staying safe

It's kind of amazing what new equipment is out there to keep the people who serve to protect us safe. Being a police officer (or soldier) used to be a lot more dangerous than it is today. The new developments in things like tactical gear are just amazing. And I bet as technology continues to develop, there'll be even better gear. Of course, just like with computer hacking, it seems the bad guys always stay one step ahead. But the new things developers come up with are still great.

more snow

You'll probably think I'm lying, but you can check the weather report--it snowed this weekend! And not just a light dusting either. It was full-on snowing. I think there was at least two inches. Now granted, today is absolutely gorgeous, but it still snowed at the end of March. That's something that I find completely ridiculous. This had better have been the last of it.

school

Back when I was 17, I went to a technical school for a while. It was a good experience. My sister went too, which is how she got her job. In my opinion, tech schools are a great way to learn the skills you need to get a good job. You can learn all sorts of things at a technical school--dental assisting, it training, law enforcement, and a whole lot more. Definitely something to consider when you're looking at schools.

I thought it was spring

So it's the end of March and yet the snow keeps coming. Oh sure, it's not sticking around or amounting to much, but it's still snow in the springtime. Winter is my least favorite season and I really hate snow, so this is not a happy time for me. I just want it to be summer and warm.

cooking

So I was thinking that one way to solve my cooking issues would be to go to culinary school. Then I would learn all about cooking, which would mean I wouldn't be quite so freaked out about undercooking meat and poisoning myself. Since I'm freaked out about undercooking meat, I end up burning it and not wanting to eat it. This is quite the problem.

Because I'm paranoid about cooking, I never considered chef school. Now I'm thinking it makes sense. Of course, I wouldn't be going to become a chef, just to learn some skills. So now I've got to look into various culinary schools and see what I find.

cat sitter

Finding a good cat sitter is quite difficult. Luckily the cat travels well so I can take her with me when I go home, but I need someone to take care of her when I'm away on business. Not everyone is trustworthy enough to take good care of her; plus, she's a scaredy cat who doesn't like men or the scent of dogs. That narrows my possible caregivers quite a bit. I have a couple months before I need someone, so I'm hoping I'll be able to find someone. If not, I have to give her a heart attack by putting her in a kennel.

credit

I feel quite fortunate that I have good credit. My mom set me up well by adding me as an authorized user to one of her accounts when I was only 13. So I have a much longer credit history than most people my age. But for those with bad credit, it can be hard to get personal loans. That means when an unexpected expense comes up, they often have to take out a cash advance at a high interest rate. And that means it's going to be difficult to ever get on track with good credit. That's why it's very important for people with bad credit to seek out responsible lenders. They also need to be responsible in paying back the loan and only taking out money for necessities. That means no payday loans for the new shoes that you think you can't live without!

yum yum

I got bored, so I decided to make some brownies using one of those refrigerated dough packages. I think the process would've been better had I let the dough sit out for a while before starting. It was a bit hard to spread. Even so, the brownies turned out to be quite delicious although a bit crumbly. I had to use a fork! If I had ice cream, I would've crumbled the brownie over that which would've been even better.

fashionista

One thing that I’d really like to do is become a fashion consultant. I do a good job at dressing other people! And I’m quite sure that there’s money to be made in this field. So while it’s a little silly to think about starting school when I haven’t even finished my current program, I’m looking at fashion schools in california. That’s probably the best way to break in. Not to mention that a fashion school in california would probably get me into lots of those sewing classes that I keep talking about! So if I start talking more about heading to fashion schools in los angeles, you’ll know that I’m seriously considering becoming the next Stacy London!

presents

My birthday isn't for a few months, but since I always have a difficult time coming up with the list of "wants" that my family always requests, I'm trying to figure out what to ask for now. Usually I say that I want some sort of "big" item that they can all chip in on...that doesn't always work though as they claim to like to see me open things. But the reality is that I just want practical things. When you move as often as I do, you realize that having little knick-knacky type things around just isn't convenient. But since I always end up asking for practical things, I have a stockpile of shampoo, soap, etc. So I really don't need any more of that for a while either. I have no idea what to ask for.

home loans

One day in the not so distant future, I want to buy some real estate (hence the wanting to save some money). Comparing mortage loans is important in any economy, but seems to be even more so now. A lot of people seem to have gotten themselves in trouble with these adjustable rate mortages, but some of them do have the option of refiancing and getting a fixed rate. If you like your house, that's got to be better than selling.

If you are in danger of losing your house, please don't abandon your pets. Make sure they have good homes to go to if you can't take them with you. That's the part of this whole mortage crisis that upsets me most.

budgeting

So I'm pretty sure that I spend far too much money on food. I go out to eat a lot. Of course, I'm able to make that stretch into more than one meal, but still it adds up. So I've decided to keep all my receipts for the next month and find out what I'm really spending on food. Then I need to find out what the average single girl spends on food to see how I compare. At the very least, I should be able to cut out at least a few dollars. Just have to eat more ramen and less steak!

hunting

I was looking for a gift for someone, someone who likes to go hunting. I was thinking that if I bought a hunting-related item for him, he might actually take me along sometime. I don't think I'd want to hunt for deer or anything else that's big (too heavy to carry back to the truck!!), but something small like turkeys would be good. Plus, I've never ate deer meat, but I eat turkey all the time and it'd be kind of cool to say, "I killed this turkey myself." So anyway, I found a site called www.killerblades.com. Some great deals are being offered right now. Hunting knives are 40% off through the end of the month. So I'll buy him a knife and see if I get to tag-a-long on a hunting trip sometime.

gym discounts

So maybe I won't be doing yoga at one of the studios around here. My employer just sent out an updated list of gyms giving us a corporate discount...and actually listed prices! Gyms never tell you their prices! So one of them is not only close to where I live, but is cheaper with our discount than the yoga studios. I checked the list of classes online and they do offer yoga and at a time that I could go. So that might be what I do instead.

The Jewels Thief

Jewels has earned a new nickname. I'm calling her "The Jewels Thief" now based on the fact that she steals. Usually she only steals things I don't care about--plastic spoons that I'm throwing away, her own toys... But now she's gone and stolen my tweezers. She's hidden them well. They aren't in any of her usual hiding spots. I told her to bring them back, but she tends to not "find" things again for a few months. So I guess I'm buying a new pair of tweezers.

yoga

I had no idea yoga had become so popular. Last night I was doing some craigslist browsing and saw a yoga class being offered, which I decided to check out. I like to comparison shop, so I searched for some other yoga studios to find out how much they charge. There were a ton of them! That makes it incredibly hard to figure out where to go. I guess I'll ask around, see if anyone has any experience with any of them. I've never done yoga before, but it sounds interesting. I probably can't actually sign up until I'm done with school though. There's simply too much I have to do right now.

making a trip

So it’s looking like I may be sent to Wisconsin for some more training for work. While it’s cool to get to take a trip and all, I’m not totally looking forward to it. It’s such a hassle nowadays to fly. Plus, I have to find someone to watch the cat. There is one part of going to Wisconsin that I will find quite enjoyable. I already know where my hotel reservation is going to be made. I stayed at the Hampton Inn last time, which is where they’ll book my room again. The Hampton had the best bed in the entire world. Usually I’m not a fan of hotel beds, but this one was simply amazing. I seriously did not want to get out of it in the morning (which I suppose could actually be considered a bad thing since I did have someplace I needed to be!), which is quite unusual since I usually have a terrible time sleeping in unfamiliar beds.

I’m not sure how the company usually books our rooms, but I know that if they want a good hotel discount they should use HotelReservations.com. They’ve got really good deals on the website. They actually guarantee the lowest rates will be found with them or there’s a $100 rebate. That’s definitely worth checking out. With a guarantee like that you know that you’ll get either the best rate out there or the $100, which probably will reduce the hotel room rate enough that it’s going to be the lowest again.

The other great thing about the site is that you can book the transportation you’ll need for your trip through them as well. They’ve got links to flights and car rentals. It’s so great that with the internet we don’t need to make multiple phone calls to take care of our travel plans. Everything can be done with the same company, which I definitely appreciate. So I’m going to suggest my employer use HotelReservations.com for my trip.

happy birthday!

Guess who just turned two? Miss Jewels of course! I bought her some new toys (which she went insane over) and tuna fish. Supposedly cats lose their playfulness around this age, but I don't think Jewels will. I think her craziness is just a part of her personality. Sure, she's calmed down some, but I don't think she's going to slow down until she's an old lady kitty. As long as she stays a good cuddler, I'll be happy. She really can be the sweetest cat.

buzzfuse

So there's a great new way to market yourself online--and it doesn't even cost a thing! (Unless you want a premium account with all the features, then it costs $14.99 a month.) You can post whatever you want at Buzzfuse.com--your blog, your photography, your band's new song, etc. What's really great is you aren't limited in how much content you post each month. Using Buzzfuse is an excellent way to get your name out there and connect with others. Right now they've even got a contest going on as an added incentive for signing up. So go do it and get more people interested in what you've got going on!

enough already

It snowed yesterday! This is simply getting to be too much. Now granted, it didn't last long nor did it stick; but really, snow after it had been warming up is just ridiculous. I have a feeling it's because I finally decided I could turn the heat off in the apartment Sunday night. That was a big mistake as I woke freezing. So the heat's back on and I can look forward to another big electric bill. Thankfully it's semi-warm today and is predicted to be all week.