as you can see, are out of control. I'm going to make most, if not all of this stack hit the curb Sunday whether I read them or not.

The First Wednesday of the Month

I left the house at 8:30AM and just returned home. The good news is that I'm up a chunk of change from my share of the winnings of Pub Quiz. I'm a member of the much loathed Team 11, and we win a lot. I'm actually just a substitute member since I get called into service when one of the smarties on the regular roster can't make it. But, I do have an official (and obnoxious) t-shirt.

PQ is held at PJ McIntyres in (on?) Kamms Corners. I'm sure its fun to test your knowledge even if you don't win, but luckily I don't have to find out often.

Joe

On my other blog, I posted a picture of some of the coffee I got for Christmas. Add that to what I already had and now my pantry has over two pounds of Eight O'Clock 50% decaf coffee, nearly four pounds of Kona and at least three pounds of assorted flavored coffees from Vermont, Disneyland and I think K-Mart.

I'm not fussy about coffee. I love good coffee, but I like okay coffee too. I'll admit to drinking bad coffee too -- but I don't like it. Most of what I have to brew is good stuff and meant to be drunk quickly. I've been making a concerted effort to brew a half pot of coffee every morning before I leave for work. I'd hate to have all this delicious coffee go to waste. I'd also hate to drink bad coffee out of guilt.

I have to force myself to make coffee because the coffee at work isn't too bad. I usually brew a pot on the weekends, but sometimes my Bunn stands idle when I need a latte fix.

I Resolve...

Uncle Sam wants us to keep our resolutions! Over at usa.gov there are 13 popular resolutions with links to information that can help people do things like get an education or plan a trip. Who knew some people resolved to take a vacation?

Me and the popular people have about half of our resolutions in common. Apparently most people want to drink less. I bet those people also have party plates.

Where's the resolution to get rid of clutter? Don't most people have too much crap around their house? I don't need to have someone rake my stuff out my front door but de-cluttering is definitely on my list.

More specific advice is at Womenshealth.gov, which suggests "be committed," "be prepared for setbacks" and "track your progress." Taking those three steps might be better than just winging it.

Too Much TiVo

I've thought about getting rid of cable since so many shows I watch are online and because I record too many shows and have no self-discipline about adding more shows to record. My TiVo gets full very quickly from all the shows I record and never watch.
In the meantime, I'm going to try not to let my "Recently Deleted" programs get to zero. I hate when shows I want to watch, but don't mark them "Keep Until I Delete" get erased.

Heart Healthy

Given my family's medical history, I really need to use these more. Resolution number two is such a cliché.

I hope you can read the bumper sticker. It came with the bike and says "Look out world! Here I come!" Also pictured is yoga mat and strap, weights and tape measure.

Little Thoughts

I started a Twitter microblog. Maybe I'll post something there daily too.

My "handle" is Dee1026.

Daily Blogging

I've always admired people who can establish and stick with a routine. As part of my New Year's resolutions, I've decided to start a new blog with the intent of posting something daily. It's not something new but it's new to me. We'll see if I make it to December 31.

One of my resolutions is to drink more. My goal is a drink every other day. Most likely red wine since it supposedly has the greatest health benefits. Plus, I have a spare few bottles lying around the house.