Pay Very Close Attention

I shall only say this once...yeah, right. Who am I kidding?! I rarely say anything once...but I'd like to think that what I'm saying is actually semi-important enough for you to pay attention the first time. So here goes:

It seems as though there are lots of people that are reading blogs these days. An even larger number of those are writing them! & unlike computers that tend to not care what people think, there are actual human beings on the other end of those blogs who do happen to care; they have feelings and emotions and everything! So where am I going with this?

There's this cool chick that had a great idea & wanted to pass the word about it & I happen to think it's pretty groovy. It's like this - We're in a recession, right? That's no secret. Well, what better to do when you can't afford to spend any money than to blog about how annoyed you are that your favorite store is bombarding you with coupons and sales NOOoOOOOOoOOooOOoW!? Okay, not really to blog about that, necessarily, but to blog in general. Okay, maybe not blog at all, but to READ those that are! So here's the challenge part...so simple...so easy...if we could only be paid for it (oh wait, some of us can!):

You read my blog. You click on the cute little piggy bank "Blog the Recession" logo to the right. You go to another blogger's site. You click on another piggy & continue on (reading or not) until you can't stand it any longer. You do this as often as you can, clicking on every piggy you can find. Also, some of the blogger's past blog links. Whatever you can click on, well, you click to your heart's content! =)

For those that have ad generated revenue, it will help them financially. For those like me, without the ads, well, we'd appreciate the "stats" and comments! Anything you can type, 'nice blog,' 'I concur,' 'Your dinner is served,' is appreciated. But please, refrain from being negative. Show some love this August!!!

Are you in?

Streetlight Corner Prank

Do you ever wonder how observant you are? I sometimes pride myself in noticing even the smallest thing in almost everything...but what I saw a few weeks ago (yes, it's taken me forever to post about this) completely floored me.

Imagine this: You're driving down the road, the same route you take to & from work every day. You come to a stoplight (since when do you get to actually go through it w/o stopping?!) that is usually complete with a homeless person (nothing reminiscent of someone you'd see in "Trading Places", way too clean!) and signs littering the streetlight poles like ants on a half-eaten piece of candy. This is normal. This is routine. Ordinarily mundane. But this day...was different.

This particular day, there were no signs, no homeless people, & definitely no Eddie Murphy! Instead, I see a mailbox atop a long pole that has been fixed to the streetlight pole on the corner, making it appear taller than the streetlight itself. The box is open, flag down, & the words "AIR MAIL" are painted on the side. I can't help but laugh at this pure genius prank against my town, especially in a place that is always so riddled with traffic that you wonder how they pulled it off! I mean, something like this would never get by me if I were driving by; so how do so many cops go by & not stop the perps playing pranks!? (nice use of alliteration, no?) Well, needless to say, it didn't stay there long. I was hoping it would just those that aren't very observant would have plenty of opportunity! Apparently someone else thought differently. Oh well.

As small and simplistic this "prank" was, it totally brightened my day. Thank you, Prankster, for allowing me a laugh after a long and tiring day! Sweet. I wish I could have gotten a picture of it, but I was too busy laughing to think that far in advance. Sorry, readers, I'll try harder next time. This all makes me wonder if Eddie Murphy would have thought of it & been able to pull it off...Hollywood road trip anyone?

Negative

Update for those who are interested:

Today was the day to take the pregnancy test...apparently my eggo ain't prego. I tried to give it my all...okay, so I slipped up a little this past month, but I really did make most attempts to do what I'm supposed to.

I won't lie to myself...there's no point in trying to do that. I am disappointed, but I'm not completely down & out. I know that when it's time, it's time, & it'll happen. If it's not meant to be, then, well, eventually a nice Christian doctor will tell me so & we'll start raising money to adopt.

Anyway, thought I'd let you know. Hmmm. It just occurred to me, that I'm probably the only one that will read this. Do me a favor, if you read this post, please comment. Thank you!

Good Music Recommendation

Have you ever heard a song that's made you stop, nearly cry, & then exclaim loudly, "WHAT IS THAT?!?!?!?! I must have it!!!"? Wellllll, I had that moment about a week ago & so now 'I just HAVE to tell you about it!!!'

I officially have 2 albums of Hayley Westenra's gorgeous voice! Now, I know what you're thinking: She's a singer...so it's what, pop, classical, jazz? No. =) Hayley Westenra is a bit like a mix between Charlotte Church & Josh Groban -- in that she's young & female & she sings really well. Born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1987, she began her musical journey at the age of 6, even though her family history is filled with music: Grandmother sang & Grandfather played piano & piano accordian. She recorded her professional demo album at 12 years of age & within a year, she was picked up by a label. Seriously...that's amazing. Really!

Anyway, you should pick up a copy of one of Hayley Westenra's albums if you even half-like the artists I've compared her to...especially if you think Enya is any good (I don't think her music is that great but her talent is worth mentioning).

I wonder if I write to her & tell her I'm her #1 fan if she'll do an album of duets with me. =)

Use the Buddy System!

So I was reading through the owner's manuals for our new swimming pool (above ground, 18', in case you were about to ask) & it referred me to the Filter-Pump manual...okay, I get it, read that & then continue on. I read through until I came to the page w/the sign in the landscape direction that said "post this warning near your pool." Made sense to me until I read it:

DANGER -- NO DIVING OR JUMPING -- SHALLOW WATER
DIVING MAY RESULT IN PERMANENT INJURY OR DEATH

• Be Safe. Swim with a friend. (I'm not kidding, capital S on safe!!!)
• Children must be accompanied by an adult. (Really? Common sense is apparently hard to come by these days!)
• Don't swim when using alcohol or drugs. (Okay, if you're dumb enough to be on drugs/drinking near water & not know the consequences, then maybe you deserve whatever happens to you?!)
• Be familiar with the pool before swimming. (It's an 18' ROUND pool ABOVE GROUND!!! How much more familiar do you want us to be?!?!?!)
• No running, jumping, or horseplay in or around pool. (There goes my exercise regime & the whole point for getting the pool!)
• No glass in pool area. (Alright, if you think that I'm going to bring a glass into the pool, that's one thing, but keeping glass out of the backyard, doubtful!)

TO AVOID SERIOUS INJURY ALL POOL USERS MUST KNOW AND FOLLOW THESE SAFETY RULES. (Doesn't that defeat the point of rule numbers 1 & 2?!)

And in big letters on the bottom of the page:

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

The writers of this manual obviously don't know me...DUH!!! I don't tend to throw anything remotely important away. I won't be keeping it for this sign, though! haha Does anyone post these things anyway? And what water level is considered DEEP? If I'd never thought of diving into a shallow pool as a great suicide option, I know it now...NOT that I'd consider it, my brain just kind of flows in that direction sometimes...but I'd never go through with it. So my question now is this: How in the world do I work the goofy Filter-Pump?!

Just read: Additional safeguards - Learn to swim. Nuff' said.

Be Jealous, if you want to.

My hubby is the greatest. No really, he is. Sure he has his flaws, but some people might say that they're great things...well, depending on who you are, I suppose.

Meet Josh. He's 2 years younger than I am, but he's a smart little whipper-snapper! Josh & I met through a friend (roommate at the time) because we were stood up by some other guys on St. Patrick's Day. The 2 of us (roomy & I) being Irish, had to find something to do or someone to hang out with knowing that sitting at home was not an option. She called Josh, whom she bowled with, and he was there in a matter of minutes. We went to a movie, then back to the apartment & spent the next several weeks talking (nearly non-stop) in person & on the phone. I loved spending time with him, but was on a dating hiatus...it just wasn't an option.

I didn't know it then, but I was totally falling for him. He'd already fallen for me...but only Grandma saw that. So after showing some guts doing karaoke (that's the last time ever) & staying away from me for a week...& then about a month (while I dated someone else...stupid me anyhow!) I decided that there was nobody better. The Lord was really faithful in showing me that! After a few months of praying, we decided that the search was over & the rest, as they say, (who are they, by the way) is history! Isn't he cute?

So what makes him the greatest, you ask? Well, mostly for who he is...& then for who he's not. What he does helps, too! Like what? Oh...let me make just a short list for you gals & then you can make your standards list & see what you're missing out on! Guys, you have to live up to this!

1. Rubs my feet or back w/o my having to ask for it



2. Picks up after me (not that he has to!)



3. Listens to me whining about everything I choose to whine about



4. Cleans out the litter boxes & feeds the kitties when I've fallen asleep



5. Takes care of my car (even cleans it out once in awhile (now if I could convince him to keep it washed!))



6. Sweeps the floors (mostly)



7. Does the dishes (but that's b/c he doesn't wash them when he puts them in the sink!)



8. Keeps me entertained - whether that's making me laugh, or finding a movie to do so



9. Consoles me when I'm upset



10. Plays nice w/my friends, even when I won't return the favor



11. Goes to church (even w/me)



12. Tries really hard not to get mad at work (& even harder to leave it there)



13. Loves my family as much (if not more) than his own



14. Surprises me w/little things all the time (recently, he teased me saying that he bought Little Caeser's Pizza for the guys at work.......then told me that he brought home a whole cheese pizza just for me! I ate 2 slices, he ate the rest...oh well! It was a nice thought!)



15. He's really cute



16. He practices good hygiene



17. He loves me...even when I'm being really mean or throwing a fit...or having a mental breakdown!

How could I NOT love him!?!?! Yeah, you'd love him, too...admit it.

Blogging Haikus

Blogging is a joy
It calms the mind and body
Write about it all.
Typing can be fun
It warms up all your fingers
Keyboards are our friends.
Imagine dreaming
What if they all came to life
Post about your dreams.

Going Green?

It seems that everywhere I look these days, someone or something is urging me to become more eco-friendly, more Earth-loving, more GREEN. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand the benefits of being green, but do the costs really even out? I don't have the facts & details from researching, but from personal experience it seems that the eco-friendly options are always way more expensive than the alternative. Granted, saving the earth would seem to be worth anything, right? But those of us in the lower-middle class income seem to have a harder time paying more for items we need and those that we can't necessarily make work for us again. I mean, yeah, turning disposed food & stuff into compost for the yard, I can understand doing that. Recycling into several containers when I don't have enough room for a trash can? A little harder to do. Again, don't get me wrong, I'm all for being green...but the motivation is lacking. Do you ever feel pressured to go green? Do you feel like the media is making too much of it all at once? Please comment on this post & tell me what works best for you.

New Semi-Favorite Store

Over the last few months, it seems that I have plateaued in my weight gain just enough to need to overhaul my wardrobe. After a weekend-long shopping trip w/my friend, The Fashionista, I decided that I had a grip on what I needed to continue searching for. The last several Fridays, I have made a trip to Burke's just to see if there was something that might perk my interest...boy was there ever! In the last few weeks, I've purchased 2 shirts for work (following uniform guidelines), 2 dressier blouses, a pair of sandals, some trouser socks and footies with padding for wearing with pumps, a new swimsuit for the summer and a few other items for my husband. Believe me yet?

Burke's Outlet's website has this to say about the products they carry:

Customers can find brand name apparel and accessories for the entire family at up to 70% off department store prices. In addition most stores carry shoes, home furnishings, gifts, and toys. Our stores are designed to serve customers of all ages and income levels. We pride ourselves in offering great assortments at great prices everyday.

I've purchased items that were originally in the $40 range for less than $20...and ended up saving more due to the day I shopped on!

One really great thing about Burke's is the opportunity for so many discounts! They have a discount for the "Monday Club" (15% discount for those 50 years old & up that shop on Mondays) and another one for the "Friday Club" (15% discount for those 49 & younger that shop on Fridays (my category)). The savings don't end there! Burke's also offers a Frequent Shopper card that gets a hole-punch for every $10 you spend redeemable after $200 (a completed card) for 20% off the entire purchase (up to $500). They'll even discount already discounted items, like Clearance! I love this place! Burke's Outlet Stores offer so many great savings opportunities that it makes you wonder if it could get any better...well, it can: They have a credit card & gift cards available, as well!!! I know what I'm putting on Santa's Wishlist this year.

Currently operating in 11 United States, you might be out of luck if you live north of the Mason-Dixon line! They're only closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Days, so if you have a long holiday, take a road trip to Burke's Outlet Stores...you won't regret it, I know I haven't!