You know, I try to be nice to the planet. I don't try too hard but I try. I use re-usable, washable rags, I use eco-friendly cleaning stuff. I... um... eat organic produce and shop from thrift stores. I reuse plastic bags, stopped drinking bottled water (for the most part), try not to drive any more than I have to, eat less meat than I did before and... Oh, and I even switched from bleach to oxy-cleaner. Oooh, yeah, that's how I roll, I roll eco-friendly style.
But, as conscientious as I want to be I have a confession to make...
Sigh...
The other day I bought and used Drano.
I felt bad, I really really did. That stuff is poison and so bad for the environment. What makes me feel worse is that I could have unclogged it rather easily without having to pour toxic goop into our water system. My shower drain was clogged with hair and in the past I have unclogged it myself but... Have you ever pulled hair from a drain? It doesn't matter that it's your own hair it still kind of makes you want to throw up a little.
I will make it up to The Earth. I don't know that I want to change my habits too much right now so I will make Michael make some changes. He's not eco-friendly in the least bit. And, I don't know, I guess I will try to shed less. That's probably a great idea and I would love to figure out how to stop losing so much hair. Not being so stressed out might be a start.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Oh Internet, I Only Kind of Miss You!
I haven't been on the internet much at all because my laptop is about to bite the dust. I'm hoping it will last long enough until Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I won't bore you with a "Should I get a laptop, a desk top, or a tablet?" question because, truth be told, I'm 95% sure I'll go with a laptop. Is it the smartest, most frugal choice? Probably not, but it's probably what I'll end up getting. Right now, if my laptop goes to sleep it's very difficult to wake it up. It hits the snooze button like ten times until it finally stays awake. That is to say, the screen stays lit for less than a minute before turning black and I have to restart the whole thing. Very, very annoying.
That being said, going without internet isn't as hard as I thought it would it be. I wouldn't say I was ever addicted but, in the past, a day off-line felt like I was on a deserted island somewhere. But of course, I haven't gone completely off line since I have been going on line with my phone. It's nice to know that I'm not super reliant on the internet but, I don't know, I feel like I'm missing some "me" time. Before I would spend about an hour after work catching up on blogs, checking out sites, etc. but now I just... I don't know... talk to people. And that's a good thing, I know, but I'm the type of person that just needs to be alone for a bit everyday. And yes, I know I can always read a book or knit or something but it's not the same. The internet allows you to be connected without actually talking to anyone. It gives you a nice, false sense of being amongst society.
Maybe that's why I'm so tired all the time. I have been super good about getting (almost) eight hours of sleep on a daily basis but I still feel worn down and tired. Isn't that what being an introvert is all about? Needing some alone time to re-energize or something?
That being said, going without internet isn't as hard as I thought it would it be. I wouldn't say I was ever addicted but, in the past, a day off-line felt like I was on a deserted island somewhere. But of course, I haven't gone completely off line since I have been going on line with my phone. It's nice to know that I'm not super reliant on the internet but, I don't know, I feel like I'm missing some "me" time. Before I would spend about an hour after work catching up on blogs, checking out sites, etc. but now I just... I don't know... talk to people. And that's a good thing, I know, but I'm the type of person that just needs to be alone for a bit everyday. And yes, I know I can always read a book or knit or something but it's not the same. The internet allows you to be connected without actually talking to anyone. It gives you a nice, false sense of being amongst society.
Maybe that's why I'm so tired all the time. I have been super good about getting (almost) eight hours of sleep on a daily basis but I still feel worn down and tired. Isn't that what being an introvert is all about? Needing some alone time to re-energize or something?
Thursday, September 22, 2011
My House Smells
There's no law saying that your role model has to be someone older than you and one of my role model is Terrance, a sixteen year old kid. Well, he's probably more like eighteen by now; he was sixteen when I first met him.
Terrance is this kid that I hired at my old job. He was what the company was looking for- fashion forward, knowledgeable about current pop/counter culture, social, and responsible- and he was also very smart, funny and polite. He was the kind of kid that gives you hope for the future generation. One thing I really admired about Terrance was that he was very clean, like Monk clean, clean bordering on OCD.
One of the most inspiring thing he ever told me was that he once invited his friends over to his house and they said, "Wow, your house smells like nothing."
That's what I really want, a house that smells like nothing. Don't get me wrong, flowers smell nice and so do cookies in the oven but there's just something about a distinct smell that just seems... inorganic. It's sad, I suppose, but a culture of candle, spray, diffusers, and such has conditioned me to believe that a scent is a cover up. You know how a truly fresh fish doesn't have a smell, well I am starting to believe that a truly clean house shouldn't have a smell.
Right now, my house smells. I wish I can say it's a nice smell but it's not. There's the faint smell of bacon from last night, the faint smells of apple scented candle, and, if you're in the kitchen, the faint smell of garbage that needs to be taken out. Gross, right? So, no more Fabreeze and scented stuff. I'm going to try to not keep gross garbage overnight, make sure the sink is always empty, and... well, can't do too much about the food smell... I'm going to wash all the curtains and pillow covers, make sure the air vents are clean, watch out for molds, etc, etc, etc.
Terrance is this kid that I hired at my old job. He was what the company was looking for- fashion forward, knowledgeable about current pop/counter culture, social, and responsible- and he was also very smart, funny and polite. He was the kind of kid that gives you hope for the future generation. One thing I really admired about Terrance was that he was very clean, like Monk clean, clean bordering on OCD.
One of the most inspiring thing he ever told me was that he once invited his friends over to his house and they said, "Wow, your house smells like nothing."
That's what I really want, a house that smells like nothing. Don't get me wrong, flowers smell nice and so do cookies in the oven but there's just something about a distinct smell that just seems... inorganic. It's sad, I suppose, but a culture of candle, spray, diffusers, and such has conditioned me to believe that a scent is a cover up. You know how a truly fresh fish doesn't have a smell, well I am starting to believe that a truly clean house shouldn't have a smell.
Right now, my house smells. I wish I can say it's a nice smell but it's not. There's the faint smell of bacon from last night, the faint smells of apple scented candle, and, if you're in the kitchen, the faint smell of garbage that needs to be taken out. Gross, right? So, no more Fabreeze and scented stuff. I'm going to try to not keep gross garbage overnight, make sure the sink is always empty, and... well, can't do too much about the food smell... I'm going to wash all the curtains and pillow covers, make sure the air vents are clean, watch out for molds, etc, etc, etc.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
It's My Money and I Don't Want it Now!
Michael has been gone for the past two weeks but he's back now. Fall is a big freaking deal at my job and since Michael's absence coincided with massively heavy work load week I decided to keep myself busy and work as much over time as I could. Wait, that's kind of wrong... "Could" implies I had a choice, I didn't really have a choice. I've never worked for a company that was as "generous" with their overtime as this one.
The last two weeks have been all about working, working, working. My 9th day of working straight ended with a 15 hour shift. By that time I was so tired I was ready to puke.
Yesterday I calculated all my overtime pay and, you know, it was kind of disappointing. Really, all that work for that?! I mean, don't get me wrong, it was a nice chunk of change; but once you take out taxes... meh. I'm not very impressed with a few hundreds here, a couple hundreds there, etc. My paycheck reflects a running total of all the over time I was paid for the year and that sum makes me happy. A few extra hundreds tacked on to my paycheck is kind of like whatever. What I really wish they would do is hold onto all of my overtime pay and give it to me as a lump sum at the end of the year. A couple thousands will definitely put a smile on my face.
Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not complaining about the extra money and I'm not complaining that the extra money isn't enough. And, as tired as I've been, since it's slowed down a lot, I'm going to miss the opportunity to earn some easy extra cash. I just wish they would pay me a lump sum at the end of the year. A substantial check after I've forgotten all about how tired I was and how I worked myself to death would be a very nice way to end the year.
The last two weeks have been all about working, working, working. My 9th day of working straight ended with a 15 hour shift. By that time I was so tired I was ready to puke.
Yesterday I calculated all my overtime pay and, you know, it was kind of disappointing. Really, all that work for that?! I mean, don't get me wrong, it was a nice chunk of change; but once you take out taxes... meh. I'm not very impressed with a few hundreds here, a couple hundreds there, etc. My paycheck reflects a running total of all the over time I was paid for the year and that sum makes me happy. A few extra hundreds tacked on to my paycheck is kind of like whatever. What I really wish they would do is hold onto all of my overtime pay and give it to me as a lump sum at the end of the year. A couple thousands will definitely put a smile on my face.
Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not complaining about the extra money and I'm not complaining that the extra money isn't enough. And, as tired as I've been, since it's slowed down a lot, I'm going to miss the opportunity to earn some easy extra cash. I just wish they would pay me a lump sum at the end of the year. A substantial check after I've forgotten all about how tired I was and how I worked myself to death would be a very nice way to end the year.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Twenty Nine More Years to Go!
It just recently dawned on me that we've owned this house for a year now.
I'm starting to re-think this whole home ownership thing.
For starters, what's the point? Ideally, you would buy a forever home at a young(ish) age so that by the time you retire the house would be paid for and you won't have to worry about paying a mortgage or rent during retirement. This house that we bought isn't our forever house. I mean, it could be, I guess... There's certainly nothing wrong with it. Our town was rated #4 in Money Magazine's Best Place to Live. Really! Number Four! I was quite surprised myself! It's plenty big for the two of us and neither us are dreaming of McMansions and luxury town homes. Still, I don't see us spending our retirement here because... well, I guess because I don't think I'd want to spend my retirement here. I mean, if I'm 70 years old I'd like a house with considerably less steps. Because I know we will (most likely) move on eventually it kind of feels like I'm renting... from myself...
And, you know, home ownership comes with a lot of stress. Of course the year we buy a home is the year Armageddon hits the DC Metro area. Okay, gross exaggeration, but seriously, massive snow fall, earth quake, hurricane, twisters, and flood watches?!?! If there's a mold issue because of all the rain and humidity in the house that you're renting, you can just walk away from that situation. If there's mold in the house that you own... Well shoot, that's going to be really time consuming and very expensive. I live in fear of property damage; it sucks.
Speaking of walking away... if you rent, you always have the option of moving out if your neighborhood turns to crap; not so easy if you own a piece of that neighborhood. Every new neighbor and development is a potential threat.
Having to stay put also limits your career opportunity. Thankfully I live in an area with low unemployment but it can still suck. I very much enjoy working for my company and would like to stay on with them long term. However, I am also ambitious and would not like to stay in the current role; I would want to be promoted in the next few years. However, if the next step is offered to me, it would be at a location that is not ideal, commute wise, but close enough that it wouldn't make much sense to relocate. Moving out of your apartment to save an hour off your commute to a new position that pays a little bit better than your current position is totally doable. Selling your current home and buying a new one so that you can save an hour off your commute to a new position that pays a little bit better than your current is not so doable. So, I can either hope that fate and magic somehow makes it all work out or I can hit that ceiling and start looking for another job.
But you know, despite it all, if I had to do it all over again, I would still buy this house. I don't know why. It's not a decision I regret, I just don't know why I don't regret it... If that makes sense...
I'm starting to re-think this whole home ownership thing.
For starters, what's the point? Ideally, you would buy a forever home at a young(ish) age so that by the time you retire the house would be paid for and you won't have to worry about paying a mortgage or rent during retirement. This house that we bought isn't our forever house. I mean, it could be, I guess... There's certainly nothing wrong with it. Our town was rated #4 in Money Magazine's Best Place to Live. Really! Number Four! I was quite surprised myself! It's plenty big for the two of us and neither us are dreaming of McMansions and luxury town homes. Still, I don't see us spending our retirement here because... well, I guess because I don't think I'd want to spend my retirement here. I mean, if I'm 70 years old I'd like a house with considerably less steps. Because I know we will (most likely) move on eventually it kind of feels like I'm renting... from myself...
And, you know, home ownership comes with a lot of stress. Of course the year we buy a home is the year Armageddon hits the DC Metro area. Okay, gross exaggeration, but seriously, massive snow fall, earth quake, hurricane, twisters, and flood watches?!?! If there's a mold issue because of all the rain and humidity in the house that you're renting, you can just walk away from that situation. If there's mold in the house that you own... Well shoot, that's going to be really time consuming and very expensive. I live in fear of property damage; it sucks.
Speaking of walking away... if you rent, you always have the option of moving out if your neighborhood turns to crap; not so easy if you own a piece of that neighborhood. Every new neighbor and development is a potential threat.
Having to stay put also limits your career opportunity. Thankfully I live in an area with low unemployment but it can still suck. I very much enjoy working for my company and would like to stay on with them long term. However, I am also ambitious and would not like to stay in the current role; I would want to be promoted in the next few years. However, if the next step is offered to me, it would be at a location that is not ideal, commute wise, but close enough that it wouldn't make much sense to relocate. Moving out of your apartment to save an hour off your commute to a new position that pays a little bit better than your current position is totally doable. Selling your current home and buying a new one so that you can save an hour off your commute to a new position that pays a little bit better than your current is not so doable. So, I can either hope that fate and magic somehow makes it all work out or I can hit that ceiling and start looking for another job.
But you know, despite it all, if I had to do it all over again, I would still buy this house. I don't know why. It's not a decision I regret, I just don't know why I don't regret it... If that makes sense...
Friday, September 2, 2011
I'm a Genius!
If Truette Cathy can claim that he invented the chicken sandwich then I'm going to say that I invented the naan pizza. One day I came home and there was nothing to eat. So, in a stroke of brilliance I pulled a frozen naan out of the freezer, opened up a can of crushed tomatoes, sliced up some fresh mozzarella cheese, grabbed some basil leaves, stuck the whole thing in a toaster oven for a bit and... voila!
Naan margherita pizza!
Prep and cook time total is like less than five minutes. It's cheap, quick, easy, delicious and you can work it in endless possibilities. I have been eating this every night since Tuesday and I'm still not sick of it.
Well, I am kind of sick of it, literally, because I made a Mexican version last night and... I don't know, maybe the salsa was old or maybe there was something wrong with the cilantro but ugh... not a happy camper right now.
Anyway... So the first time I made it I'm all like, "I am a genius!!!" until Michael bursts my bubble by telling me that Wegmens has been selling their naan pizza for some time now. Bull, I say! I shop at Wegmens at least once a week and I have never seen a naan pizza. Clearly he is mistaken and I am the first person who thought to slap on pizza ingredients on naan. I see a brilliant future in fast food for me.
Naan margherita pizza!
Prep and cook time total is like less than five minutes. It's cheap, quick, easy, delicious and you can work it in endless possibilities. I have been eating this every night since Tuesday and I'm still not sick of it.
Well, I am kind of sick of it, literally, because I made a Mexican version last night and... I don't know, maybe the salsa was old or maybe there was something wrong with the cilantro but ugh... not a happy camper right now.
Anyway... So the first time I made it I'm all like, "I am a genius!!!" until Michael bursts my bubble by telling me that Wegmens has been selling their naan pizza for some time now. Bull, I say! I shop at Wegmens at least once a week and I have never seen a naan pizza. Clearly he is mistaken and I am the first person who thought to slap on pizza ingredients on naan. I see a brilliant future in fast food for me.
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