Update!

So Warren Buffet says I should focus on advancing my career and stick to index funds. I think he has more money than Bill Gates now so I'll stick with his advice. Vanguard says I need at least $3000 to invest in index funds. Should I just do in now? I don't think I'm mentally ready to invest $3000. I can invest $3000 and still have a very cushy emergency fund left but still... yikes. I need to do more research, think more about this, and psyche myself up. I'm so risk aversive it's sad. I'm going to die eating cat food in a cardboard box, aren't I? Sigh.

Grand Plans and Paranoia

Argh, I'm so confused.

So... are we in a recession or are we not? Some say we are, others say we're not. I don't know who to believe! Personally, I don't think we are- then again, this area is slightly richer than the rest of the country so maybe that's why I'm not seeing a huge economic down turn.

Still, all this recession talking has me convinced that I should try to pay off all my debt ASAP. The only debt I have are my car payment and my student loan. I can easily pay my student loan off but I'm going to hold off since the interest is tax deductible. I guess I'll work on paying my car off. I'm not going to go crazy- I still want to be putting a good chunk of money into my savings, but I can pay an extra $50-$100 a month. I'll also put any extra money into my car payment- like the $20 I got from the DMV.

So I got this check in the mail for $20 from the DMV. Odd. I guess I over paid my registration fee? I don't see how I could have made the mistake but... hey, found money is always awesome.

So I guess I know what I'm going to do with the refund check. My state refund was only like $35. I guess that's good, since I'm not giving the government an interest free loan or whatever but... I like getting a lot of money back from the government! My Federal refund was $600- not the paycheck equivalent I was hoping for but... better than $35. So, that's a total of around $1200. I'm planning on using $1,000 towards paying my car off early, $200 to be patriotic and spend it on something fun.

After I have my car paid off... paying off my student loan should be easy. After I pay my car off, I'm going to look into investing my money. I have realized that 401(k) and IRA are not going to be enough to reach my $2mil goal. I guess I need to start researching mutual funds, bonds, treasury bills, etc. What exactly is a hedge fund anyway?

Argh, all this money talk is making me sad. In a way it makes me feel more empowered, in a way, it makes me feel inadequate 'cause I become more and more ambitious. And while aiming high is a good thing (like $2mil retirement fund) but it's also depressing.

So instead... I'm going to think about how I'm going to spend that $200. Right now, I think I'll spend it on organization. Operation Closet Clean Out and That's Chic's blog has inspired me to get my closet organized. My closet has always been organized but not pretty. I'm still using the same cardboard shelves I had college and it's falling apart and drooping. I also store files and random stuff in my closet. I want to purge it out and make it exclusive to clothes and accessories.

I took some before pics but my camera's acting wonky. Once I get it working again, I'll post some before shots.

RIP: Converse High Top

I bought these Chucks over 4 years ago when I started my job with Old Navy. I figured now that I would be allowed to wear jeans and sneakers, I should get a pair that wasn't athletic. It's been love ever since.

I personally, love the way my pair looks. Heidi was a bit mortified. After seeing them, she bought me a pair of sneakers for my Christmas present. It reminded me of the time my grandmother gave my mom some money to buy me some decent clothes after she saw me in my cut offs. She assumed my parents were too poor to clothe me properly. Heidi does have a point, someone of my age shouldn't be walking around in ratty sneakers. I'm not 12. Then again, I think Chucks should be worn and tattered. It's not like I wrote lame poems on the sole and rocked a Hello Kitty shoe lace (can't say I haven't thought about it though... the shoe lace, not the lame poem).

Converse High Tops, in my, not so humble opinion, are the perfect pair of shoes. They are iconic. They are universal. They are classic. They go with pretty much everything.

I would keep wearing these but the insoles are shot and, at the end of the day, my feet starts to hurt. I guess it's had it's run. If they get any more run down, they'll just look sad. I have a shiny new high tops ready to go... won't be the same. I'll miss you, old pair of Chucks, I'll miss you a lot.

Week Ending Update

My bank's site is down so I can't really do a financial weekending update right now.

Overall, I would say I did pretty good- except on food, what else is new. I know I spent a lot of money on groceries 'cause I made those cupcakes and since I had a lot of left over yogurt, I decided to make cucumber yogurt mint sauce, which means I needed salmon to eat with the sauce...

Money aside... this weather is killing my spirit. I love Virginia, I really do, but I hate that this state only has 2 seasons: summer and winter. I love fall and spring, why can't we have more than a week's worth of nice weather? I haven't completely given up yet, I'm hoping the temperature will dip back down to 60-70 again.

To make matter's worse, my face is starting to break out again. I've been slacking on my vitamin taking regime and I guess it shows. My hair is starting to fall out again, my skin is starting to break out, it's also getting red and blotchy again... of course, it could also be because I can't seem to get a good night's sleep anymore... Nah! I'd like to think it's the vitamins. It's easy to pop some pills, it's harder to get my sleeping patter back to normal.

Dicipline

Yesterday I saw on Digg that Trent released a new NIN song on the radio. A real NIN song, with singing and lyrics and everything. It was supposed to have been available on nin.com for a free download yesterday night but every time I checked, it kept telling me to check back later. Well, eventually, I forgot about it and went to sleep.

I downloaded about half an hour ago and have been listening to it non-stop. It is AMAZING!!! It's not the Downward Spiral Trent- the song sounds almost... dare I say it, upbeat (complete with some wooo-hoo~'s). It's dancy in a way Justice is dancy and grind-y in a way Blaqk Audio is grind-y. The keyboard is reminiscent of Downward Spiral but other than that, it's a new sound.

The song is called Discipline and you can download it for FREE here. Did I mention it's free, like completely free, like no strings attached free. You do have to give our your email address but they never spam you.

The only downside... it ends with a fade out (by far the lamest way to end a song). Supposedly, they might come out with a 5 track EP on May 5th... maybe it'll fade out and lead into a new song? Fade outs aren't as lame if it's done to flow into the next song.

Green Tea Cupcake!

One word: Awesome! Green tea anything is pretty rad. Cupcakes are always awesome. Mix green tea with cupcake... pretty bad ass.


Making the cupcakes and the frosting, watching the macha powder turn everything a gorgeous shade of green (the cake looks brown because it browned around the edges, it's actually green), was so fun, like mixing paint in art class!

I am planning on tweaking the recipe again the next time I make it. The cake itself is perfect, moist, light, with just the right taste of green tea (though, I did throw in an extra tsp. of macha powder). The frosting... it tastes like regular Starbucks' Green Tea Frappaccino (i.e. sweetened), which is fine, if you like sweetened green tea, I always get mine unsweetened because then, it tastes like green tea ice cream. The sweetness of the icing overpowers the subtle taste of the cake. Next time, I think I'll make green tea whipped cream! Oooooh... Oh, the due to the icing, the cupcakes have to be refrigerated. The icing is mostly cream cheese and butter, I don't think confectioners' sugar somehow keeps the dairy from spoiling in room temperature (or does is...?).

I got the macha powder from Starbucks. I was perfectly open to the idea of paying the price of a Green Tea Frap, but they only charged me 35 cents (cost of a syrup added to your drink), sweet!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 tsp powdered green tea
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 cup veg. oil
3 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tsp powdered green tea
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 (3 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vailla extract
1 1/2 tsp milk

Makes 1 1/2 dozen

Pre-heat oven to 350 F, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and green tea powder; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar, oil, and eggs until smooth. Stir in 1 1/2 tsp vanilla. Beat in the flower mixture alternately with the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes or until you can insert toothpick and it comes out clean.

Sift together confectioners' sugar and green tea powder. In a medium bowl, combine tea mixture with butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and milk. Mix until smooth.

Closet Clean Out

3/4 Sleeve Shirt: Marshall's '06
Cardigan: Old Navy '07
Scarf: Hot Topic '08

Worn with faded black skinny pants

I almost returned the shirt but got too lazy. Two months later, I thought, eh, why not keep it. I'm glad I did, it's one of my favorite.

Hey! That dude in the Kingsdominian commercial is wearing an AFI shirt! Anyhoo... back to the topic at hand.

Long Sleeve Shirt: Old Navy '08

Worn with dark blue super skinny jeans.

This shirt is actually a pajama shirt and I have a matching capri pajama pants. I love the print (click to enlarge!) and, like most ON shirts, it's super soft. It's tunic length, perfect to wear with skinny jeans.

Long Sleeve: Old Navy '07
Tank Top: Old Navy '05
Cardigan: Old Navy '05

Worn with hole-y blue jeans

Okay, lighting sucks- trust me when I say that the green tank top and the green cardigans looks more matchy in real life. I love the yellow top. It's another empire waist top which does a great job of hiding the tummy. I also love the color, it's just a fun top to wear, it cheers me up.


GONE!!!

Long Sleeve: Banana Republic '05

Augh! What was I thinking when I bought this? Oh I remember... I had bought this black, short sleeve wide, wide neck, shirt form Banana Republic. When I wore it, I received a lot of compliments- impressive since it was a plain, brown, shirt. The shirt's made of this soft, kind of matte jersey like material that hung really well. Since the brown shirt netted me so many compliments, I decided I wanted a similar long sleeve shirt for the coming colder days. Well, this was the closest I could find- they also had a black and a white one but I went with the oatmeal 'cause... I honestly don't know why... Anyway... the craftsmanship is pretty crappy for a BR shirt, the seams down the arms don't go down straight. The color is a shade darker in real life but it's still pretty ugly.

3/4 Sleeve Top: Old Navy '05
Cardigan: Target '07

Worn with navy, flare jean

This is the orange version of the top I wore a week or two ago, and I like it for all the reason I liked the pink version. Michael said the shirt is ugly and I should get rid of it. What the hell does he know? I have to admit, I don't like the either of the shirts as much as I used to. I don't know if his comment had an impact or if I just got tired of it. I love the color combination and the deep, but not too deep neck line.

Long Sleeve Top: JCPenney '07
Short Sleeve Top: Hot Topic '06

Worn with hole-y blue jeans

I know that cute, reto-ish looking owls and a skeleton is an odd mix but the colors worked. I was never a big fan of the whole long sleeve under a short sleeve look. I always thought it looked a bit too juvenile, something a tween would wear. Then again, who am I kidding, I usually dress at least 10 years too young for my age. I'm still not a big fan of the look but when it's cold, it's either this or a cardigan/hoodie.

Truly Luxe!

I scheduled a half day for myself, came home, and promptly napped. I don't really nap- more like mini-sleep. I can't do this wussy 15-30 minute cat nap. When I nap, it's a full REM cycle.

To me, sleeping is the ultimate luxury. To be able to sleep whenever I want for as long as I want... how decadent!

Adding to the decadence, I slept with the Tivo-ed episode of Star Trek on. It's wasteful, I know, especially since it's Earth Day or something... I like sleeping with with the TV on 'cause it gives me weird dreams. It's like the show gets mingled in with my dream and I'm conscious of it, but not really, so it's whoooooo... trippy.

Since it was Star Trek, I dreamed about a Borg baby. Borg baby! Once I woke up, I watched the show for real and... what do you know! A Borg baby! That wasn't a dream. Now, I love a good Borg episode and much as the next Star Trek fan but come on now... a baby Borg? That's just jumping the shark.

MEOW?

I really like the sound effect in this clip.

What Ev!

Personally, I think being an early bird is overrated. I admit, there is an incredible rush from being up early in the morning and knowing that I accomplished more by 9am than I normally do by... well, the entire day. It's a good feeling, but I would rather stay up until 2am and abuse the snooze button (or sleep in until 10am-ish, depends on the schedule).

This article almost makes me want to be a morning person, just not enough to go to bed at a decent hour. Here's what gets me out of bed every morning:

I bought this alarm clock at Wal-Mart like... oh geez... three, four years ago. I liked it because it reminded me of an alarm clock you would find at a cheap motel back in like the 60's or the 70's. Notice the fancy gold foil trim at the bottom! I also like the fact that, even though you plug it in to an outlet, it still makes that tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick sound. It's made by a company name Big Ben. I think it's pretty rad.

Only normal people rely on just one alarm clock! While I have never slept though my main alarm clock (the Big Ben) I am always paranoid that I will. What if it accidentally becomes unplugged at night? What if I forget to set it? What if? What if? What if? That is why I bought a second alarm clock. This one is from Target. It's not as cool as Big Ben but I like that it's small and simple.

Oh, that's not it. Hand washing isn't the only thing I'm weird about. It takes me, like no joke, a good 2 to 3 minutes just to set my alarms and to check, and re-check, and triple check and check again to make sure that I set my alarm. Then, of course, I have to check again to make sure that I really did check 'cause even though I do this every fucking night I'm still not convinced that I remembered... even though I just checked multitudes of times a few seconds before. What if my eyes are deceiving me? I only do this when I have to open the next morning. If I'm closing, I'm not concerned- there's no way I'll oversleep for a closing shift. If I'm off, I don't care what time I wake up. Of course, if I'm not opening the next day, I have to obsessively check my schedule (to make sure I got my schedule right) like I do the alarm clocks... but that's a whole 'nother post.

So yeah, I'm a bit nuts with the whole alarm thing- which is why 2 alarm clock isn't enough for me, I also use my phone as an alarm.

Three alarms... that's only for a normal opening shift. If I have to wake up earlier than usual, like we're opening earlier- like for a project or Holidays, or if I have an appointment or something... then I bring out the back ups. I also use my DS as an alarm. Four's not enough so of course, I have another alarm clock:

It was a birthday present from Walter. It's super cute but not reliable at all. The calibration is off, it's too quiet, and I lost the knob in the back so I have to set the alarm with a tweezer- which is why this is my back up back up back up alarm clock (it is super cute though!

Yeah... that's three alarms for every day, five for special occasions. Sometimes, I feel that five isn't enough and I panic that I will sleep through something important. During those times, I have to keep reminding myself that I am insane and this needs to stop.

Honestly, I really miss the days when all I needed was one alarm clock, just one. For the longest time, all I needed was my cell phone. I don't know when and why I became crazy but yeah... it sucks.

Speaking of which, I need to go to bed. 3 posts in one day... Why didn't I just go to bed an hour ago?

Damn

So according to my latest report from my 401(k) people... I'm fucked.

My projected retirement account value will be faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from my goal of $2mil.

My total monthly income with social security isn't bad... it's pretty similar to my current monthly income. However, in like 40 some years, gas will probably be like $20 a gallon and milk will cost $10 a gallon and... you get the idea. Besides, I don't know that I feel all that comfortable relying on social security.

I can reasonably expect my account to generate until age 86... what happens after that?!?!?!

Oh, and my rate of return for the past quarter... -7.21. Ouch!

Maybe I should pop out a kid so someone can take care of me, even if it's out of bitter sense of obligation.

Week Ending Update!

Bad news: I've gotten rather sloppy with the budget recording. I'm going through my on-line bank statement, trying to get everything to match up. I think I got it all... I think.

Good news: Wheeee!!! I think I got my food spending under control. I'm still dangerously close to blowing my grocery budget- mostly due to all the cupcake baking (YUM!) and fettuccine alfredo making
and orange beef cooking (recipe might be added soon). Food, yum! I've been good and my lunch for the past few days have been cereal or peanut butter bagel sandwich. As a result, my eating out budget is on track to make goal. Yeah!

I've bought some clothes but I might be returning them so they're not in the book yet.

Giant was having a buy 1 get 2 free sale on those good, curly light bulbs so of course I bought them. Even though Mother Nature is being a total bitch (!!!) I decided to be the better person and pick few up. That came to under $5 for 3 bulbs with the sale.

So... I think I'm getting my spending under control. What is this, end of week 2? Sigh...

I'm Sick!! Damn it!! I'm SICK!!!

Auuuuuuuuuuuugh, belrch pooo.

I'm sick.

I have a pretty bad ass immune system. Growing up, I got a lot of exposure to the icky, nasty, germy stuff. Not saying I lived in squalor, eating out of the dumpster, drinking dysentery infected water or anything but my childhood was hardly sanitized. Combined childhood exposure with genes from a long line of hardy, farmy, country folks, add in the current state of compulsive hand washing, and yeah... I don't get sick very often.

When I do though... oh man, end of the fucking world.

Life becomes a miserable place, I lose all will to live. I can't think straight 'cause all I'm thinking is, "I'm sick!" Seriously, that phrase is in a never ending loop in my head right now. "I'm sick!" The world should bend to my will 'cause I'm sick, damn it! No. You need to understand- I. AM. SICK!!! Augh!!!!! I don't need this shit right now!!! I'm sick!!! Cut me a fucking break I AM SICK!!!!!!!

Fortunately, I am rational enough to understand that the rest of the world don't give two shits about how sick I am. I don't use the "I'm sick" excuse to shield me from any responsibilities or social grace. I still operate as an adult but in my head, I am a spoiled, self-centered, tantrum throwing 4 year old. People get sick all the time- it's not terminal. Well it might as well be! Oh, this is too much. I can't deal with this. I just want to crawl into a pile of fluffy-ness and cry myself to sleep. The world is so fucking heartless!! I'm sick and no one cares! Bitches!

My nose is stuffed. My eyes are all poofy, dry, and red. I sneeze a lot. My head feels a bit cloudy. I think I'm suffering from allergies. Argh!!! Damn you Mother Nature!!! That's it, I'm switching back to the bad light bulbs and the poisonous toilet bowl cleaner. And the next time I go grocery shopping, I'm not going to take a reusable bag with me. Yeah, take that! Bitch.

Orange-Glazed Strawberry Cupcakes

I'm not feeling very good right now so I will cheer myself up with some awesome cupcakes.

Oh damn, there's none left. These cupcakes are seriously easy to make. I don't have a mixer but it's pretty easy to do it by hand. The first time I made it, I followed the direction and only used 1/2 cup of strawberries. Not enough berry goodness for this girl, so the next time, I used 1/2 cup of strawberries and 1/2 cup of raspberries (I ran out of strawberries). Another tip: frozen berries are cheaper than fresh.

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg plus 1 large egg white
8 Tbsp (1/2 cup) orange juice
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.

Cream butter and sugar with a mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and egg white until well combined. With mixer on low, beat in half of flour mixture. Beat in 6 Tbsp. orange juice, then add remaining flour mixture and beat until combined,scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gently fold in chopped strawberries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each until almost full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes.

Make glaze: In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and remaining 2 Tbsp. orange juice until smooth. If glaze is too thick, stir in additional juice, making sure to add only 1 tsp. at a time, until you reach desired consistency. Glaze should be loose enough to spread easily on cupcakes, but not so thin that it drips.

Remove cupcakes from pan and top evenly with glaze. Let cool completely on rack, about 1 hour. Garnish each cupcake with strawberry half, if desired.

Closet Clean Out!

GONE!!!

Polo: Gap '05

Back in '05, I kind of got caught up in the polo craze. Everyone at work were snatching up polo shirts, Mary Joe setting the record for owning every single one that was released (last time I asked, she owned over 50 Old Navy polo shirts). Back then Pete Wentz was sporting the pink polos (as suppose to the girl hoodies he sports now) and d-bags everywhere were learning how to pop their collar.

Even thought I bough a few, I never really liked polo shirts, I don't know... I held unto this one 'cause I really liked the color (it's darker in real life) and I liked the fact that it has like 7 buttons. This shirt, however, is an unbelievable lint magnet. It's embarrassing to wear it outside 'cause it looks like I have massive case of dandruffs or something.

3/4 sleeve top: Old Navy '07
Cardigan: Old Navy '05

Worn with navy blue, flare, high waisted jean

What can I say, I like polka dots. To up the dot factor, I also wore it with a polka dotted ballerina wedge that matches the purple top. The polka dots in the cardigan is a redder purple than the top but it's close enough. The cardigan was my go to piece in '06 so it's worn out- slightly shapeless, buttons missing, and I think there might be a rip in a seam somewhere. I tried to conserve it in '07, hopefully, it'll last through this winter. The purple top is so soft and comfy.

In Stasis!!!

Target: '07

Last winter, I was really into ribbed/thermal long sleeves, specifically ones that I could use to layer. I got this on clearance for under $3. There are lots of things I like about this shirt. I like the fact that it's soft, has a boat neck, and, you probably can't tell (even if you click to enlarge) but it has a stripes of... not sure what to call it, but I guess like an eyelet knitting running down throughout the shirt. I like the shirt, I just don't have anything to wear it with at the moment. I guess I could wear it with my yellow cardigan but... meh. I don't want to get rid of it just yet 'cause I know it'll make a great layering piece and it's just a matter of finding the right piece. So, for now, I'm going to stick it in a drawer somewhere, maybe use it as a sleep top, and reconsider it during fall/winter.

Tank: Hot Topic '07
3/4 Sleeve Top: Old Navy '07
Cardigan: Target '07

Worn with dark gray/turquoise glen plaid trouser

In the not so distant future I will look at this outfit and wonder, " W'the fuck was I thinking?" That not so distant future might be now. I sincerely believe that mustard yellow and turquoise are neutral colors that goes with pretty much everything, including hot pink leopard print... just maybe not at the same time. It's too '80's, I know. The whole day I felt like I should have a crimped side ponytail (tied with a scrunchy, or course). My first instinct was to pair it with my light gray skinny jeans, but then I decided that would look too Scene so I wore it with some grown up-ish pants. I think it worked...

Top: Hot Topic '08

Worn with black skinny pants

The shirt's pretty bad ass. Yeah, yeah, yeah... I had my doubt as well, but as soon as I put it on... it was love. The neck line is a bit flash dance, but- that's part of it's charm. And no, Hello Kitty is not flicking you off. If you were to say that anyone over the age of 12-14 really has no business wearing Hello Kitty, I might be inclined to agree with you. But you know what, I don't care... I like this shirt (and the 2 other HK shirts I own).

Am I Cool Now?

So I was reading this article on MSN about the 5 Top Terrible Songs From Great Albums and learned a very interesting fact about one of my all time fave, Nevermind by Nirvana. The CD has a hidden track, I assumed that all copies had the same hidden track (Endless, Nameless) but not so! According to MSN:

The tuneless, freeform scree didn’t appear on every copy; those who were lucky enough to snatch up one of the first 50,000 before Nirvanamania went mainstream didn’t just find themselves with a collector’s item, they got a far better album. For everybody else who jumped onto the train after “Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit the top 40, the beautiful-bummer vibe created by the tellingly morose official closer “Something In The Way” was shattered by an unlistenable barrage of interminable cacophony. If you could hear it, Cobain hated you.

This got me super excited because I know that my copy has the legit hidden track. Was I one of the lucky ones to get the first 50,000 pressing? No way!!! 50,000 might not sound all the exclusive but considering the fact that there are probably millions of copies in existence... that's pretty rad.

But then I got thinking... no way... I don't recall when and where I bought the CD but it was way after Nirvana got big on MTV... it might have even been after In Utero came out. Maybe I lucked out and got an old copy that's been sitting on the shelf in the back room for a few years? Maybe...

I did some more research and it would appear that the first 20,000 copies didn't have Endless, Nameless at all. The next 50,000 pressing had it as a hidden track, and further pressings (according to MSN) had some crap hidden track, Kurt Cobain's way of punishing those who bought the CD after they became popular.

I'm still skeptical, that I ended up with a semi-rare-ish CD... but if I did, that's pretty cool.

Pie!!!

If there is a Hell, it would be a place without any apple pie. Mmm~ Apple pie. Come on, say it with me, Apple. Pie. Yum!

The best apple pie are probably home made. I wouldn't know since I don't know how to bake pie and the only pie baker I know won't make them for me 'cause she's too lazy, boo! I've had to rely on frozen pies and the best store bought frozen pie is, without a doubt, Trader Joe's Apple Pie.

It's about a dollar more than Sarah Lee and much smaller (only about 7" in diameter I would say) but it's so awesome! The crust is rich, buttery, and flaky. After awhile, the other brand's crust gets a bit dense from the moisture of the filling, but not Trader Joe's. Speaking of filling, it's all apple. A lot of other brands cut costs by filling it with a lot of apple goop which just makes it runny and syrupy.

I love you pie!

Closet Clean Out!

So I decided that, with the weather warming up, I should go through my long sleeves before my short sleeves. Makes sense, right? Since making this decision, I realized that I'm not really a fan of long sleeves, good to know.

I LOVE red- I hate wearing red. I know I hat wearing red and yet I end up with red tops- probably 'cause I love the color. I think I look good in red, really, who doesn't? I just hate wearing it 'cause I never know what color to wear it with. I love layering and, well, let's see...
red+red= Weird
red+pink= Valentine
red+purple= That weird, ugly girl in middle school- oh and clowns
red+blue= 4th of July
red+green= Christmas
red+yellow= Ketchup and Mustard/Chinese New Year
red+orange= Redskins/Hokies
red+brown= Hmm... It doesn't remind me of anything but I don't think I like the combo
red+khakis= Target
red+black= For a lack of better word- Rock- and all the stereotype that comes with it
red+white= Candy Cane

Top: Old Navy '08

Worn with light gray skinny jeans

If you click to enlarge, you might be able to tell that it's a waffle knit thermal. I kind of got into waffle knit last winter. It's actually a pajama top but I don't think you can tell. For some reason, I don't like wearing just a solid colored top, I usually prefer print, graphic, or layering of some sort. But, as stated above, I couldn't think of anything to wear with this that would look okay. I like the fact that it's an A line top- hides the tummy. I also like the fact that it's super soft.

GONE!

Top: JCPenney '04
Tank: Hot Topic '07

Worn with gray skinny jeans

There's nothing wrong with the henely top but... I don't know, I just don't like it all that much and, aside from this experiment, I don't think I will wear it again.

I don't know why I crossed the arms in all the pictures, it looks like I got caught without any pants on something.

Top: Target '08
Tank: Target '07

Worn with chocolate brown peached cotton khakis

I used to hate henelies, reminded me too much of early '90- like Pearl Jam and Corey Matthew's older brother in Boy Meets World and Blossom's older brother Joey something... I've since learned to appreciate them for the fine layering piece they are. I usually wear this top with my olive green tank but I kind of wore that to death last week and it was in the wash.

3/4 Sleeve Top: Old Navy '05
S/S Top: Unite Color of Benetton '07

Worn with wide leg blue jean

The top is super soft and it holds a special place in my heart 'cause this (and it's orange themed twin) was the first shirt I bought that came below my hip and that length has been my fave ever since. I thought I would have to get rid of the shirt 'cause... I love the top but I don't love wearing it... does that make sense? The shirt is so soft, I didn't want to get rid of it, so I tried it with the off-white shirt and voila! All of sudden, it works!

This layering obsession must stop. There was this store... Maurice I think it was called... that Jamie and I used to make fun of 'cause they over-layered all their mannequins. I don't think I'm that bad but...

OH! It makes sense now!!!
In retail, we always layer when merchandising, to show off "a look" and to display as many product as possible. It's called "completing the look". I guess it rubbed off on me.

Whoa! Be Gone!

I used to hate Garrison Keillor when I was young. I didn't really know who he was or what he did, I just hated him for eating up valuable Disney time.

When I was little, Disney channel used to be a cornucopia of American pop culture, past and present- old musicals, classic movies, Disney cartoons from as far back as 50's... good stuff. They also used to show Garrison Keillor's stand up act or his Prairie Home Companion show or whatever. I didn't know what it was, all I knew was that he looked nerdy and boring so his show must be nerdy and boring and I didn't like his nerdy boring show taking away valuable rom-com musical time!!!

So... Fast forward almost 2 decades and I find myself with a copy of Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor. I'm not sure how I ended up with a copy. I must of bought a copy at a used bookstore but given my hatred for Garrison Keillor- I'm a bit surprised at myself.

It's a actually a pretty good book about small towns. I like books about small towns. It's kind of like a Fannie Flagg book minus the drama and controversy. I especially enjoyed the footnotes, they were almost better than the book itself. The 95 Theses 95 was enlightening and made me think about how I was raised. I'll admit, I mostly skimmed it- it wasn't exactly gripping. It's a book worth holding onto, I have a feeling I'll really dig it another 2 decades from now.

I'm sorry Garrison Keillor. I shouldn't have judged you based on your nerdy boring look.

It Wasn't Video's Fault

I don't listen to the radio, haven't since 2006.

It's not 'cause my taste is too refined for radio mass marketed drivel- I like pop (a lot actually) and I like radio friendly rock. I stopped listening to radio because it's the same seven songs over and over and over and over again. Fuck 50 Cents and his stupid "In Da Club" song! I don't need to hear it 3 times in one hour 2 years after it came out!

Why am I talking about radio? Oh yeah! So I found this list of songs deemed inappropriate to play on air by Clear Channel (the company that owns most radio stations) after 9.11.

This list makes my head explode. It makes me very very sad. Sometimes I want to have have faith in American society and that I find shit like this that makes me hate people.

Some are stupid, but not surprising, such as, everything by Rage Against the Machine. Most of the songs on the list... WTF? Bangle's Walk Like an Egyptian?! Alien Ant Farm's Smooth Criminal?! Foo Fighter's "Learn to Fly"? Did they even listen to the song or are they going just based on song titles?

A lot of the song there are old, like Bob Dylan, Beatles, Bobby Darin, Lynyrd Skynyrd old. Poor Billy Joel, what did he do to get banned? Oh that's right, he sang, Only the Good Die Young.

Most of the songs on the list are really awesome songs. No wonder all they play are bling-tard rap and crap bands. Augh!

This is Why I'm Poor!

So I've already spent almost 50% of April's food budget- and keep in mind, this is only the first week of April (for me). Bleh! I guess no coffee and apple scones for the rest of the week. Poo. As for groceries... okay, I'm pissed. $27.41 for condiments!!!

Simply Orange Grove $2.99- I'm not a big fan of orange juice but it looked really good so... I guess I'll be drinking a lot of orange juice next week... maybe as part of breakfast.
David's Kosher Salt $5.98- Wait... what?!?!?!?!? I'm so mad at myself for not checking the price. A box of Morton's Kosher Salt costs like $2 so I assumed it costs the same. Ever since I started watching Good Eats years ago, I've been using Kosher salt. Can I tell the difference?... kind of... depends on the dish. Wegmen did not have Morton's Kosher salt, so I bought the only brand of Kosher salt there was, David's. Argh... I should have checked the price.
Coffeemate $3.79- It's not something I needed to buy but I like to have at least one new thing of Coffeemate in the pantry 'cause I cannot drink coffee without creamer so if I run out... bad! I don't ever want to run the risk of running out so I like to have a spare cannister of creamer at all time. I've tried generic, I wish I could get into generic, but it just doesn't taste the same.
Black Truffle Olive Oil $7.99- On the plus side, it's cheaper than I recalled... or maybe the price dropped. Truffle oil is so worth the price. I love you truffle oil, I love you a lot.
Garlic Oil $5.99- It makes the Trader Joe stir fry taste oh so much better! The way I see it, garlic oil helps me save money since it's cheaper than truffle oil (this bottle is more than twice as big as the truffle oil bottle). The only brand Wegmen offers is a bit more than the brands offered at Giant but it's also the first I've seen that's made with all olive oil and not an olive oil/cannola oil mix.

So yeah... this is why I have issues with my food budget. I am going to try to be better this month... cereal and pj bagel sandwhiches for lunch, no coffee, and no more over priced Kosher salt.

Phew!

It's a good thing I've never participated in ESP or ESS or whatever it's called. Although... I wish I had bought some JCPenney stock when I worked there... Their stock's doing pretty well.

Obsessed!

I really wish there were more hours in the day so that I can play more of Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime.
Oooh, look at me with a Square Enix game... Yeah! Who would've thought that I'd would be playing an RPG? Well, it's not really an RPG game... I'll let IGN explain:

So what in the heck is Rocket Slime anyway? Well, it's a bit of an odd one to explain. Take one part Zelda, one part Pokemon, and one part gigantic mechanized swag-shooting mobile fortress, and you'd have a pretty good idea of what to expect from this amazingly peculiar and outrageously oddball adventure. After an unexpected attack by the dreaded Plob monsters, Rocket must traverse the lands in search for his kidnapped neighbors, as well as restore peace and harmony within the village walls of his homeland. In a world torn apart, Rocket Slime must ride (or hop…) to the rescue. How exactly will he do it? Simple - Explore the lands, find friends, and chuck them back to town. The gameplay itself is a healthy mix of a ton of different games, as the main control for Rocket is done with the D-pad and a single button. Seeing as we've already done nearly 4,000 stories about the general gameplay of Rocket Slime, we'll spend less time going through the details about the gameplay, and far more time talking about why it works. It's really very simple. You're the blue slime from the Dragon Quest series, and you're on an adventure.

I got it at Gamestop for $12.99!

My brother tells me that the Rocket is actually a bad guy in the Dragon Quest world... That can't be true? He's so cute! And nice!

Closet Clean Out!

This is actually kind of fun and enlightening.

Polka Dot Tank: Target '07
Black Layering Tank: Target '07
Cardigan: Old Navy '07 (maybe '06?)

Worn with black skinny pants.

I love polka dot. I wish I owned more polka dotted stuff. To me, polka dot= Rockabilly. I thought about wearing a red cardigan with it but thought the red/black/white combo was a bit too cliched- another color combo that I'm not really a fan of. I did wear this with big, chunky, red, plastic hoop earrings and a a big red watch.

S/L Button Down: Old Navy '06
Layering Tank: Old Navy '07
Cardigan: Forever 21 '07

Worn with wide leg blue jeans.

I love leopard prints. I wish I owned more leopard print stuff. To me, leopard prints= Rockabilly. No, no... actually it doesn't. The S/L top was one of the launch items for ON's new half-ass boutique look. It's surprisingly detailed for something that retailed for $24 but on a consistent sale for $16.99.

GONE!
Old Navy '03

I actually bought this in '06. We found a whole box of this while cleaning out the back room and since it was 3 years old, it came up $1.97. Not a bad price! It's a cute top but every time I look at it, it evokes images of a middle aged JCPenney mom wearing it with light washed, tapered, mom jeans, sporting an ugly Rosetti organizer purse... and ugly sandals. I've worn it as a vest in the past and it's not a bad look but... yeah, can't get that mom image out of my head.

Plaid S/S Top: Hot Topic '07
White S/S Shirt: Hot Topic '06
Cardigan: Old Navy '02

Worn with old, hole-y blue jeans.

I like this outfit 'cause it reminds me of the 90's grunge era and I like 90's music. I know it's hard to tell but the plaid top has a hood and it's a pleated baby doll- the rare kind that doesn't make me look pregnant. I might get rid of the cardigan, it's kind of big in the shoulder.


Cap Sleeve Top: Banana Republic '06
Tank Top: Hot Topic '07

Worn with old, hole-y blue jeans.

What?! No cardigan?! I wore it with a long black cardigan that I received from Jamie but I spilled something on it so it's waiting to be washed. The top is a sheer boat neck so it's kind of hard to find the right thing to layer underneath. I thought about getting rid of it but... I don't know, I like it.

Cap Sleeve Top: Old Navy '04
Tank Top: Old Navy '07
Cardigan: Old Navy '05

Worn with wide leg blue jeans.

Purchase of the Month

The POM award for march goes to...

drum roll please...

My gray leather hobo bag from Old Navy! It still smells like leather... mmm~ leather smell!

Honestly, the quality is not the best and I would be surprised if it lasts a year. Construction quality is pretty solid but it's made of cheap leather, very little finishing with mostly raw edges. Considering how cheap it is... I'm okay with that. It's the wrong attitude to have, I know. As much as I love the idea of owning a nice investment purse (or two or three...) realistically, I think I'm better off with disposable cheapies. I toss my bags every where, they get dirty, scruffy, and I tire of them after a few months.

BA Meat Loaf!

Normally, I like to foofy-fy my meatloaf by throwing a whole bunch of stuff into it and making the tomato sauce all "fancy" but sometimes, I like just plain, non-foofy meat loaf. At times, the basic is what rocks. I did throw way more veggies in there (a half a green bell pepper, a half package of mushrooms, half an onion) than the recipe calls for, mainly 'cause I only hand 1 lb of beef. Oh, and yeah, I'm seriously doubting that vegetables are a cheaper substitute for meat. Another change I made... I love garlic, 1 clove isn't going to d it for me. I put like 1 heaping Tbsp of minced garlic. Mmmm~ garlicky goodness.

Claims to serve six but I'd say more like 4.

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chopped fresh or 1/4 tsp dried sage leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground mustard (dry)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic
1 large egg
3 slices of bread, torn into small pieces or 1/2 dry bread crumbs
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup ketchup

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients. Shape into loaf and put it on a pan (I like to put it on a cooling rack over a pan so that all the fat can drip down). Spread ketchup over the top.

Insert thermometer so tip is in center of loaf. Bake uncovered 1 to 1 1/4 hours until thermometer reads 160 degrees.


Now, if you want to make a fancy ketchup sauce to serve with the loaf, here's what you do... Slice/chop/cut up a small onion and fry/sweat them. Once those are transparent/brown throw in some ketchup. Add enough orange juice to water down the ketchup to a gravy like consistency. Sprinkle on some paprika... BAM! Fancy ketchup sauce.

Closet Clean Out

In an effort to clean my closet out, I decided to wear everything I own- not all at once, of course. I have a bad habit of holding onto clothes because I like the idea of that piece, like it's potential- then I never wear it. When I force myself to wear the piece, I soon find that it's not for me.

The last time I tried this, a few years ago, it took me over a month just to go through my camisoles. See, I have my closet organize by type and within that, color. From right to left it's: tank tops/sleeveless, sleeveless button down, short sleeve, short sleeve button down, long sleeve, long sleeve button down, cardigans, jackets, dress pants, skirts, and finally, dresses. Within that, it's organized red, pink, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, brown, beige, black, and finally, white.

The rule is, I'm going to start from the right (tank top/sleeveless) and wear the pieces as they come up. If it takes me longer than 2 minutes to work it into an outfit, it's gone. This time, camisoles, layering tank tops, and basic cardigans don't count, neither does special occasion or off season. Until I get bored and or lazy, I'll post the outfits on this blog.

Sleeveless Top: Old Navy '04
Tank Top: Old Navy '06
Cardigan: Target '07

A customer once told me that I look "very Asian-y" and this outfit makes me feel Asian-y-er... in a good way. I wore my leopard ballet flats with this outfit, something I'm proud of since mixing patterns well was never my forte and yet, it worked.

Sleeveless Top: Target '08
Shirt: Marshall (TJ Maxx?) '07
Cardigan: Old Navy '07

I almost returned the s/l top 'cause it's a wee bit too tight. I would never wear it alone or on top of anything but, as a layering bottom piece, it works. The last time I wore this shirt, a customer told me, not in a sarcastic or joking tone, that she wanted to dress Goth like me. Some people are so ignorant.

Sleeveless: H&M '05
Long Sleeve: Forever 21 '07

Normally, I really don't like black and white. I don't know, I think the contrast is too stark and it usually looks cheap. I wasn't completely sold on this outfit but I did get some nice comments tossed my way. I know it's hard to tell but the s/l is actually an empire waist. Usually empire waist/baby doll tops makes me look pregnant but not this one.

Please Take Sexy Back!!!

Awhile back, a 10 year old (she might have been anywhere from 9-12 years old) in my store described a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pin as being, "sexy". Maybe she was a sexually precocious little girl with a weird cartoon reptile fetish... doubtful. Oh, and needless to say, the picture on the pin was not "sexy". It was just a drawing of one of the turtle's face.

I'm all for weirdification of the English language and I'm tolerant of kids using words out of context ("That shirt's legit!"). I understand that language is a living thing that's constantly changing and evolving (something I tell Chris every time he fixes my grammar). However, the abuse of "sexy" needs to stop.

The TMNT are not sexy. ipods are not sexy. A career as a super spy is not sexy. People are sexy.

I came across this article on wisebread.com about "Sassy Uses for Sarongs" that asks, "Got a room or area you need to sex up on the cheap?" I'm sorry? "Sex up" a room? How do I sex up a room? When Color Me Badd sang "I wanna sex you up" I don't think they were saying they want to drape me in colorful sarongs. If I follow their advice and make curtains, bed spreads, table cloths, and pillow covers out of swimsuit cover ups, I doubt my room will look like a sex den.

Not that I want my room to look like a sex den, mind you.

To add to the retard factor, the picture on the article is that of an Indian women carrying a stack of beautiful silk sari fabrics on her head. Now, maybe I'm wrong and "sari" and "sarong" are interchangeable. Even if that's the case however, the article talks of adding a beach-y feel, I don't think Indian sarongs will do that. One of the suggestions is to use it as a towel due to their quick drying factor. Yeah... try that with embroidered silk...

Month Ending Update

So I went a little crazy the last month. Okay, I didn't go crazy... just lost my focus... and boy does it show. Even with three paychecks this month (since it's a five week month for me) I was still only able to save half of my goal. Poo.

I absolutely cannot believe how much I spent on food this month. It seems surreal. There is no way that one person can spend that much money on food, no way. I crunched the number like five times but... yeah... I can't believe it. Oh my goodness... I can't believe it. I didn't even eat out that much! Fucking groceries, what the hell!

To my credit, there were several reasons why I wasn't able to save a lot more (besides food which... I still can't believe I spent that much...)
1) I paid 2 car and 2 cellphone bills. Just because I was on a retail calender, doesn't mean they were. This means I have no excuse for not exceeding my April goal.
2) My dad's present costs a crap load of money.
3) Car tax.

I did get my state tax and bonus check this month but I'm going to count that in April since I haven't deposited them yet.

Oh man... I can't believe how much I spend on food this month!

BAMF!

Freedom Force for the NES was a favorite game of mine growing up. Even as a child, I think there was a big part of me that wanted to be a bad ass terrorist fighter/spy/black ops agent. I still wouldn't mind becoming one, though, that might be hard seeing as how I don't know how to swim.

Watching this intro still gives me a rush. I still haven't figured out if the dude from the helicopter crash is waving his fist or waving "hi". Maybe he's motioning him to come over like, "Dude, I have to tell you something before I die".

The most interesting part of this clip is the intro, the game play is kind of lame to watch after the first five seconds.

My Planner

When I went to Korea years back, I noticed that personal planners were all the rage. They had all kinds of really cute ones in various sizes with really cute inserts and stickers and what not. Ever since then, I've been very into planners.

Unfortunately, planners don't have a place in my life anymore. When I was in school I used it to keep track of assignments, tests, meetings, group works, etc. Now I use it for... writing down grocery lists. I don't even need one for work. I have one just for work and I rarely use that as well. I guess I'm good at remembering things? No... that can't be right! My memory sucks! Everything I need to know is written down someplace. It would be more efficient to have it in a central location but I'm so not used to it- it won't really help me out.

I really want to be a personal planner kind of person. I've seen those people, I envy them. They whip out their planners and it's all filled in and they refer to it and pull stuff out of it and yeah... I'm envious! I love the idea of planners. I wish I was all Franklin Covey type A- but I'm not. I carry it around with me in hopes that it will inspire me to utilize it more often but so far, not happening.

Maybe I'll use it for my my price book. There have been many a time when I found myself at like Trader Joe wondering if the Trader Joe organic version of something is more expensive than the name brand none organic version of something. Blah- it's kind of heavy though.

Insert Lame Joke About How Size Doesn't Matter

If I were to live alone for the rest of my life, I think I would be okay with it. I've never lived alone but I'm a solitary person and I think I would enjoy it. I mean, living alone doesn't mean that I won't have friends.

So, if I were to live alone for the rest of my life, I would like to live in a small house, like this. I'm sure it's smaller in real life but it looks plenty big for one person. My only reservations are:
1) A wee bit too much wood.
2) Does the bathroom have doors?
3) Where's the closet?
4) OMG! What's with the bed placement? If I'm not careful getting up in the morning, I can fall to my death.

I love small spaces. I love the little made up fake small rooms at Ikea, especially their take on tiny condo's and studio apartments. Of course, these rooms never feel too small due to the 30 ft ceiling but yeah... super cute!

Speaking of cute... Penguin House!



As appealing as I find small houses to be, I don't think I'd want to live in the Penguin House. Did you see how narrow that shower stall is? I mean, my goodness, I'm on the thin side and even I would have to stand sideways to take a shower.

Unfortunately, my desire to live in a small space directly conflicts with my desire to own a lot of crap...