Thursday, January 31, 2008
What do you think?
I'm curious. What happens if you walk in the door to Monica and Rachel's apartment that they could never in a million years afford, even with rent control, and turn RIGHT? Do you slam into a wall?
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
7 Random Things
So, about 8 million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the earth (8 million years seems a bit too long ago for all that, but you get what I mean. A long long time ago.) Heather tagged me to say 7 random things about myself. And since this was so long ago I've had lots of instances come up where I think, WOW, that is a completely random thing about myself! I should remember to put that in the ol' blog post I have to do! The one from 8 million years ago! Do you think I remember? Of course not. I don't even think to write it down on the handy-dandy car visor notepad my mom got me for Christmas. So I'll have to sit here and come up with 6, because I sure did think of one on the way home tonight. Go me!
1. It just annoys the crap out of me when people being interviewed on NPR or the Today Show or CNN or whatever, pick an outlet, can't appropriately respond to the interviewer's thanks for their presence at the end of the interview. For example:
Interviewer: Thanks for being with us tonight.
Interviewee: You're welcome.
Is it just me or does that strike you as a bit snooty-two-shoes? Like, you're welcome for my supreme being deigning to join you on your little show. I hate it. So, if you are ever interviewed for any media at all, here are the two appropriate responses:
Interviewer: Thank you for the exciting insights on the economy of 11th century Poland.
Interviewee: Thank you for having me.
or
Interviewee: It was my pleasure.
2. I also get really annoyed at family sit-coms featuring a really skinny beautiful accomplished gainfully employed wife with a confused, annoying, childish, scheming (but at least they're funny!) husband. Examples? Okay. Everybody Loves Raymond. King of Queens. Life According to Jim (is that really the name of that show? that looks wrong). There are more. I just never watch them.
3. I am seriously OCD. It comes in streaks. I get on a tear to do something (clean a room, try out a perfume, organize my socks, you get the picture) and it is all I can think about until it is DONE. This is why I write so many lists, it gets the stuff out of my head so I can concentrate on other things. Even my nasty nail biting/picking habit is a side effect of OCD- apparently I'm trying to make them look perfect and in the process make them look worse. I have to have moisturizer and nail clippers with me most of the time so I don't rip off chunks of finger that begin as a tiny flake of dry skin. I didn't say it would be pretty.... Of course, this isn't true all the time. Just on days that end in "Y".
4. I love to cook. It is very relaxing for me, like playing. Last night I took a bag of frozen peppers and onions (my latest best discovery from Kroger- so many frozen veggie meal starters), cooked them up with garlic and ginger, added salmon, white wine, and soy sauce, and served it all on top of ramen noodles. Man was that ever some good stuff!
5. I really don't ever feel my age. I'm 28, and I'll be (gasp!) 29 in April, but I think on average I feel like I'm around 22. I probably act like I'm 16. I've just never caught on to this whole grown-up thing. I mean, I guess I'm getting slightly more responsible in that I'm paying down the crapload of debt I'm in and I'm trying to make better money choices and I just opted to put more money in my 401k because, well, it's important, and I'm trying to be more mature at work because jesus I manage 5 people. But, ummmmmmmmm, I'm still about 22.
6. Ironically, given #4, I despise grocery shopping.
7. I'm a closet science nerd. I work in apparel (I sure can't go so far as to say FASHION, that's a bit rich), and I went to school for fashion design, but I make sure to read the New York Times science section every Tuesday, and I usually end up printing off articles and filing them in a huge folder and I don't know what I'll ever do with them. Almost always they're about biology and health. One of my favorite authors is Matt Ridley, I've read two of his books and I have another to start. Give me a book about genetics and I'll probably disappear for hours to read it.
1. It just annoys the crap out of me when people being interviewed on NPR or the Today Show or CNN or whatever, pick an outlet, can't appropriately respond to the interviewer's thanks for their presence at the end of the interview. For example:
Interviewer: Thanks for being with us tonight.
Interviewee: You're welcome.
Is it just me or does that strike you as a bit snooty-two-shoes? Like, you're welcome for my supreme being deigning to join you on your little show. I hate it. So, if you are ever interviewed for any media at all, here are the two appropriate responses:
Interviewer: Thank you for the exciting insights on the economy of 11th century Poland.
Interviewee: Thank you for having me.
or
Interviewee: It was my pleasure.
2. I also get really annoyed at family sit-coms featuring a really skinny beautiful accomplished gainfully employed wife with a confused, annoying, childish, scheming (but at least they're funny!) husband. Examples? Okay. Everybody Loves Raymond. King of Queens. Life According to Jim (is that really the name of that show? that looks wrong). There are more. I just never watch them.
3. I am seriously OCD. It comes in streaks. I get on a tear to do something (clean a room, try out a perfume, organize my socks, you get the picture) and it is all I can think about until it is DONE. This is why I write so many lists, it gets the stuff out of my head so I can concentrate on other things. Even my nasty nail biting/picking habit is a side effect of OCD- apparently I'm trying to make them look perfect and in the process make them look worse. I have to have moisturizer and nail clippers with me most of the time so I don't rip off chunks of finger that begin as a tiny flake of dry skin. I didn't say it would be pretty.... Of course, this isn't true all the time. Just on days that end in "Y".
4. I love to cook. It is very relaxing for me, like playing. Last night I took a bag of frozen peppers and onions (my latest best discovery from Kroger- so many frozen veggie meal starters), cooked them up with garlic and ginger, added salmon, white wine, and soy sauce, and served it all on top of ramen noodles. Man was that ever some good stuff!
5. I really don't ever feel my age. I'm 28, and I'll be (gasp!) 29 in April, but I think on average I feel like I'm around 22. I probably act like I'm 16. I've just never caught on to this whole grown-up thing. I mean, I guess I'm getting slightly more responsible in that I'm paying down the crapload of debt I'm in and I'm trying to make better money choices and I just opted to put more money in my 401k because, well, it's important, and I'm trying to be more mature at work because jesus I manage 5 people. But, ummmmmmmmm, I'm still about 22.
6. Ironically, given #4, I despise grocery shopping.
7. I'm a closet science nerd. I work in apparel (I sure can't go so far as to say FASHION, that's a bit rich), and I went to school for fashion design, but I make sure to read the New York Times science section every Tuesday, and I usually end up printing off articles and filing them in a huge folder and I don't know what I'll ever do with them. Almost always they're about biology and health. One of my favorite authors is Matt Ridley, I've read two of his books and I have another to start. Give me a book about genetics and I'll probably disappear for hours to read it.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Next!
Just so I don't have to keep staring at the resolutions post below, I am breaking my apparent vow of blogging silence (?) by declaring that I love Lemon-Berry Real Fruit Slushes from Sonic. I just feel that the world needs to know.
And they can't come from just ANY Sonic, the best ones are from the Sonic down the road where they put in about a pound of strawberries. Heaven.
I will post something more worth-while and serious soon. I promise. I even have pictures to post, which is always an adventure. So don't despair blog! I have not forsaken you! I just have been so out of sorts for the past 3 weeks that I can't stand myself, and I wouldn't want to saddle my wide audience with that. Ick.
And I still have to come up with 7 random things about myself from another Heather's tag from - oh damn- over 2 weeks ago. I have some serious catching up on my plate.
And they can't come from just ANY Sonic, the best ones are from the Sonic down the road where they put in about a pound of strawberries. Heaven.
I will post something more worth-while and serious soon. I promise. I even have pictures to post, which is always an adventure. So don't despair blog! I have not forsaken you! I just have been so out of sorts for the past 3 weeks that I can't stand myself, and I wouldn't want to saddle my wide audience with that. Ick.
And I still have to come up with 7 random things about myself from another Heather's tag from - oh damn- over 2 weeks ago. I have some serious catching up on my plate.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
New Year's Resolutions
Okay, back to the resolutions. How will I keep track if not on this blog?
I've added another resolution: stop biting my nails. I've been chewing on my fingers for 21 YEARS. I don't know if this year will be any different but it is truly an ugly habit and I hate my hands because of it. So if I can keep them polished and pretty it might deter me from gnawing on them. It's worth a shot. It's so embarrassing.
Okay, back to resolution #2. Finances. I was pretty proud of myself on New Years Day because after lots of research I realized the only way to keep my drafty sliding glass door to the balcony less, er, drafty, was to hang heavy curtains over it. So I looked around for curtain options and pulled out an old sheet for a lining, but then didn't have any fabric to go over that and thought maybe I should go to the fabric store and buy some heavy fabric for the top of the curtain. I hemmed and hawed and made MHM get up about 14,000 times to help me hold various pieces of fabric over the door. I sat down in my big closet where all the crafty stuff is stored and looked through all of the fabric I have (there's a lot, bins of it) and didn't really find anything suitable except for some white flannel but that really wasn't doing it for me. I leaned back and looked up... at my stack of blankets. And there on top is a sage green quilted bedspread I'm not using because it's winter and I have a big fat fluffy (almost too warm) duvet on my bed. BINGO! Off we went to the hardware store for a heavy duty curtain rod and some curtain rings with clips on them. For about $30 I have the entire door covered floor to ceiling. Yes, it is dark in my living room right now, but I can pull the blanket to the side when I need to. And then it gets so cold I close it right back up again.
So, what does this have to do with finances? #1, it will save loads on my heating bills. That room is always cold but it is also where I spend the most time. The difference in the temperature is noticeable. #2, I refrained from buying new fabric by using what was just sitting around. #3, come summer I can use the same thing to keep the heat out. #4, the blanket is just clipped to the curtain rod, so it will be usable again.
Overall I could probably have done better if I had waited for the stuff I needed to come to me at a lower price. However, this is the South and once again my Fair City is under going a serious cold snap. My apartment building is just not built for this kind of weather, so I was facing a heating emergency. As I was reading about the different options available (weather-stripping, covering the door in plastic, both of which would have rendered the door unusable for the rest of the season, and draft-dodgers, which I already made a few months ago) finally came across curtains. When I lived in London, in a very old, very drafty Victorian home, there were big heavy curtains all over the place. Both the front and back doors in the hallway had heavy lined velvet curtains (not nearly as fancy as it sounds, they looked as old as the house was), as did most of the windows. There were space heaters and bed warmers and hot water bottles all over the place. I think the reason the English are addicted to hot baths and tea is to stay warm.
So, financial/craft project to start the new year and save some money! I also picked up some really good CFL bulbs at Lowe's, the cast a yellow light instead of that awful glaring white you see so often with flourescents.
I've added another resolution: stop biting my nails. I've been chewing on my fingers for 21 YEARS. I don't know if this year will be any different but it is truly an ugly habit and I hate my hands because of it. So if I can keep them polished and pretty it might deter me from gnawing on them. It's worth a shot. It's so embarrassing.
Okay, back to resolution #2. Finances. I was pretty proud of myself on New Years Day because after lots of research I realized the only way to keep my drafty sliding glass door to the balcony less, er, drafty, was to hang heavy curtains over it. So I looked around for curtain options and pulled out an old sheet for a lining, but then didn't have any fabric to go over that and thought maybe I should go to the fabric store and buy some heavy fabric for the top of the curtain. I hemmed and hawed and made MHM get up about 14,000 times to help me hold various pieces of fabric over the door. I sat down in my big closet where all the crafty stuff is stored and looked through all of the fabric I have (there's a lot, bins of it) and didn't really find anything suitable except for some white flannel but that really wasn't doing it for me. I leaned back and looked up... at my stack of blankets. And there on top is a sage green quilted bedspread I'm not using because it's winter and I have a big fat fluffy (almost too warm) duvet on my bed. BINGO! Off we went to the hardware store for a heavy duty curtain rod and some curtain rings with clips on them. For about $30 I have the entire door covered floor to ceiling. Yes, it is dark in my living room right now, but I can pull the blanket to the side when I need to. And then it gets so cold I close it right back up again.
So, what does this have to do with finances? #1, it will save loads on my heating bills. That room is always cold but it is also where I spend the most time. The difference in the temperature is noticeable. #2, I refrained from buying new fabric by using what was just sitting around. #3, come summer I can use the same thing to keep the heat out. #4, the blanket is just clipped to the curtain rod, so it will be usable again.
Overall I could probably have done better if I had waited for the stuff I needed to come to me at a lower price. However, this is the South and once again my Fair City is under going a serious cold snap. My apartment building is just not built for this kind of weather, so I was facing a heating emergency. As I was reading about the different options available (weather-stripping, covering the door in plastic, both of which would have rendered the door unusable for the rest of the season, and draft-dodgers, which I already made a few months ago) finally came across curtains. When I lived in London, in a very old, very drafty Victorian home, there were big heavy curtains all over the place. Both the front and back doors in the hallway had heavy lined velvet curtains (not nearly as fancy as it sounds, they looked as old as the house was), as did most of the windows. There were space heaters and bed warmers and hot water bottles all over the place. I think the reason the English are addicted to hot baths and tea is to stay warm.
So, financial/craft project to start the new year and save some money! I also picked up some really good CFL bulbs at Lowe's, the cast a yellow light instead of that awful glaring white you see so often with flourescents.
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