After a relatively calm Mon-Thurs, I'm gettin ready for a jam-packed Fri and Sat! So much to do in such a short window used to make me anxious, but I've learned if you just take one thing at a time, everything works out. IT really does. I have a feeling though this post is going to go all over the place, so hang on!
I'm really running in all directions when dinner consists of animal crackers and a dark chocolate-covered Peep candy (which I highly recommend- so so good!) No dishes to put in the dishwasher this way, right?
So who loves Google maps? (me!! me!!) Am I the only one who maps things out, add multiple destinations and then drags the line to find an even more direct, logistically efficient route? My GPS and its corresponding satellite need a good slap. I have to use it this weekend and I'm hoping it's going to cooperate. It's been taking waaay too long to calculate lately. I shouldn't have to preview Google maps because I don't trust the GPS. It's only gotten me lost once...in Bucks County, at night, in December going to a job. Oooh I was so mad. I'll stop whining though. I remember the days pre-GPS when I was going over the bridge to Jersey after midnight as a result of one little wrong turn.
Some interesting stuff going on at Job #1. Presentation in 2 weeks, and lots of other projects on the horizon that should prove interesting and challenging. I don't like to talk too much about work considering this is a public blog, but when it's all good things, I think I'm alright.
They found the Bronx Zoo cobra!! Whose tweets will I look forward to now? Truely a funny story from the escape to the Twitter creation. The story burned fast and bright, and that's how any spontaneous funny occurance should be; don't play it out, don't drag it on. Let the humor unfold, and when it's done, it's done. Let it go.
I was thinking maybe 8 hours sleep tonight would kick start my energy for the weekend...that and a 5hr energy... but then that means I only have 1hr 10min till bedtime... ok... gotta go!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Misc Thoughts on a Tuesday
I wanted to pull an Office Space tonight on my printer. You know the scene- they kidnap the difficult printer/fax/copier and beat it to pieces in a field. A truly bonding coworker experience for sure. I still don't understand how it randomly acts up twice a year. It should be as easy as plugging in, making sure the ink is full and hitting print... buuuuut it's not! I've only held out a little patience with it because I use (successfully) it as a scanner. How else will I load up all those old pics?
On a lighter note... when I first heard about that cobra slithering out of the reptile house at the Bronx Zoo, I found it rather funny. I'm really laughing now that someone has created a snake profile on Twitter (@BronxZoosCobra) and has been tweeting snake-themed messages for the past 2 days. Yes, you bet I'm following him!
Some highlights:
Taking the Sex and the City Tour!!! I'm totally a SSSamantha. #snakeonthetown
Just FYI, I've had it with Samuel L Jackson too.
Maybe I'm the one with a simple mind, but this is exactly the type of thing I find hilarious. At least there's still something to laugh about despite all the other tragedies happening in this world.
Soo...Tuesday is over and it's been a great start to the week. It's only going to get crazier as the weekend nears, so I'm enjoying it now!
Once the weather gets nicer and things begin to bloom, it's time to take the camera out for a few hours and wander around for some excellent material. I had a plan to take the best pic from each season from my albums and get them properly framed, but I've been slacking on that. I have some really good winter ones, and a few spring... just need to work on the summer/fall. Does it count if they were taken in another country...?
Here's one of my most favorite winter pics and another good one I took in Ireland (it was summer there at the time)
On a lighter note... when I first heard about that cobra slithering out of the reptile house at the Bronx Zoo, I found it rather funny. I'm really laughing now that someone has created a snake profile on Twitter (@BronxZoosCobra) and has been tweeting snake-themed messages for the past 2 days. Yes, you bet I'm following him!
Some highlights:
Taking the Sex and the City Tour!!! I'm totally a SSSamantha. #snakeonthetown
Just FYI, I've had it with Samuel L Jackson too.
Maybe I'm the one with a simple mind, but this is exactly the type of thing I find hilarious. At least there's still something to laugh about despite all the other tragedies happening in this world.
Soo...Tuesday is over and it's been a great start to the week. It's only going to get crazier as the weekend nears, so I'm enjoying it now!
Once the weather gets nicer and things begin to bloom, it's time to take the camera out for a few hours and wander around for some excellent material. I had a plan to take the best pic from each season from my albums and get them properly framed, but I've been slacking on that. I have some really good winter ones, and a few spring... just need to work on the summer/fall. Does it count if they were taken in another country...?
Here's one of my most favorite winter pics and another good one I took in Ireland (it was summer there at the time)
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| Love how those red berries pop with color in an otherwise ordinary winter scene |
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| Muckross Gardens in Killarney National Park |
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday Randoms
A cold, yet sunny Monday to start the week. I'll take cold and sun over mild and cloudy any day. I get the afternoon sun at my place, which I wasn't so happy about in the beginning, but I wasn't exactly carrying a compass when the realtor was showing me places either. The strongest sunlight comes between 3:30-sunset in the spring/summer months. That is a gift during those heat waves that have decided to pay some nasty visits the past few summers.
Finished a really great book last night- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. All sorts of messages about vanity, image, the struggles with growing old. Without trying to write a professional review, I'll just say I highly recommend it. Now to pick my next Kindle read... I've been looking through all the free ones, and trying to get some classics out of the way (kinda insulting to refer to reading classics as getting them "out of the way"... but anyway) I'm sure I'll find something worthwhile.
Reading some news links on the radiation from Japan supposedly hitting the east coast is a bit unnerving. I know some people who are seriously contemplating the idea of escape/emergency plans and stockpiling food and supplies in case "disaster" strikes. I don't know if I'll go that far, but it's never too far from my mind that life as we know it can change in a flash. Many people, most everyone I know, never look beyond their plans for the weekend, or what color to get at their next manicure. Everything could disappear in one... big... flash. Unlikely? Yes. At least I entertain the fact it's a possibly, no matter how slim the chances.
Back to reality. Time to watch Nightly, so I can see what other dooms and disasters are on the horizon : )
Finished a really great book last night- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. All sorts of messages about vanity, image, the struggles with growing old. Without trying to write a professional review, I'll just say I highly recommend it. Now to pick my next Kindle read... I've been looking through all the free ones, and trying to get some classics out of the way (kinda insulting to refer to reading classics as getting them "out of the way"... but anyway) I'm sure I'll find something worthwhile.
Reading some news links on the radiation from Japan supposedly hitting the east coast is a bit unnerving. I know some people who are seriously contemplating the idea of escape/emergency plans and stockpiling food and supplies in case "disaster" strikes. I don't know if I'll go that far, but it's never too far from my mind that life as we know it can change in a flash. Many people, most everyone I know, never look beyond their plans for the weekend, or what color to get at their next manicure. Everything could disappear in one... big... flash. Unlikely? Yes. At least I entertain the fact it's a possibly, no matter how slim the chances.
Back to reality. Time to watch Nightly, so I can see what other dooms and disasters are on the horizon : )
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Two-A-Days
One more blog post for the day.
According to the very simplistic blogger.com stats, people are reading this! Someone out there... no clue who...but yay! Unless those stats are completely fabricated to make amateur bloggers like me feel special...
Feel free to comment, laugh, add your thoughts... or just tell me my blog totally sucks (that would be mean, but if you could justify why, I might try and improve [and at the same time tell you to F-off]) Haha
According to the very simplistic blogger.com stats, people are reading this! Someone out there... no clue who...but yay! Unless those stats are completely fabricated to make amateur bloggers like me feel special...
Feel free to comment, laugh, add your thoughts... or just tell me my blog totally sucks (that would be mean, but if you could justify why, I might try and improve [and at the same time tell you to F-off]) Haha
Super Productive
If you know me, you know my weekends are equal parts fun, work, and straight up productivity. This weekend, I even impressed myself! Here goes a little bragging...
Since Friday at 4pm I have:
Annnnd... after working 9 weekends in a row, I have a very deserved 3 day weekend beginning April 9th. I don't have a thing booked and I might keep it that way. We have another day off for Easter 2 weeks after that, so another 3-day wknd- so warm weather- you better get here!
I'm not too tired right now. I mean, my legs are tired, but usually after exerting that much energy that early, I'm caving into the nap temptation right around now (4pm). While I'm on this roll, I might as well check more things off the list and be done with them!
I was going to put my usual sarcastic image at the closing of the post, but Google images gave me some reallly suspicious pop ups, so never mind on that one today!
Since Friday at 4pm I have:
- Worked 2 promo jobs
- Met up with a friend for delish Mexican food after Fri job
- Cleaned my place/did laundry
- Met up with another friend after Sat job
- Ran 6.5mi today at LAFit 8am (why so early?? I don't know!)
- Paid bills, did all my reports for the 2 promos
- Grocery shopping- done
- Super-cleaned both bird cages
- Made hummus and pesto from scratch (using basil from my own plant : ) )
Annnnd... after working 9 weekends in a row, I have a very deserved 3 day weekend beginning April 9th. I don't have a thing booked and I might keep it that way. We have another day off for Easter 2 weeks after that, so another 3-day wknd- so warm weather- you better get here!
I'm not too tired right now. I mean, my legs are tired, but usually after exerting that much energy that early, I'm caving into the nap temptation right around now (4pm). While I'm on this roll, I might as well check more things off the list and be done with them!
I was going to put my usual sarcastic image at the closing of the post, but Google images gave me some reallly suspicious pop ups, so never mind on that one today!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
No Surf Zone
Nope, not talking about the ocean or catching a rad wave. I'm talking about how I had to bring my laptop in the kitchen tonight in order to force myself to get a few things done. You see, standing in a very small kitchen such as mine is not conducive for random internet surfing, which I am so guilty of, so often.
I had 3 things that needed to get done, and standing in the kitchen with the laptop squeezed between the cutting board and the food processor was the only way to force myself to do it. When I sit on the couch, put the laptop on my lap and start "getting to work", inevitably I need to check then news, then some pics on Facebook, then that new item on Sephora's site I must have... then 45min have gone by and the "work" still sits incomplete. I was also cooking some quinoa at the time, so this laptop-to-kitchen relocation wasn't a comepletely scatterbrained idea. Everything's done, food is cooked, and I just wasted 10 more minutes blogging about it : )
I had 3 things that needed to get done, and standing in the kitchen with the laptop squeezed between the cutting board and the food processor was the only way to force myself to do it. When I sit on the couch, put the laptop on my lap and start "getting to work", inevitably I need to check then news, then some pics on Facebook, then that new item on Sephora's site I must have... then 45min have gone by and the "work" still sits incomplete. I was also cooking some quinoa at the time, so this laptop-to-kitchen relocation wasn't a comepletely scatterbrained idea. Everything's done, food is cooked, and I just wasted 10 more minutes blogging about it : )
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Less Than 2 Months To Go...
Ah!
The Broad St run is less than 2 months away! I've been stepping up my training, and starting to think about it more and more. Got some new, much needed running shoes today. My bad for not realizing I bought my current ones last May. I've run hundreds of miles since then, and could really tell the difference going for a run today in the new ones. Oops.
I strayed from my beloved Nikes and went with Saucony this time. Not in love with the color (white with grey/mint green accents) or the white laces, but sometimes looks aren't the top priority. 2 months should be plenty of time to break them in before the big day. I've told myself, as an emergency last minute out, I can always turn the Broad St run into the Broad Street walk if things get really bad... that would be just shameful though. Downright wrong. I can do this. I'm not going for superhero times here, just to finish it and not pass out at the end. Totally doable.
I like planning everything out as much as possible, so you can bet everything, down to the rubberband holding my ponytail, will be carefully selected to stay put, and not irritate me at any point during this run. Everything I eat and drink (no alcohol) the week before will be carefully selected as well. I better get started on the most kick ass playlist known to man to make the 2hrs fly by. I've been changing my workouts up by adding some hill sprints. This brings me right back to HS when they used to make us do them over and over and over during lacrosse season. All that stuff is easy breezy when you have 20 of your friends goofing off and doing it with you, no FT job, time constraints, schedules, etc to worry about. I'm not complaining. I mean, I could always try and gather up 20 people to run the hills with me...and I'm pretty sure 90% of my friends would give a big fat emphatic NO to my invitation.
So I will continue preparing, and in less than 2 months I can add another 10 to the total miles logged on my new-ish shoes : )
The Broad St run is less than 2 months away! I've been stepping up my training, and starting to think about it more and more. Got some new, much needed running shoes today. My bad for not realizing I bought my current ones last May. I've run hundreds of miles since then, and could really tell the difference going for a run today in the new ones. Oops.
I strayed from my beloved Nikes and went with Saucony this time. Not in love with the color (white with grey/mint green accents) or the white laces, but sometimes looks aren't the top priority. 2 months should be plenty of time to break them in before the big day. I've told myself, as an emergency last minute out, I can always turn the Broad St run into the Broad Street walk if things get really bad... that would be just shameful though. Downright wrong. I can do this. I'm not going for superhero times here, just to finish it and not pass out at the end. Totally doable.
I like planning everything out as much as possible, so you can bet everything, down to the rubberband holding my ponytail, will be carefully selected to stay put, and not irritate me at any point during this run. Everything I eat and drink (no alcohol) the week before will be carefully selected as well. I better get started on the most kick ass playlist known to man to make the 2hrs fly by. I've been changing my workouts up by adding some hill sprints. This brings me right back to HS when they used to make us do them over and over and over during lacrosse season. All that stuff is easy breezy when you have 20 of your friends goofing off and doing it with you, no FT job, time constraints, schedules, etc to worry about. I'm not complaining. I mean, I could always try and gather up 20 people to run the hills with me...and I'm pretty sure 90% of my friends would give a big fat emphatic NO to my invitation.
So I will continue preparing, and in less than 2 months I can add another 10 to the total miles logged on my new-ish shoes : )
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Spring!
Beautiful St Patty's Day. I can definitely deal with 68 degrees everyday... for the rest of my life!
No jobs tonight. After working the past 5 years, decided to take the night off. Could have worked in Philly or WC, but I'm glad I got a solid outdoor workout in, taking advantage of the start of Spring!
St Patty's Day reminds me of my trip to Ireland. An unforgettably fabulous trip. We all know SPD is a manufactured American holiday centered around drinking, debauchery, and green ...everything. I'm sure the Irish don't mind a day of attention. I have an impressive stockpile of Irish cheer. A Bailey's chocolate mint martini would be a delicious reward for my hard work today.
I think I might have found the next phone I want : )
http://www.htc.com/us/products/thunderbolt-verizon#overview
Never had an HTC before, and it might take me a few days to get through the Blackberry withdraw... but come on, this phone has a kickstand!! The interface is pretty impressive. 3 more weeks to make a decision!
Another 12hr day tomorrow. But it's Friday... and payday... and going up to 72! No complaints. Plenty more days like that to come...
No jobs tonight. After working the past 5 years, decided to take the night off. Could have worked in Philly or WC, but I'm glad I got a solid outdoor workout in, taking advantage of the start of Spring!
St Patty's Day reminds me of my trip to Ireland. An unforgettably fabulous trip. We all know SPD is a manufactured American holiday centered around drinking, debauchery, and green ...everything. I'm sure the Irish don't mind a day of attention. I have an impressive stockpile of Irish cheer. A Bailey's chocolate mint martini would be a delicious reward for my hard work today.
I think I might have found the next phone I want : )
http://www.htc.com/us/products/thunderbolt-verizon#overview
Never had an HTC before, and it might take me a few days to get through the Blackberry withdraw... but come on, this phone has a kickstand!! The interface is pretty impressive. 3 more weeks to make a decision!
Another 12hr day tomorrow. But it's Friday... and payday... and going up to 72! No complaints. Plenty more days like that to come...
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
U2
For whatever reason, I've really wanted to listen to U2 this week. After seeing them right after HS graduation at Franklin Field on their 'Pop Mart' tour, I've been dying to see them again! Bono's back to good, so I know those cancelled Philly shows are coming back around this summer... would so love to go.
Here are two of my favorites, one complete with corny Batman soundtrack video. Whatever. Love it!
Here are two of my favorites, one complete with corny Batman soundtrack video. Whatever. Love it!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Randoms
No theme to this particular post- just whatever I've been thinking about recently in a bulleted format. Sure to be off-the-charts random.
- Made quite possibly the worst pizza tonight. Never thought "worst" and "pizza" were two words that could find their way into the same sentence, but yea... it was.... not so great. Simply put, it tasted like an english muffin with cheese on top. So much for the fresh dough idea : \
- Japan and this tsunami aftermath is mind boggling. First earthquakes, then tsunamis, and now both with complications of radioactivity thrown on top. Yikes. Thailand, Haiti, Chile, and now Japan. Since we're not the ones experiencing these horrors, are natural disasters bound to become more white noise in the background of our busy lives, much like the never-ending drama in the Middle East? Hopefully the world won't fall in the pattern of disaster, excessive media coverage, celebrity-packed charity concert thrown by the US weeks later... rinse and repeat.
- My Kindle and I are becoming pretty tight. The battery life is amazing and after 7 books finished, it's become just like reading a regular paper book. I'm trying to read a diverse selection of books spanning all genres. Classics, modern fiction, biographies... I have a feeling my most recent choice of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' won't be a blast through like some of the more recent choices. Sometimes the whole slavery theme just isn't that enticing before you go to sleep.
- Never really finished the grandiose plans for redecorating my bedroom. Got a little sidetracked before the holidays. The walls are the perfect neutral canvas to take it in many directions; so neutral the tan and white sometimes has me feeling like I'm sitting inside a life size latte. I have the vision and the resources, but almost 7 years in... it's just not worth putting all my effort into. I'm wasn't even planning on being here this long.
- After taking last summer off (not entirely by choice), thinking of getting back into my tennis game this spring/summer. Once the tournaments start, that's when I'm usually dying to play. Wimbledon always gets me. Especially when Roger was owning it back to back years.
- Still haven't finalized any vacation plans. I always have some trip booked out in the future to look forward to. I'll put that on the next task list.
- Sometimes things just hit you. Common sense things you should know, but a thousand different distractions get in the way of your otherwise rational thinking. Logic doesn't always win the first time around. But it wins, eventually.
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| And... what better way to end a random blog posting then with a completely random pic. |
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Spring Cleaning Part 328
Turning the clocks forward this morning brought me great joy- Spring is a couple weeks away and we're inching closer with each sunset to the longest day of the year. Yay!
Spring also means the yearly changing of my wardrobe between closets and.... the dreaded spring cleaning. I don't have a garage, attic, or basement to focus on during the "big clean", which is a blessing. Three extra rooms would give me liberty to collect three more rooms full of clutter and stuff I probably don't need. I did some major cleaning this fall- clothes, papers, and just overall junk. If I hadn't used it or couldn't justify a reason for the space it was taking up- in the trash it went! I used when I moved in as a benchmark; I wanted not much more than I had when I moved in almost 7 years ago (yes, it's been that long!!). Sure, there are things I've collected since then, but living in a small space really makes you prioritize what stays and what goes on a daily basis.
So I'll give this cleaning another go. Probably on a weekend when I can open the windows and really do a thorough job. Sometimes the mood has to strike me to take on a task like this, and then I'm a nonstop machine for 8+ hours until every single thing is perfect. Thankfully, this mood doesn't appear save for once or twice a year. (But think how amazingly productive I'd be were it a constant occurance!) I'm all prepared with my natural cleaning products. Cleaning can be fun with scents like spearmint, eucalyptus, and lemon.
The goal is really to live as organized and clutter-free as possible. It clears your mind and creates an overall peaceful environment when all the "stuff" is cleared out. It will also make moving that much easier when the day comes... hopefully sooner than later.
Totally off-topic here, but Bob's Burgers is on Fox in the background (waiting for my weekly Family Guy fix) and this show is just plain...odd. I won't turn it off though. It's quirky humor and all the characters seem to be lacking chins, but the humor is desert dry, and that is what keeps me watching. They can't touch Family Guy, not even close... but the jury is still out on this one.
Spring also means the yearly changing of my wardrobe between closets and.... the dreaded spring cleaning. I don't have a garage, attic, or basement to focus on during the "big clean", which is a blessing. Three extra rooms would give me liberty to collect three more rooms full of clutter and stuff I probably don't need. I did some major cleaning this fall- clothes, papers, and just overall junk. If I hadn't used it or couldn't justify a reason for the space it was taking up- in the trash it went! I used when I moved in as a benchmark; I wanted not much more than I had when I moved in almost 7 years ago (yes, it's been that long!!). Sure, there are things I've collected since then, but living in a small space really makes you prioritize what stays and what goes on a daily basis.
So I'll give this cleaning another go. Probably on a weekend when I can open the windows and really do a thorough job. Sometimes the mood has to strike me to take on a task like this, and then I'm a nonstop machine for 8+ hours until every single thing is perfect. Thankfully, this mood doesn't appear save for once or twice a year. (But think how amazingly productive I'd be were it a constant occurance!) I'm all prepared with my natural cleaning products. Cleaning can be fun with scents like spearmint, eucalyptus, and lemon.
The goal is really to live as organized and clutter-free as possible. It clears your mind and creates an overall peaceful environment when all the "stuff" is cleared out. It will also make moving that much easier when the day comes... hopefully sooner than later.
Totally off-topic here, but Bob's Burgers is on Fox in the background (waiting for my weekly Family Guy fix) and this show is just plain...odd. I won't turn it off though. It's quirky humor and all the characters seem to be lacking chins, but the humor is desert dry, and that is what keeps me watching. They can't touch Family Guy, not even close... but the jury is still out on this one.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Thumbs up POTUS
Definitely a good thing to see the Obamas recognize the epidemic of bullying. It's a huge problem, and often ignored, but bringing national attention to this issue will hopefully help stop it. I know my school has a zero tolerance policy on this, but I can't even imagine what goes on inside and outside schools today, especially at the "cyber" level.
Of course, everyone agrees it's wrong, terrible, shocking, and so on... but it's still going on. It's sickening to hear of elementary age kids killing themselves because no one listened or reported things they witnessed at school.
There has to be a way to stop this; not overnight, but quickly. You can only put so much blame on the parents. I could go on forever... but I think this says it best:
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. -Dalai Lama
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Beyond Ridiculous
So I get the mail today and see the usual Bed Bath & Beyond ad. I always page through it, since there's a store 2 miles from me, and see if there's anything I need.
Hold on a minute
Am I the only one who flips through their colorful pages, brimming with fantastic household and bath items you can't live without, and thinks "Who needs any of this stuff??"
Let's browse the ad, shall we?
1. A fabric shower curtain. $39.99. Fair enough. We all need one of those.
2. A Yankee Candle in "Fluffy Towels" scent. What? How does this differ from their "Clean Cotton" scent? If you do laundry on a regular basis and throw a Snuggle sheet in there- bam!- there's your fluffy towel scent wafting through the house. Do some more laundry and save yourself $20.
3. Sensor Soap Dispenser. For $39.99 and 4 AA batteries, you can have a countertop soap machine that dispenses an adjustable amount of soap so your lazy ass doesn't have to push the regular soap pump. Really? So by the time the batteries and soap are purchased, you're looking at $50 to wash your hands.
4. Shake Weight. Not even going there.
5. Double Microfiber Floor Duster $19.99, Microfiber Swivel Mop $17.99, and Angled Broom $14.99. Who needs three different things to clean the floor? Everyone knows those floor dusters and mops do nothing but push the dirt around. Nothing gets clean. If you have the expensive, real hardwood flooring you need special cleaner and some elbow grease to do that job right (or a housekeeper).
The point of my story is TOO MUCH! We use too much, live in a world of too much, and keep creating new items to brainwash people into thinking their house (and life) will be clean and organized if they have the right mop and container for everything.
Stop the insanity!
I think this really hit home when a few years ago I saw all these "containers" near the Christmas decorations. A plastic wreath holder. A plastic case to hold the Christmas lights and extension cords. A long plastic cylindrical tube to store wrapping paper. You know where I keep my wrapping paper? Behind the couch! Go ahead and look next time you come over (for any of my friends actually reading this). No extra container needed, I throw all those rolls back there and next year there they are, ready to wrap all my presents. Feng Shui is destroyed by clutter, and although I'm guilty of being a "saver" on occasion, I refuse to buy more junk to store, organize, or clean my already existing junk!
I'm not trying to tear up BB&B, but they're totally guilty of a store who sells 25% essential items, and the rest is just frivolous garbage! So the next time you need a container to hold your other containers or 85 varieties of mops, hangers, brooms, or shoe racks... you know where to go.
Hold on a minute
Am I the only one who flips through their colorful pages, brimming with fantastic household and bath items you can't live without, and thinks "Who needs any of this stuff??"
Let's browse the ad, shall we?
1. A fabric shower curtain. $39.99. Fair enough. We all need one of those.
2. A Yankee Candle in "Fluffy Towels" scent. What? How does this differ from their "Clean Cotton" scent? If you do laundry on a regular basis and throw a Snuggle sheet in there- bam!- there's your fluffy towel scent wafting through the house. Do some more laundry and save yourself $20.
3. Sensor Soap Dispenser. For $39.99 and 4 AA batteries, you can have a countertop soap machine that dispenses an adjustable amount of soap so your lazy ass doesn't have to push the regular soap pump. Really? So by the time the batteries and soap are purchased, you're looking at $50 to wash your hands.
4. Shake Weight. Not even going there.
5. Double Microfiber Floor Duster $19.99, Microfiber Swivel Mop $17.99, and Angled Broom $14.99. Who needs three different things to clean the floor? Everyone knows those floor dusters and mops do nothing but push the dirt around. Nothing gets clean. If you have the expensive, real hardwood flooring you need special cleaner and some elbow grease to do that job right (or a housekeeper).
The point of my story is TOO MUCH! We use too much, live in a world of too much, and keep creating new items to brainwash people into thinking their house (and life) will be clean and organized if they have the right mop and container for everything.
Stop the insanity!
I think this really hit home when a few years ago I saw all these "containers" near the Christmas decorations. A plastic wreath holder. A plastic case to hold the Christmas lights and extension cords. A long plastic cylindrical tube to store wrapping paper. You know where I keep my wrapping paper? Behind the couch! Go ahead and look next time you come over (for any of my friends actually reading this). No extra container needed, I throw all those rolls back there and next year there they are, ready to wrap all my presents. Feng Shui is destroyed by clutter, and although I'm guilty of being a "saver" on occasion, I refuse to buy more junk to store, organize, or clean my already existing junk!
I'm not trying to tear up BB&B, but they're totally guilty of a store who sells 25% essential items, and the rest is just frivolous garbage! So the next time you need a container to hold your other containers or 85 varieties of mops, hangers, brooms, or shoe racks... you know where to go.
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| What's inside all those containers? Trash |
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Too much
This is going to be a bit of a rambling rant I have a feeling... so be prepared
So I just got home from a really frustrating commute home. Thanks to the folks at PennDot for jamming up 476! (clapping) I have no idea what they're doing or trying to accomplish, but I think they play switcharoo with the concrete barriers every single night... for fun! It's like a new road every day when I drive home. God help the out of towners or those people I loathe completely who lack any kind of merging skills.
My Yankee 'Spiced Pumpkin' air freshener decided to work OT today, bringing back memories of the Thanksgiving dinner table (not exactly the smell I want on Mardi Gras...but what smell do I want on Mardi Gras? Beignets, or some of those delish donuts perhaps? Yes, much more so than the spiced pumpkin...I do love pumpkin though... OK run on sentence getting out of hand...)
Anyway
The pumpkin, the traffic, all this combined with the powdery smell of 120 baby diapers in my back seat created an almost nauseating 35min driving experience. (Note: the diapers are part of the gift for the baby shower I'm going to this Sun. NOT mine)
Anyone who knows me, knows I can smell anything, at all times. This can be a good thing, but many times it's a baaaad thing. Baaad with multiple As. I'll spare you the details. Point is, the trafficky, pumpkin-diaper-smelling drive home was... not relaxing!
There should be a life-size version of Febreeze for the entire world. Not that I believe spraying your clothes/fabrics/whatever-they-advertise-you-can-spray-it-on is any substitute for actually washing them, but imagine if, with just one spray, we could Febreeze all the unplesant smells away! Like the woman who came in my office today smelling like Chinese takeout (Febreeze her!), or the kitchen the next morning after you cook some bangin tacos the night before (cause you know that lingers til the next morning) Give me life size Febreeze, or a magic wand, something!!
I will say though, I'll take the spiced pumpkin/baby powder smell any day over the smell of cigarette smoke. I won't even start with that one.
OK
I'm done.
And breathing in through my mouth the rest of the night.
So I just got home from a really frustrating commute home. Thanks to the folks at PennDot for jamming up 476! (clapping) I have no idea what they're doing or trying to accomplish, but I think they play switcharoo with the concrete barriers every single night... for fun! It's like a new road every day when I drive home. God help the out of towners or those people I loathe completely who lack any kind of merging skills.
My Yankee 'Spiced Pumpkin' air freshener decided to work OT today, bringing back memories of the Thanksgiving dinner table (not exactly the smell I want on Mardi Gras...but what smell do I want on Mardi Gras? Beignets, or some of those delish donuts perhaps? Yes, much more so than the spiced pumpkin...I do love pumpkin though... OK run on sentence getting out of hand...)
Anyway
The pumpkin, the traffic, all this combined with the powdery smell of 120 baby diapers in my back seat created an almost nauseating 35min driving experience. (Note: the diapers are part of the gift for the baby shower I'm going to this Sun. NOT mine)
Anyone who knows me, knows I can smell anything, at all times. This can be a good thing, but many times it's a baaaad thing. Baaad with multiple As. I'll spare you the details. Point is, the trafficky, pumpkin-diaper-smelling drive home was... not relaxing!
There should be a life-size version of Febreeze for the entire world. Not that I believe spraying your clothes/fabrics/whatever-they-advertise-you-can-spray-it-on is any substitute for actually washing them, but imagine if, with just one spray, we could Febreeze all the unplesant smells away! Like the woman who came in my office today smelling like Chinese takeout (Febreeze her!), or the kitchen the next morning after you cook some bangin tacos the night before (cause you know that lingers til the next morning) Give me life size Febreeze, or a magic wand, something!!
I will say though, I'll take the spiced pumpkin/baby powder smell any day over the smell of cigarette smoke. I won't even start with that one.
OK
I'm done.
And breathing in through my mouth the rest of the night.
Monday, March 7, 2011
iCan't... or can I?
First off let me just say- if you've never had Parmesan Goldfish crackers (green bag), you don't know what you're missing. So good I can literally eat a bag a day... but I don't. That doesn't happen with any other flavor; not pizza, cheddar, Xtreme pizza or cheddar, etc, etc. Only the parmesan! Like I really need goldfish on top of the PF Chang's feast I had for dinner.
But anyway
My BBerry is fading fast. Let's hope the trip to Verizon and the software update at 2am will hold me until April 8th when I get a new phone with one of my options being... the iPhone! Something I swore I wouldn't get! I need a phone with serious email capability, and the Bberry was designed just for that. Yeah, the apps are fun and silly, but I can't tempt myself with more games and a bigger phone addiction. Times are tough in my smart phone world right now- I couldn't even do a Facebook check in at Changs tonight : (
So this means I have exactly 4 weeks to do my research and pick the best phone from Verizon'slimited and crappy selection.
Heard a pretty awesome cover this morning. Rivers Cuomo of Weezer doing 'Tomorrow' from Annie. Always loved his voice. I love musicals too, so this was a perfect combo. He sounds so effortless and natural. It's a simple but very recognizable voice. Trying to think of my favorite Weezer song. 'Island in the Sun' really shows off his voice, I think.
Jimmy Eat World has also been making many appearances on my iPod. 'My Best Theory' is quite worthy of a few repeats.
This one got the most plays today though
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPE9uSFFxrI
Time to browse the Kindle for my next read...
But anyway
My BBerry is fading fast. Let's hope the trip to Verizon and the software update at 2am will hold me until April 8th when I get a new phone with one of my options being... the iPhone! Something I swore I wouldn't get! I need a phone with serious email capability, and the Bberry was designed just for that. Yeah, the apps are fun and silly, but I can't tempt myself with more games and a bigger phone addiction. Times are tough in my smart phone world right now- I couldn't even do a Facebook check in at Changs tonight : (
So this means I have exactly 4 weeks to do my research and pick the best phone from Verizon's
Heard a pretty awesome cover this morning. Rivers Cuomo of Weezer doing 'Tomorrow' from Annie. Always loved his voice. I love musicals too, so this was a perfect combo. He sounds so effortless and natural. It's a simple but very recognizable voice. Trying to think of my favorite Weezer song. 'Island in the Sun' really shows off his voice, I think.
Jimmy Eat World has also been making many appearances on my iPod. 'My Best Theory' is quite worthy of a few repeats.
This one got the most plays today though
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPE9uSFFxrI
Time to browse the Kindle for my next read...
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Rainy Day
So it seems I was slackin a little this week. I did have 4 jobs between 7pm Thursday and 6pm Saturday sooo I'm not too mad. Happy to report I'm not nearly as tired as I thought I'd be. Usually after working job #1 for a full week and more than 2 other jobs on top of that, I'm feelin it by Saturday. I think the key is not to overthink it. Just get through each one instead of trying to figure out all 4 simultaneously.
Rainy Sunday = boo! Not that I had anything planned, but anything outdoors is certainly out of the question. So looks like I'll head to good ol' LA Fit in the next hour. That's what I love about Sunday nights at the gym- no one's there!
Finished another book on the Kindle. Judging by my indecisiveness in choosing another book, I'll just keep reading the free classics on there until I can make up my mind. I haven't read them all, so now's as good a time as ever. Maybe I'lllook up Google one of those "Books you must read before you die" lists and go from there. This Kindle will be real handy on my next vacation... which is still TBD!!!! Ahhhh! No one to blame but myself... still can't decide where to go and who to go with, if anyone. For now, tentative plans are a weekend in NYC next month and a trip to LA sometime in May possibly. Can't wait to see what the flights will be with gas prices near $4/gal. I feel like pointing in the direction of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave and saying "Ummm... it's your job... fix this!"
Time to keep with the plan and hit the "road to nowhere" (the treadmill). Let's hope my plan to run 10 miles in May without ever actually running 10 miles training for it doesn't backfire! Adrenaline will carry me the last 3 or so, right?
And P.S.
By the very "scientific" tracking software associated with Blogger, this past week people reading this blog are from Singapore, Germany, Canada, and Thailand (???) I still haven't opened the flood gates and notified my Facebook info page of this link (not sure if I ever will), but I hoped at least for some more local fans. Then again, I can't compete with the likes of Charlie Sheen, so in comparison, this blog rates alongside grass growing and paint drying.
...but I'm stickin with it!
Rainy Sunday = boo! Not that I had anything planned, but anything outdoors is certainly out of the question. So looks like I'll head to good ol' LA Fit in the next hour. That's what I love about Sunday nights at the gym- no one's there!
Finished another book on the Kindle. Judging by my indecisiveness in choosing another book, I'll just keep reading the free classics on there until I can make up my mind. I haven't read them all, so now's as good a time as ever. Maybe I'll
Time to keep with the plan and hit the "road to nowhere" (the treadmill). Let's hope my plan to run 10 miles in May without ever actually running 10 miles training for it doesn't backfire! Adrenaline will carry me the last 3 or so, right?
And P.S.
By the very "scientific" tracking software associated with Blogger, this past week people reading this blog are from Singapore, Germany, Canada, and Thailand (???) I still haven't opened the flood gates and notified my Facebook info page of this link (not sure if I ever will), but I hoped at least for some more local fans. Then again, I can't compete with the likes of Charlie Sheen, so in comparison, this blog rates alongside grass growing and paint drying.
...but I'm stickin with it!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Long Day
Thought I'd sneak in a little post today in between jobs. Bet all the people who are aren't reading this thought I was falling off the blog wagon again, right? Not so fast...
8 hours at LM then 2 more jobs tonight. If it wasn't 30 degrees out and the 2nd bar didn't permit smoking, it would be perfect. Tomorrow's Friday (and pay day!) so I can handle it... and get through the 2 more jobs this weekend. Next week will be in the 50s and 60s, so we're gettin there!
Having a little bit of a hard time deciding which book to read next on the Kindle. So many choices, it's hard to narrow down.
Time for some Guinness and Zwack tonight... Pouring pints and extreme air hockey!
8 hours at LM then 2 more jobs tonight. If it wasn't 30 degrees out and the 2nd bar didn't permit smoking, it would be perfect. Tomorrow's Friday (and pay day!) so I can handle it... and get through the 2 more jobs this weekend. Next week will be in the 50s and 60s, so we're gettin there!
Having a little bit of a hard time deciding which book to read next on the Kindle. So many choices, it's hard to narrow down.
Time for some Guinness and Zwack tonight... Pouring pints and extreme air hockey!
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