Coin Bears

I don't think I've shared this before, but I'm a member of the Coin Bear Collectors Club. I get the little boxes every month or so and my credit card gets charged, but I never open it all up and make sure that I'm getting or have gotten all the right things. The main reason for this is because I don't have any room to display my coin bears. Once I get all 50, I'll have to get the little glass case and by that time I should have my own place to display my collection.

Why I started this, I'm not sure. But the bears are cool. They come in the order that each state joined the union. So each bear is the state's color, it has the number on it's one foot, the new quarter in the other foot, a picture of the state and the date it joined the union on the leg.

I also got the European Union bears and since I am a member, I've gotten the Sacagawea & Pomp and Bear Claus bears for free.

Don't be jealous and NO I'm not selling them to you so don't even ask. :)

So today, I decided to go to my storage garage and find the bin with all the boxes along with all the boxes that I have in my room and take inventory on what I have.

Here is a picture of all the boxes.


Before packing them all up, I took a picture of my collection thus far. I've gotten 33 of the 50 state bears. Wow how time flies, I can't believe I'm over half way there. :)

Gift Cards

I had another tasting today of Barefoot Bubbly Champagne. This is the last tasting that I have signed up for. I guess if I want to make some money I need to hit the website and see if there is anything in my area for January.

Last night when I went downtown to see what good stuff Borders had to use my gift cards on I'm glad that I first printed out a copy of my Amazon.com wish list because the prices on Amazon.com are alot better than those at Borders. I ended up getting Dr. Phil's new book, Love Smart, DON'T LAUGH, and Becoming Real by Gail Saltz. Since Dr. Phil's book is new it was 30% off and I thought Becoming Real was a better price, but after coming home, I realized that my price was for the hardcover and I bought the paperback for like a buck cheaper. OH WELL.

What I did realize was that Borders.com is powered by Amazon.com and you can use your gift cards on Borders.com. The only downside is that you can only use 1 gift card per order. So I had a little over $13 left on one gift card and placed an order on Borders.com for that one. Then Amazon.com offered me a free 3 month trial of their free 2nd day shipping so I got free shipping on top of it. Then I placed another order to use up my $10 gift card and once again got shipping for free. I just need to remember to cancel the shipping offer before March 29th so I don't get charged for it.

PLUS, with my purchases at Borders, I got a 30% off coupon on my receipt so I'm going to go to Borders next week to use the remaining cents on my gift cards and save 30%. I made sure that all my Borders.com purchases showed a savings of over 30% so I got the best deal possible and I've already got my list to choose from of books that have a less than 30% savings on Amazon.com. I'm telling you, you have to know how to make the system work for you. :)

I also used one of my Starbucks gift cards in Chicago for a vente peppermint hot chocolate made with soy milk, but of course with the whip cream on top. It was only $4.02. Can you believe that they wouldn't give me the 98 cents back so now I have 98 cents on a gift card and another one for $5.

As a whole, I really am anti-gift cards. Just get me a present or give me the cash. Gift cards just end up being a pain in the ass sometimes. They can also be a rip off. My mom gave both my brother and I Chili's gift cards that she had received (apparently last year) and I'm glad that I called up the number on the back of all the cards to check the balance because it was zero. It was a $10 gift card but after a year, they deduct $2 every month. Tell me, how can THAT be legal. You paid for the damn gift card. It should be just like money. How can that expire? Just another reason why I'm anti-gift card.

I told my brother to check his balance and I asked my mom if she had bought them or not. I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't a mistake and she felt horrible that she gave me a bum gift card. I guess that is a lesson not to re-gift. LOL

Anyways after I got home from downtown last night and placed all my book orders, I decided to do a little inventory and I really think I need to stop buying books and start reading the ones that I have.

Here is my stack of books that I still need to read.


Stack one got a little too high so I had to form another stack. After I've learned all I need to know about politics and history, I'll move on to self-help and enlightenment.


Then there are still the books on my shelf that I have yet to read. I really don't know why I bought all those Chicken Soup for the Soul books, but since I'm way past my teenage years, I think it is safe to say that I won't be reading Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul or any of the others at this point. Or if I do, it will be the very last of my unread books. Then there are all my books on marketing, the entertainment industry, and marketing in the entertainment industry.


After I've read all of these, my goal is to get and read all of Oprah's Book Club Selections. I've already read 1 or 2, but I have the rest on a separate Amazon.com wish list. :)

I wonder how long it will take me to read all of these. Should it be one of my New Year's Resolutions to catch up on all my reading. LOL I think I would have to cut TV, Blogs, and my computer out all together of my life in order to accomplish that goal.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

If this is my last post until the end of 2006, you know I've taken this resolution seriously.














Talk to you tomorrow! = )

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday. We celebrate Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family. I decided to make a few extra bucks so I worked at a liquor store only about 10 minutes away from my aunt's house and sampled X-Rated Liqueur. Some people gave me some wierd looks and one guy thought he was funny and asked if my mom knew what I was doing? Whatever buddy, I'm only here for 3 hours, have a sample or move on. Ho Ho Ho! :)

I wasn't in a very good mood when I got there since according to yahoo maps it was only suppose to take me 30 minutes to get there. With holiday traffice, I left an hour ahead of schedule and it took me about the whole hour to get there. Then I couldn't find the place. I guess it didn't help that they said they were 6001 (or something) and they were actually 6000 so I was looking at the wrong side of the street. That PLUS the name that the sampling company gave me was not the name on the outside of the store. So I got to the store a little late and told them I would stay a little later. So instead of 1 to 4pm, I was there until around 4:30pm. Then I was off to my aunt since everyone was gathering there at 3:30 and hoped to eat around 4:30pm.

When I walked in the door, my aunt made me a strawberry daquarri and the holiday spirit started to fill me up. Unfortunately my dad wasn't feeling up to going out so my mom and dad stayed home and my brother and I represented the family. That was kind of annoying because both of us drove separately and had to be our own designated drivers. :)

Christmas day in the morning we always open up our presents and then go to some friends' house for an early dinner. Once again my dad still wasn't feeling very well, but this time my mom came along and just left early and brought dinner home to my dad. My dad said he had a headache for the past 5 days and I couldn't figure out why until one of our friend's suggested that it was vicadin withdrawal since he stopped taking it about a week ago and hasn't really been taking any pain killers because he claims they don't work.

We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow so hopefully they will tell him that he can start putting weight on his leg and we can move on to physical therapy or something.

Well my mom just yelled up that my dad is ready for me to change his bandages so I'm off.

My Holiday Update

Happy Holidays!

Everybody seems to send out letters this time of year updating friends and family on what has happened in their lives over the last year. I guess mine could be one sentence, but I’ll lengthen it up a bit.

We rang in 2005 with my aunt and cousins from Germany. It was great seeing them all again since after living with them for a year, I was starting to miss them. After the holidays and everyone went back home, I started my journey looking for a full-time job. I might have been a little too narrow, but I sent resumes for all the entertainment marketing jobs in Chicago and heard back from no one.

As I was then half-heartedly looking for a full-time job, I also started volunteering for a documentary called Journey to Peace. I initially was interested in their marketing volunteer position, but since they are still in the process of raising funds to shoot the documentary, there really isn’t much to market just yet. So I have been helping out where I can and have been updating their Producer’s Journal (a.k.a. Blog) on their website. It has been really interesting to see the film process from the very beginning.

Along with volunteering, I was also working for a temp agency and doing some consulting work throughout the year. I decided to put a halt on the job search when another cousin from Germany came to visit us this summer for 6 weeks. Once again it was nice to see her and when I wasn’t busy with my consulting work, I would go on day trips with her throughout the Midwest. I took her up to Madison one day and showed her around the campus and we both had fun shopping in all the little stores up and down State Street.

Then after my cousin left, we got an invitation for another cousin’s wedding in Germany in August. I then decided that since I didn’t have a full-time job yet, I might as well take an extended vacation and go to Germany for a month and experience another German wedding. So I left for Germany at the end of July and my parents joined me for the last 2 weeks (poor working folk don’t get a month off).

So after my much needed vacation, I decided to start looking for the full-time work once again. Things hadn’t been going so well and since my funds were starting to run out, I decided to start temping again in the mean time. I also got a contact from a former Brown-Forman co-worker and started doing in-store tastings for a company called Premiere Tastings. They are hired by suppliers and distributors to send people into grocery and liquor stores to distribute samples to customers. So far I’ve done beer, wine, liquor, and Champaign. It has actually been a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed the interaction with the people. Everyone is surprisingly nice when you are giving away free alcohol.

Unfortunately I started the tastings the weekend before Halloween and started temping again on Halloween which was the same day that my dad shattered his ankle when he fell off a ladder while working on our roof.

So Halloween was my one and only day back temping and my new job is nursemaid for the time being. My dad is doing a lot better now. He got the 4 external pins taken out of his leg a couple of weeks ago and he is now in a boot. It has been interesting seeing what all they can do to rebuild an ankle. I’ve got a nice collection of pictures and a homevideo of the pin removal, but I won’t gross everyone out in my holiday update. However, if your interested, send me an email and I’ll attach them.

So now the holiday season is fast approaching once again and it is time for me to start making my goals for the New Year. I am extremely thankful that my dad’s ankle was the only thing that he injured, but I can’t wait for him to be back up on his feet so I can go back to work. Well back to temping until I find that full-time job. When it looks like the time is near, I’m going to start sending out my resume once again to not only entertainment companies (television and film), but to all major corporations in Chicago so I can gain any kind of marketing experience and slowly start working my way up that corporate ladder once again. I've already taken the first step by getting my own business cards.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and happy new year.

The Future of Food

Hi Everybody,

I know I've been a real slacker lately and haven't posted anything in a while, but I will post more later. I just wanted to let you know that I just saw a great documentary called the Future of Food. Of course, I downloaded it off the Internet, but click on the link above to find out how you can get a copy or watch it.

It basically exposes what is going on in the agriculture community in this country. It shows how companies are buying up patents on genetically altered food and how that is affecting farming in this country. I just really simplified it, but it really is a good documentary.

Here is what I got out of it:

1. We should not be issuing patents for living organisms.
2. We need labels on our food that tell us whether or not things have been genetically altered.
3. I personally am going to start buying only organic food so I know that it is safe.

2 Month Anniversary

Today is the 2 Month Anniversary of when I started working out. According to Dr. Oz from Oprah, I now have a healthy heart. :)

I really do feel alot better and I'm gradually starting to see muscles firm up. My original goal was to go to the gym Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. My new goal is to go Monday thru Friday, but just spend less time there each trip. With all the stress from the holidays and just being in the house, it really does feel good to have a release and just run and sweat all that stress right out of you. I don't know if it is the lack of oxygen to the brain or what, but when I'm trying to keep up with that treadmill at 8 mph, I don't have a care in the world. Except for my 60 seconds to be up because that is about how long I can keep up at that pace. :)

Plus I'm thinking that going everyday ought to make up for the obscene amount of Christmas cookies that I've been eating lately. My mom really needs to start storing them someplace other than the kitchen table because everytime I go downstairs I end up eating some. I guess after I meet my goal of going to the gym everyday, I'll have to work on that self control.

Hope everybody is having a relaxing Sunday.

Memory Lane

I was browsing through the pictures on my computer today and found a whole bunch of them from our company awards meeting back in 2003.

The meeting was at the end of June 2003. At this point, I had already given my notice and everyone knew that I was leaving the company in July to spend a year in Germany, but I still decided to go to the awards meeting so I could see everyone one last time including all my friends from the Southern Division (where I used to work in Atlanta).

A good time was had by all, especially me, and you can tell as the night goes on and the drinks start flowing more freely. I believe after all the dancing a group of us all went to the strip club in town. But THAT is a story for another day. :)

I'm uploading the pictures on Flickr as I type.

Car Maintenance

I just picked my car up from the shop. I dropped it off last night for them to do the 60,000 mile maintenance checkup. I brought in my little sheet that I got off the Ford website and they said they would look everything over. I ended up needing new front brakes, a tuneup, and transmission service. $580 later and my car is as good as new.

I really didn't feel like paying $580, but I guess it is better to keep the maintenance up before something really expensive goes wrong. Hopefully my car won't need anything else until the 75,000 mile mark.

I still have another 100 miles before I need another oil change so we'll see how long I can drag that one out. I guess that is one good thing about not having to drive to work (or anywhere else for that matter) everyday.

Update

Well after my snow shoveling on Thursday night, I wasn't in the best of moods the next couple of days and didn't want to bring everyone down with my negative blog entires. However, I am feeling much better today. So now with the gift of time, I can fill you in on my weekend.

On Friday I woke up after noon (as usual) in time to clean up a little before my parent's pastor came by to give my dad communion. I let her in and then proceeded up to my room as usual. She seems like a nice girl (I say girl because she is younger than I am and I don't usually refer to myself as a woman), but I really could care less what she has to say in the religious sense. She stayed over an hour and it was time for me to get ready for my sampling gig so I hopped in the shower. When I was in the bathroom getting ready, I heard the front door close so I assumed she had left, but then I still heard her talking downstairs. Apparently she doesn't like to just pour the communion wine down the drain and always likes to pour it out on the ground or grass or something so that is what I heard. At any rate I went down to make myself lunch and my dad something to eat before I left. Luckily she left as I was heating everything up. Then I was out the door for my 4 hour sampling gig. I felt a little stiff when I woke up (from the previous night's snow shovelling), but I took an extra hot shower and figured all was well. Until about 2 hours into work ... don't get me wrong, it isn't a hard job, but if your not used to standing for 4 hours at a time, your feet and lower back start to hurt and couple that with your upper back starting to hurt and it makes for an unpleasant work experience. By the time I got home, it hurt to take my sweater off and I went straight to bed.

Then on Saturday, I woke up and felt about the same and had 2 tastings to go to. So after 8 hours on my feet, I once again went straight to bed and slept for over 12 hours. I guess I needed it.

Yesterday, my back was starting to feel a little better, but still wasn't 100% so I decided not to go to the gym. My mom is starting to come down with a cold and of course everyone in the house had to hear about it. When I told her I didn't want to catch any of her germs, I think she got offended and went up to her room and stayed there for most of the day. I wasn't complaining of course because I would rather have the virus contained in her bedroom as opposed to throughout the house.

Then last night my dad asked me to print some stuff for him on the internet when the strangest thing happened. We have a wireless router in the house and my printer is on our network. When I plugged my printer into my laptop to print out the stuff, I started getting some stuff from MSN. I was like what the heck. I thought maybe the website was printing out some advertisement before my file. Then I opened up my printer and saw a whole bunch of stuff and the user was a guest. I still found this strange and deleted everything and tried to print again. Then someone's resume came out. Apparently one of my neighbors is using our wireless internet connection and was inadvertantly printing to my network printer. IDIOTS. I feel like putting their name, address, phone numbers, and email address right up here because I got it all off the resume that was spewing out of my printer, but I'll resist. Only because that would give my location away as well. :)

So then the rest of my night was consumed with securing our network. I put a password on it, but then every so often my connection would time out and then reconnect so that got old quickly. It is annoying especially when you are logged onto AOL and keep getting booted off. Then after getting rid of the hacker, I realized that all of a sudden I'd lost about 10gigabytes of free space on my computer. I knew I hadn't downloaded THAT much stuff recently so I started uninstalling stuff and finally when I deleted everything out of my temp folder, I got the 10 gig back. I wish I would have done that first because then I had to reinstall my programs again.

That leads us to today. The big day! My dad FINALLY got his pins out today. Of course, I charged up my video camera battery again last night and filmed the entire thing. The doctor gave us the contraption back and my mom decided to grab the pins too (because we paid for them). So I got some pictures of the pins before she cleaned them off too. I will post some video later on when I get a chance to load it on my computer and then onto the internet. My dad is now in a boot (he really didn't want a cast) so we can continue to put his herbal remedies on his leg. Now I have to put benodine on the pin holes twice a day and change the dressings until further notice. We have another appointment next Tuesday so hopefully things will be healed up pretty much by then. Unfortunately my dad says the boot (which was suppose to set at 90 degrees, but we couldn't quite get there this first day) is more uncomfortable and heavier than the other contraption. Granted he said he was happy to have the pins out, but he still isn't very comfortable.

What can you do? I guess the fact that we are progressing into different contraptions is a good sign. I'll put the pictures up on Flickr in a couple of minutes.

Tonight I figured out how to only allow certain computers access to our network so I've gotten all of our household computers on there and removed the security password so hopefully that will restrict access to our internet and printer and won't cause the timeouts that I was getting before.

Shoveling Snow

I just got inside from shoveling our driveway.

There must have been over 6 inches out there and it is still snowing. At first I was going to get the snow blower out but my mom said it was too late so I started with the shovel. Then my brother came out and I asked him to see if he could get our snow blower started. After playing for maybe 5 minutes, he said it wouldn't start and then went back inside. Thanks alot Buddy!

Now it's 10:30 (I started around 9) and he is already in bed. That is just to avoid my wrath I think. My back is killing me. But at least everyone will be able to get out of the driveway tomorrow, including me. I have another tasting gig tomorrow afternoon. Gotta make some money!

Maybe I should get a new snow blower with my next paycheck.

Damn Doctors

We just got back from the doctor's office and I'm exhausted. They took x-rays and then the doctor came in and said they didn't get a good look at his ankle so then he went in for some more x-rays and then the doctor came in and said everything is healing great, BUT he can't take the contraption off today because he needs to get the wrenches from the manufacturer! WTF!

So now we have to come back on Monday to get the contraption off and the pins out. The doctor claimed that he didn't know if he was going to be able to remove the pins and needed to see the x-rays first so he didn't order the wrenches yet. What sense does that make? This was a waste of a visit. OH now on Monday we don't have to get x-rays before the pin removal? Who cares? We've known for over 2 weeks that there was a good possibility that his bones would be healing well enough to get the contraption off and they should have planned ahead. It's called customer service.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I think I'm taking it worse than my dad although he was really looking forward to it. He was disappointed when they said 2 1/2 weeks last time and now he has to deal with the thing another 4 days. I think I'm just cranky because I had to get up at 9 and only got what 4, 5 hours of sleep tops. In other words, as soon as this is posted, I'm taking a nap.

Derailed

I went to the movies last night after my mom got home and saw Derailed. Not only was it good to get out of the house for a little while, but it was also a great movie. Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen were both great in it. I highly recommend it.

My dad also finally gave in and took the new medication and slept through the night like a baby. So all is well once again in the H household. :) Tomorrow is the big day when my dad gets the pins out of his leg. We still don't know what they are going to do from there, but we'll find out soon enough. I don't know why I agreed to a 10:30am doctor's appointment when I don't roll out of bed until after noon. I finally got my dad on my schedule (to bed at 4, up around 12 or 1) and now we have a doctor's appointment.

I've been busy this evening charging my batteries. Do you think they will let me film the removal of the pins? I'm thinking it will make for great home movies around Christmas. :)

Starting to Lose It

I feel myself loosing my patience lately. When I say lately, I mean the last week or so. I don't know if I'm starting to go stir crazy or what, but it is starting to get to me. I know one of you said it weeks ago, I think it might have been Inger and your right. Don't get me wrong, my dad is great and I know he can't help it that he really can't do anything, but it's starting to get to me none the less. I figure if I just write about it and get it out of my system, it might help.

I just feel like I'm the only one who has to do everything around here. I know it isn't true because my mom is the one that does all the cooking and I know that I'm not out working all day, but I'd rather be. At least that way I would be making some money and I wouldn't have to constantly be checking the tasting website to see if there is a tasting in my area that I could do on the weekends to make some extra money to cover my bills and buy Christmas presents. I know with my little spending spree over the weekend it wouldn't think that I have money troubles, but I think I just needed to go out and spend some money. It made me feel better for a little while. :)

My mom tries her little part by telling everyone what a great nurse I am, but that is starting to get on my nerves too. For example, I went out to the post office to check my dad's PO Box and had to run to the jewelry store to drop off my cousin's x-mas present (I'm her godmother and since her Baptism, I've added a pearl or 2 to a necklace that will hopefully be complete by her 18th birthday). Then I went to the gym. It seems like whatever I do during the day, I rush though. I need to get out, but I feel guilty when I'm away from the house for too long just in case my dad needs something. I was surprised when I got back to the house yesterday and my mom wasn't home yet. So I made my dad some dinner and then thought I could relax when my mom comes in and says when she paid the bill at the surgeon today, she told him that my dad was having a hard time sleeping so they gave him a perspcription for something to help him sleep. Then she hands me the slip. It's like WTF? Why didn't you drop it off at the pharmacy on your way home. Why does any extra shit that has to be done, fall on my lap? Then she's like well I just got home. I was like I just got home too and still need to shower if you can't tell. :) But nooooooooo, here I go off again to the frigin pharmacy. Not like its far, but its friggin cold outside and not to be petty but its my mom's car that gets the garage.

Then my dad's like make sure you ask them if it is okay for me to take this with my vicadin. So I go there a little before 8 and of course the pharmacist says it won't be ready until 9pm (it didn't look THAT busy). So I figured I would go and get some gas in Indiana. My usual gas station had prices at $2.25. I was like WTF? I paid $2.05 last time I went to get gas. The other day when my mom and I went on our shopping spree, I drove a different way and passed a PB that was cheaper than the rest and my mom said they are always cheaper so I went there last night as well. What did I pay, $2.25. Bastards! Then of course when I got home and told my mom, she was like OH I paid $2. All you had to do was go the other way and that gas station is always cheaper. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! She always does shit like this. One day this is the cheapest the next day that one is. OH you should have told me you were getting gas and I would have let you know. I really didn't knwo I was getting gas until the 1 hour wait and that was a waste too because I got home and still had 45 minutes to waste.

Then at 9, I go to pick up the medication and deliver the news. My mom and I told my dad to take one around 10pm since he was already falling asleep in the chair so he could sleep through the night. But noooooooooo, it was too early. So then I come down around midnight and asked if he took one and then he says maybe I should have taken one earlier because now I think it is too late. WTF? He said he read the thing and it says you should take it at the same time every day. I also read the thing that came with it and it says it is for people with epilepsy OR those that have pain due to nerve damage (what he has) and it says you should take it at the same time every day to help you remember to take it. Then he tells me that he is nervous and if this stuff makes him more nervous, he doesn't know what he'll do. I told him that I doubted a medication that they give to people with epilepsy would make you nervous, but he didn't want to try. Then I lost it slightly and said I don't know why I had to run out and get this tonight, if you don't even want to take it. His polite response was that he appreciated my help. WHATEVER!

So today when I went downstairs and asked how he slept and he said not well, well I don't have any sympathy anymore. Maybe he'll take a god damn pill tonight.

I know I'm writing a novel today, but it really does feel good to get it out there so I'll continue.

Then last night my brother comes home around 10pm because after his second to last final he decided to relax and go see a movie. MUST BE NICE! I understand that he works and goes to school, but it wouldn't kill him to help out a bit too.

Then when my mom told me to MOVE and I politely told her that the proper phrasing of that is would you please move, my brother says how everyone is sick of my attitude. I felt like saying Fuck You! What right do you have to say anything about my attitude when you just got home like you do every night. You go out with your friends, go to dinner, or go see a movie almost every night and get it the house in time to grab something to eat and go to bed to complain that my TV is too loud. Then on the weekends when you have no excuse, you always have plans as well. Saturday went out at night and didn't come home till early in the morning and then leave again Sunday afternoon until midnight. My mom already works Monday thru Saturday so Sunday is the only day that I can leave freely so someone is here with my dad and he is constantly taking off.

I already told him a couple of times that he needs to keep his weekends free because when I have a tasting (to make some money), he needs to be here. Then he makes plans with my aunt and uncle to go downtown next Saturday to see the lights and all the nice windows in the city. I told him that he needed to change it to Sunday since mom is working and I have 2 tastings. Then he's like we'll see. Fuck you, we'll see. Just do it and make a contribution to this family. WTF?

Sorry for my foul language this afternoon, but I can't help it. I do feel better getting it out there into the ether though. Hope your day is going better than mine! :)

Merry Christmas to ME

What a night! First my brother and I saw the 6:30pm playing of Rent at our local movie theatre. They have a promotion where if you bring in a Netflix envelop, you get buy one, get one movie ticket free. Put that on top of the fact that both of us still have a college ID and we both saw rent for $7.25.

I really liked it and it was all new to me since I never saw the play. My brother said he had the same problems with it that he did with the play. Whatever that means?

Before we went to the movies, I was online and saw on AOL's Welcome screen that Kohl's was having a Shop Night Owls tonight from 3pm - Midnight and Shop Early Birds tomorrow from 6am - 1om. Since we know I am more of a Night Owl than an Early Bird, when my brother and I got back from Rent at around 9pm, I made myself a Chicken Cordon Bleu and then announced that I was going to Kohl's around 10pm. My mom was like right now? I was like, yeah, you wanna come? She said yes, but she was still in shorts from bathing my father so I told her to hurry and we were off to Kohl's.

This is where the Merry Christmas to Me comes in because I only bought stuff for myself and spent an OBSCENE amount of money. BUT everything was on sale.

I got 3 sweaters.

A pair of boots. Regular $49.99, I got 'em for $19.99. And some black socks.


Then I saw this lovely leather jacket. I thought this would be nice for spring/fall. Not too warm, yet fashionable. Regular $225, I got 60% off and only paid $90.


Then I saw this lovely leather jacket and decided to get it too. This is a longer one so I thought it would be nicer for when its a little colder. Regular $250, and once again I saved 60% and only paid $100.

I don't like to dwell on what I spent, but really revel in everything that I saved. Plus my mom suggested that we go to the store in Indiana so I even saved on tax.

When we first got into the store, my mom and I split up and I thought I would get a new purse too. Luckily I decided to look around first and good thing I did because I didn't have enough money with me for a purse. (See at least I was responsible and didn't go charging stuff with money that I didn't have.) Now my mom just came in and said I could pick out a purse and it would be part of my Christmas present from Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Oprah on Letterman

What a night!

How about Oprah on Letterman?!? That was a great interview. I thought it was funny that Oprah was so impressed with Dave. Like the man can't be taken seriously. I especially loved the autographed picture that Oprah gave Dave of both Oprah and Uma.

Once the show was over, I went downstairs to check on my dad and he said he messed up his bed. At first I thought he meant he spilled his drink on it and he needed me to change the sheets, but he actually meant that the bed was broken. We are renting a hospital bed for him and the foot end goes up and down to elevate his leg and the head goes up and down to help him sit up to eat, etc. Apparently the head part wasn't going up anymore. So I moved everything and took a look under the bed and we noticed that a big metal rod on laying on the floor along with some other stuff. After spending a couple of minutes checking everything out down there, I saw that the same contraption for the foot end was on the other side. So I took a look at it and figured out how to fix the head portion. I was pretty impressed with myself as was my dad.

Then I continued to grab my midnight snack (my original intention for going downstairs) when my dad asked if I saw Letterman. I told him I did and thought it was great. He said that he just saw the last couple of minutes of it. I told him that I taped it so if he wanted to watch the whole thing, I could go and get it. He said he did so I went to get the tape for him.

Then all of a sudden I couldn't get the VCR to work. I thought it was strange because 1. it was a brand new tape and 2. I just took it out of my VCR, threw it in the rewinder, and brought it down. After ejecting the tape, I noticed that somehow the tape got caught up in the tape. I don't know how the hell it happened, but after just fixing the bed, I was in the mechanical mood. I noticed that there are screws in a video cassette so I went out to the garage to get a screw driver. It took me a little longer to figure out how to put the tape back together than it did the bed, but I finally got the tape working again.

I'm thinking I should rethink my career choice. LOL I could get more business cards printed up. Just call me Jack of All Trades. That ought to broaden my chances of finding something. Don't cha think?