phone call worked!

It did take longer than I expected, but early this afternoon the lot was plowed! The manager commented to me when I left for work about how my section was now in good shape. I know I can't be the only one who complained though. A bunch of people weren't parked in the lot last night, but they are now. I'm sure they were calling him on it too.

a snow update

The roads were pretty good yesterday, but there's something that wasn't good. That would be the parking lot of my apartment complex. Apparently they got tired after lunch and decided not to bother with finishing plowing. I had a terrible time getting out of the lot. My car got stuck multiple times. I thought (wrongly) that this would be fixed by the time I got off work, but I got stuck again. I left a message on the manager's phone to let him know how displeased I am about this. Hopefully he'll do something, but I have my doubts since it's already snowing again.

photoshop brushes

I use Photoshop all the time, especially at work. One thing that I find annoying is that I can’t do some of the things I want with Photoshop. Well, maybe I could, I just haven’t figured out how to yet! But I have discovered some cool Photoshop Brushes to use. There are some great patterns available too. Always nice to find some add-ons for a program that sometimes frustrates!

Jewels is asleep, so why not me?

My beautiful little cat is curled up all sweetly on the bed. Why is it that she can sleep and I can't? She slept even longer than I did yesterday! But I guess that's why the term "cat nap" exists--cats nap all the time. I just wish I could. I'd really love to go to sleep right about now. Though I suppose drinking a Coke isn't helping matters any.

new glasses

I need new glasses. I actually intended to get a new pair last year, but somehow never got around to it. But this year is the year. I always have a terrible time deciding what style of frame to get. Basically because I never like how any of them look on me. In the end, I spend far too much money on something that very few people will ever see because I wear my contacts about 98% of the time. But I’ve discovered that I can get new frames online for an incredible price--$8! And they look good.
So go to Zenni Optical: Sell Rx Glasses $8 with case!

sleep's not coming easy

I cannot get to sleep. I have a feeling that I spent far too long in bed yesterday. With all the snow coming down, I just didn't feel like getting up. So Jewels and I cuddled up in bed and watched the news reports (on a competitor station--oopsy, but we weren't on) on the mess outside. Hopefully I'll be able to get some sort of nap in before I have to go to work.

Internet phone service

Wow, I don’t know how the regular phone company is going to stay in business much longer. Pretty soon their only customers are going to be the few people who don’t have home Internet access. I just discovered another company that is offering phone service over the Internet. Advanced Communications & Maintenance, Inc. may be new to you, but they’ve actually been around for 25 years. Right now, they’re only serving the New England area, which is unfortunate for all of us who don’t live there, but maybe they will expand their services to other parts of the country soon.

ACM provides a number of services, including voip phone service, which appears to be the direction everyone is heading. In fact, ACM specializes in setting up Internet phone service for businesses. So far, I haven’t heard of many businesses utilizing this type of phone service, but I bet it’s just a matter of time before it becomes the norm. Most people I know have gotten rid of their regular landline phone service, so it only makes sense that businesses will as well.

Businesses would probably worry about changing over their phone service, but it looks like ACM has things covered. They’ll come and install everything, then provide 24-hour support if needed. If a business really needs some help, they even offer on-site training. Businesses definitely get more than with the regular phone company since ACM also includes scheduled preventative maintenance. Now that’s service!

I have a feeling businesses shouldn’t worry too much about making the switch. ACM provides a list of clients on their website. One of those clients is the Stoughton Fire Department. If the fire department is able to use it, I would think anyone could. If I owned a business, I would definitely consider making the switch. In all likelihood, you’ll get better service for a better price.

eek! more snow

More than a foot of snow this weekend! The official total for Sunday was 11.2 inches. I don't know what the total for Saturday was, but based on what I cleared off the car (I stupidly went out on Saturday because some of the books I requested came in and the first draft of the lit review is due at the end of the week) I would say it was around six inches. This is insanity. They actually wanted me to go to work on Sunday, but with as low to the ground as my car sits (and the fact that it was a struggle to drive even on Saturday) I wasn't sure I could make it. I probably would've gotten stuck somewhere. So I said I'd come in if someone came to get me. No one could, so I didn't go in. But I'll have to today.

career possibilities

So it’s not like I need to be looking at schools at the moment (I need to finish my master’s degree before I even consider something else!), but you know how I get bored. So I was looking at school stuff, maybe a Ph.D., maybe something else entirely unrelated to what I’m doing now. A medical career wouldn’t be a bad way to go. My sister’s a dental assistant, which seems to be a pretty decent job. There’s also jobs like speech therapist (which sort of relates to what I’ve already studied) and ultrasound tech. I thought ultrasounds were just done on pregnant ladies, but it turns out ultrasounds are used for all sorts of things.

Attending an ultrasound technician school is the way people learn the skills needed (just like nearly every career). Schools are located in various parts of the country, but what I thought was very cool is that there’s a Florida-based ultrasound tech school that let’s you attend classes online. The master’s degree program I’m doing right now let’s you take classes online as well. Let me tell you, it sure makes it a lot easier to finish in a timely manner. I like taking classes in person, but online classes mean you don’t need to change your work schedule. Plus, you wouldn’t have to move to where the school is.

so cold

I may never get warm again. It's so cold you can't even tell that the car heater is on. My electric bill is going to be sky high this month. I try to just add extra blankets to the bed and snuggle closer to Jewels, but... The heater must remain on. Oh, how I wish I had central heat.

in the freezer case

Saturday was the first time I ever saw a commercial for frozen paninis. It was also the first time I saw them in the store. I thought that was a bit odd. Anyway, I bought a couple different brands (that's another strange thing, nearly every frozen food company has come out with their own version) to try them out. The first brand was decent; something I would buy again, especially since it microwaves in three minutes. So we'll see how the rest turn out.

loans, loans, loans

I don't really like to look at the interest rates on my private student loans. It's just too painful. But I checked yesterday and was absolutely shocked to discover the interest rates have gone down quite a bit. That means interest rates for all sorts of loans, including a Florida Mortgage, are going down. So now is the time to refinance. And don't get screwed over like I did, do some comparison shopping through DollarBlvd.com and make sure you get the best terms. You'll be glad you did.

money!!

Last semester I applied for a job as an exam proctor. It paid well and sounded easy. You pretty much just sit there while someone takes an exam that for one reason or another they couldn't take during the regular class period. But they had so many people apply that they didn't need all of us. I was one of the people who didn't get selected. But this semester some of the people who were proctors aren't doing it. So...I got a call saying I could do it! I know I shouldn't be taking on more work, but I could use the money so I'm going to do it.

presents

As I'm sure you've figured out by now, my cat is pretty spoiled. I spend so much money on her; I even buy her special treats at the holidays. Valentine's Day is next month, so I know I'm going to buy her something soon. Given that I don't want to spend too much, I looked for some online shopping coupons in order to save some money. I've found some Petsmart coupon codes that I might use. I like that Petsmart carries a variety of tuna fish flavors. Jewels loves tuna so much that I've pretty much stopped buying other wet foods.

And maybe while I'm shopping for Jewels, I'll get some shoes for myself. You see, I also found some Steve Madden coupons while I was searching for deals and I love those shoes. Plus, I still need shoes to go with my new dress!

no turn signals

I'm pretty sure my car hates Spokane. On the very day that I packed my things to move up here, my turn signals stopped working. My grandpa replaced the bulbs, but they went out again almost immediately. So I took it to a mechanic. That repair lasted approximately six months. So I went to a different mechanic to have my turn signals fixed again. That one lasted about a year. Once again my turn signals are not working. I have yet another mechanic that I've been going to that seems to do a decent job. So I guess I'll be making an appointment to once again fix my turn signals.

id theft prevention

Not too long ago I was flipping through a magazine and saw an ad for a company called LifeLock. It caught my attention because the ad had the CEO’s social security number. The copy said he felt comfortable publicly listing it because of the great service offered by LifeLock. So I checked them out. I figure it’s always good to know as much as you can about identity theft prevention. I even attended a lecture on it last year (though I admit part of my reason for attending was the free food!).

If you go to LifeLock.com, you can read some articles that provide tips on minimizing your risk. That information is all free, which is great. Of course, they also offer a paid service that provides you with protection just in case your identity is compromised. Right now they’re even offering a discount if you use the LifeLock promotion code. With the promotion, you end up paying $99/year. For that you get your credit report, legal assistance if you find your identity has been stolen, and a lot more. If you’ve got kids (people actually steal the identity of babies!), you can include them in the service for a small additional fee.

Even if you never have to use LifeLock to get your identity back, they at least get your name removed from all those annoying junk mail lists. Less stuff to throw away and pollute the environment with is alone worth the cost of the service!

ketchup?

So it turns out my crazy kitty likes ketchup as well. I thought she was going after the steak on my plate; but no, she wasn't interested in that. Instead, she licked up every last bit of ketchup! Seriously the plate has no traces of the ketchup on it. I had no idea cats ate ketchup, but I guess at least some of them do.

chicken!

One of my very favorite foods is chicken. You probably figured that out from my earlier post where I listed all the chicken I wanted to make. But I have a problem figuring out how to cook chicken. One method is, of course, grilling chicken, but when I do it myself, it just doesn't turn out very well. I tend to leave it to the professionals, like those at El Pollo Loco.

more sewing

So guess what I went and did? Started reading another book with a main character who sews. So the sewing obsession is not going away anytime soon. I'm even thinking of how one day I'll have a bigger place and can have a sewing room in it! Of course, first I have to figure out how to fit lessons into my schedule.

It is a good book, so you should read it.

books vs movies

With very rare exception, books are better than movies. I have found one of those rare exceptions. It is The Da Vinci Code. Yes, I know, I am far behind the times. But since I don't like to pay for things, I had to wait until I could get the movie from the library. Anyway, I thought the bookwas absolutely horrible when I read it. It's just so poorly written I can't believe people talked about how great it was. That really disappoints me about the American people. So given how lousy I thought the book was, I didn't have much in the way of expectations for the moviewhich could somewhat explain why I actually found it to be decent. The screenwriter should definitely be rewarded for taking a crap manuscript and turning it into something watchable!

what a cat wants

Jewels loves human food. I know many cats and dogs do, but Jewels likes things I don't think other animals would like. She once stole a piece of garlic bread from my plate. She also likes Top Ramen and Rice Krispies. It seems like as long as I'm eating it, she wants it too. This is probably why she has such a big belly.

conferences and hotels

I’ve been thinking about sending my paper out for acceptance at various conferences. It'd be a good experience I think. One conference is just down the interstate so I wouldn’t need a hotel room, but the others are all places like California, Colorado, and Arizona. I’ll definitely need to make some hotel reservations if I’m accepted to one of those. So I’ve been looking around online to see how I can get the best rate, but still be in a nice hotel. I actually have a favorite hotel chain. The Hampton Inn has beds and pillows that are every bit as wonderful as my own.

Amongst the websites I’ve found, one offers a $100 rebate as part of their lowest price guarantee. That sounds pretty good. I could book a room with them without worrying about losing out on money if I happen to find that someone else is offering a lower rate. Another great thing about HotelReservations.com is that I can take care of booking my flight and rental car (if I would need one) through them as well. Convenience will definitely be key when it comes to booking because I’ll have to make the arrangements while also doing my grad work and my full-time job.

wait a second

I realized last night as I continued with the book that I've been reading that there might be a reason why I'm suddenly interested in picking up on the sewing lessons my mom taught me ages ago. I'm reading The Dairy Queen. Even if you haven't read it, I'm sure you can guess at least one of the details about the main character. Oh, that's right, she sews. She sews pajamas to be exact, but starts making bags as the book progresses. I guess we'll see if I still want sewing lessons after I'm done with the book.

too much weight!

Prevention is key to remain healthy. But the people I saw on TLC (what was it, The Half-Ton Man or something?) obviously didn't take that advice. Some of them were consuming more calories in a single meal than most people have in a week! For these people weight loss surgery really is the only option. The good thing about the lap band system is that it's removable and adjustable. That's important because life changes (possibly other health issues) might mean the inserted lap band needs to change.



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so sew

I think I'm going to start taking sewing lessons. I know, I know. First it was dance lessons (which I still want to take) and now I've come up with sewing lessons. But both are things I've done in the past. My mom taught me to sew when I was quite young. I still know how to (even made a quilt a few years back), so it's not like a need a whole lot. Just a refresher on how to thread the bobbin and such. I found a place not too far from where I live that offers an inexpensive refresher, then basically lets you rent their machines. I'm going to look into it some more, but I think I'll start once I've made some progress on my thesis.

engagement rings

With Valentine’s Day coming next month, you might be thinking of buying some diamonds. If they’re for me, you should know I prefer rubies. I think diamond engagement rings in particular are too plain. They need a splash of color with some rubies or another pretty gem thrown in! So keep that in mind when buying engagement rings. I also think you should let the recipient select the ring. I would want to design my own ring, which is something you can do at James Allen. There’s a wide variety of rings available, so even if you don’t design your own, you’ll get something beautiful. And you can get a 360 view of the ring at the website, so you can marvel at the ring you love until your beloved finally breaks down and buys it!

how much snow?

So how much snow did we get? Just over seven inches! That is completely insane. And the roads up north where I live are absolutely terrible. It's like they stopped pouring deicer as soon as they got to the mall. Everything north of the mall is really hard to drive on. Going over 30 didn't seem wise. Even with the new tires I put on (though not studs, just all season), it was hard to keep control. Hopefully it's better tomorrow.

who needs a massage?

Some days are stressful, especially with all the work I have to do on top of writing my thesis. A massage would be nice. Unfortunately, I can’t really afford to go get massages on a regular basis. Massage Chairs are also pretty expensive, but much more affordable if you break down the cost over time. Some of the chairs are pretty awesome. One can calibrated to the user’s body in order to provide that perfect massage. And of course, you can adjust things like speed, intensity, and location. There’s also the option of adding a foot massager, which would be heaven. So it just might be worth the investment if I’m going to keep having this much stress!


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so much snow

Goodness me did the sky ever open up and dump a ton of snow today. Have I mentioned that I hate snow and cold weather in general? Fall cannot get here fast enough. At least I can go between my apartment and work (and later school) using the main roads almost entirely. Unfortunately, my apartment's parking lot is usually a mess. This management company doesn't seem to care about doing what it takes (i.e. spend money) to keep residents happy.

international phone calls

Do you spend lots of time traveling or know someone who does? Is it hard to keep in touch? Now there’s a company making it a lot easier. They’ve got great international calling rates, which at the very least makes it cheaper for you to keep in contact. Keep in mind that the service is only available for people who are in the United States. It doesn’t work the other way around.

With MobileTalk, you make the phone calls from your cell phone. The service is compatible with over 450 models, including BlackBerry. MobileTalk allows you to dial people directly--no PIN required. You also don’t have to worry about running out of minutes like you do with a pre-paid calling card. All you have to do is sign up for the service, pay the monthly fee, and make some calls!

I definitely could’ve used a service like this a few years back. My mom decided to go traveling all around Europe. The long distance rates were so expensive that I didn’t call her. With MobileTalk, which has rates of two cents per minute to the United Kingdom, I would’ve been able to call her all the time to find out what different sights she was seeing. Instead I had to wait for her to come back to tell me about the things she did. Sure, she sent postcards, but do you know how long it takes for international postcards to arrive? She got back long before the postcards showed up in my mailbox!

Check out the video I made about MobileTalk:

gloves

I need new gloves. My current ones have holes in them, which isn't good. Even last year my gloves had holes in them. And now they're worse. But I kind of want to hold off on buying new gloves. What if I'm not living somewhere cold by next winter? (Not likely, but I do like to dream.) I live my life in winter denial. It's why I don't own snow boots.

what to do for V-Day

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching! Do you know what you’re buying me? In case you want an idea, I’ve got one for you. I prefer chocolate to flowers any day, so that’s what you should do! And what I’d really like is some chocolate covered strawberries.

Doesn’t that look delicious? They’re available in dark or milk chocolate. I like both, so why not get me both? Also check out the cheesecake and berry combo since I’m a big fan of cheesecake!




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another phone complaint

I just realized that my new phone doesn't display the date on the external or internal screens. My last phone showed both the date and time of the internal screen. Now I realize this isn't a big deal since I've had the phone for more than a month now and only just realized it, but it's still annoying to have to hit the "calendar" button when I want to find out the date. This is the last time I'll buy a phone without doing a thorough check of it beforehand.

protecting your shower curtain

I have a nice shower curtain that matches my decor and all that. Since the company doesn't make it anymore, I use a liner to protect it. I've already gone through a few shower curtain liners, which is to be expected considering how long I've had the curtain and that some of the liners were pretty cheap. My recommendation to anyone with a fabric shower curtain is to use a good liner to protect the curtain from getting all moldy and mildewy. My mom, on the other hand, just throws hers in the washing machine, which I suppose you could do as well. I don't want to have to take it down all the time. And besides, my mom would just completely redo the bathroom (and enjoy it) if she ever needed to buy a new shower curtain!

more yummy food?

I'm not much for cooking, especially in my apartment's tiny kitchen, but I'm at least getting less paranoid about killing myself from undercooked meat. I cooked tonight's steak perfectly (i.e. didn't burn it to ensure my safety), so it was yummy and I'm still alive. So I'm thinking about going back to the meal prep place I went to in November (and where I prepped tonight's steak). I don't think I'll go this month because I still have two more steaks and six chicken breasts left. I need to make more of a dent in what's currently residing in my freezer before I go get more! But February might just work. The menu for February is excellent too. Last time I only bought three selections, which is probably the right amount, but there's more than three that I want!

These are the ones I want to get:
Tuscan Chicken
Basil Pesto Chicken
Authentic Chicken Enchiladas
Grilled Ginger Chicken
Pub-Mustard Chicken

All chicken, I know! So that means I shouldn't get all of them. I'll definitely get tired of all that chicken. I've got a month to decide though. Of course, by then March's menu will be posted and I'll have to decide if those dishes sound better.

2007 in books: the last 6 months

And here's the rest of my 2007 book list.
(NF) = nonfiction

July
Pop!by Aury Wallington
Worth More Dead: And Other True Casesby Ann Rule (NF)
Only In Your Dreamsby Cecily von Ziegesar
Fireworks(various, collection of 4 short stories)
Bras & Broomsticksby Sarah Mlynowski
Up & Outby Ariella Papa

August
Shopaholic & Babyby Sophie Kinsella
Notoriousby Cecily von Ziegesar
21 Proms(various, 21 short stories)
Frogs & French Kissesby Sarah Mlynowski
Chloe Does Yaleby Natalie Krinsky
Full Frontal Feminismby Jessica Valenti (NF)
Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Wholeby Benjamin R. Barber (NF)
Arlington Parkby Rachel Cusk
Second Chanceby Jane Green

September
The Men I Didn't Marryby Janice Kaplan and Lynn Schnurnberger
Thursday Next in First Among Sequelsby Jasper Fforde
Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers' Schemesby Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown (NF)
Little White Liesby Gemma Townley
Make Him Look Goodby Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
No Place Like Homeby Mary Higgins Clark

October
Amanda Bright@homeby Danielle Crittenden
Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhoodby Jenny McCarthy (NF)
Convergent Journalism: An Introduction--Writing and Producing Across Mediaby Stephen Quinn and Vincent F. Filak (NF)
Digital Journalism: Emerging Media & the Changing Horizons of Journalismby Kevin Kawamoto (NF)
Billion-Dollar Kiss: The Kiss That Saved Dawson's Creek and Other Adventures in TV Writingby Jeffrey Stepakoff (NF)
Recklessby Cecily von Ziegesar
Handbook Of Magazine Article Writingby Michelle Ruberg (NF)
Spells & Sleeping BagsBags by Sarah Mlynowski
Stupid and Contagiousby Caprice Crane
Pollyby Amy Bryant
Would I Lie to Youby Cecily von Ziegesar

November
The Successful Writer's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articlesby Eva Shaw (NF)
Unhookedby Laura Sessions Stepp (NF)
Making Money Freelance Writingby the editors of Writer’s Digest (NF)
Little Pink Slipsby Sally Koslow
Don't You Forget About Meby Cecily von Ziegesar
Tallulahlandby Lynn Messina
It Had to Be Youby Cecily von Ziegesar

December
Girl's Guide To Witchcraftby Mindy Klasky
Dedicationby Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Flyover Statesby Grace Grant and P.J. MacAllister
Bait and Switch : The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dreamby Barbara Ehrenreich (NF)
And Nanny Makes Three: Mothers and Nannies Tell the Truth About Work, Love, Money, and Each Otherby Jessika Auerbach (NF)