My Stimulus Package

As part of my economic stimulus package I’ve been researching a mortgage refinance. I must say, it’s been two weeks of Hell. I’ve been caught between two different banks, both telling me all the reasons why theirs is the better deal. My head as has been spinning and the stress of locking in or waiting for a better deal was overwhelming. I got to the point where I actually started to wonder if the extra money saved was worth the aggravation.

Also this week, I decided that our cable bill was getting out of control. Sending my least favorite company in the world – wait, Sony is my least favorite so that makes Charter Communications my second least favorite company – nearly $200 a month was making me ill. It was time to cut back so I ditched our movie channels to save $14 a month. Yes, it’s a sacrifice, but Netflix is only $8.00 a month and every little bit helps.

So after making a sacrifice to save less than $10 a month I thought it smart to trudge ahead with the stress of refinancing and I’m glad I did. Two days ago I locked in at 4.75% (& no points) with one of the two banks, and I even got a special deal where if the rates drop further before we close I’ll get the lower rate. This is a huge savings per month for us and now I’m ready to go out and stimulate the economy.

Don’t Be Afraid

The following blog post may frighten you. It scares me!

Last night I made dinner. The end.




Just kidding. Last night I made dinner in one of my new pans. After burning most things on my stove top for the past year, I decided that my cheap TFal pans were not cutting it on our gas stove. There is a big difference cooking on gas compared to electric. Now I never dreamed that I would ever get to the point in my life where I could tell the difference, but all of my dried out and partially burnt rice, despite the fact that I followed the directions to a T (like I always do), told me that something was not right. It was time to invest in some heavier duty pans.

That was when Karlo and I set out to the home stores in search of a new pan. We were both completely shocked and amazed by what we found there. And even more shockingly was the price of what we found. I couldn’t believe how expensive pans were, nor could I believe how HEAVY they could be. Well, I didn’t splurge on the several hundred dollar, wrist breaking pans, but I did get a nice pan with real non-stick coating, and . . . are you ready? I love it. Did I just say that? Don’t tell anyone I said that.

The pan is just heavy enough to stand up to the real flame and the non-stick coating works so good that I’m accidentally sliding the food right out of the pan during cooking. Add to that the fact that I just got some new pampered chef items and I love those too. I had FUN chopping an onion last night. OK, this is getting out of control. I better stop this blog now before I’m responsible for anybody dying from shock.

Now I Want a Duck

Thanks to my friend Jean I’ve become obsessed with getting a pet duck this spring. She sent me the video below last week and I can’t stop thinking about. Karlo thinks this is just a passing phase (like my desire for goats), but I think this one is really going to happen. I’m just picturing Peanut romping around with a duck buddy. I think she would like it and bond with it. I’m hoping Bentley is just too lazy to chase and rip up a duck because that’s all he would want to do. I’m already visualizing building a ‘duck house’ and where to put it. We do have the perfect spot for a pet duck, pond and all. That’s it . . . I’m going to start researching where I can buy a baby duck. I’ll need help picking out a name. It will be a boy duck because they are always prettier. Any name suggestions?

Today's Top 5

I was really looking forward to a weekly Top Five assignment from Lisa, but she's been such a slacker that I have to come up with my own topics. So today's Top 5 is as follows:

Top 5 Reasons Why Greyhounds and I Are So Similar

1. We don't do well in extreme weather situations. Our relatively low body fat makes it hard to endure the cold and makes us overheat in the summer. A typical walk in the winter has Karlo running around with a fleece and no gloves and me and the greyhounds bundled up in our coats and boots, still shivering uncontrollably.
2. We both are self regulating when it comes to food and normally only eat what is required to sustain life. Eating is not such a glorious event that is the highlight of our days, but rather a necessary evil . . . unless, of course, we are talking about treats in place of meals, in which case we both get much more excited.
3. We both have the ability to make it look as though we are in good shape, despite the fact that we've slacked and done nothing but lounging for months. An out-of-shape greyhound or Paula doesn't look much different than an in-shape greyhound or Paula.
4. Neither of us are very fond of leaving the cozy comfort of our home. We sometimes have to be dragged outdoors, but once we get out we have a ball and are glad that we went.
5. Our idea of 'swimming' is getting into the water up to our knees and just sitting there. We have no desire in the world to go to where we can no longer reach the ground and have to float. This is because greyhounds and Paulas can not float!

Playing in the Snow

His and hers snowshoes. And of course I coordinated my boots to my snowshoes.

There’s Nothing Wrong With Aging . . .

If you’re a guy that is. After watching the 78 year old Clint on the big screen and thinking that he was still sexy, it makes me even madder that Sting has lost his mind. What was wrong with Sting’s gray hair? I happened to like it. I found these pictures today and since my eyeballs are still sore from the inaugural ball performance I needed to post these just to soothe my eyes. Notice the gray beard and wrinkles. Notice the tell tale sign of aging (the reading glasses hanging from his neck). There was nothing wrong with this. I’m in mourning that I lost my lifetime idol, my dream icon, my forever favorite. I hope he comes to his senses soon.

A Horrifying Inaugural Ball

Yesterday was the scariest inauguration I ever witnessed. OK, technically it was the only inauguration I ever witnessed, but the scars will remain with me for a long time. The early part of the day was great. I watched Obama take his presidential ‘ooff” and give his excellent speech. It left me, and most of the others crammed into our kitchen at work, with a warm sense of camaraderie and hope that maybe, just maybe, things will change for the better. The day was starting off great.

But later in the evening things took a turn for the worse. We were watching snippets of the Inaugural Ball on TV, mostly trying to see if we could catch a glimpse of Regina and Al. I just assumed they would be there rubbing elbows with the movie stars. Then suddenly to my horror, this is what I see . . .



What on earth is Sting thinking? He looked dreadful and I was completely disgusted. I almost couldn’t sleep last night. How could this happen? And how scary is it that after watching Gran Torino this past weekend I’ve come the shocking conclusion that Clint Eastwood now looks sexier than Sting! I hope Regina was indeed at the ball last night and I hope he ran into Sting and told him that I would NOT approve of his new look.

My New Blogging Buddy

I’m not sure where my work days are going lately, but I’ve been hard pressed to find time to blog. I’m hoping my new ‘blog buddy’ makes it easier for me to write at night. I just traded in my super mini laptop for a slightly less mini laptop. This one has full-sized keys so I can touch type, making blogging from the couch a possibility. Now if it could just make typing less painful I would be all set. My sore fingers are really starting to take the fun out of blogging. If I was smart I would start taking more pictures and let them do the talking. After all a picture is worth a thousand words, right? So in the absence of an interesting topic, and the presence of sore fingers I’ll leave you with these cute shots of the hounds. These were not taken with the new Nikon, but the slightly less new Fuji . . . you remember, the camera I bought specifically to take pictures of the dogs.

A Special Day

Two special people in my life share a birthday today. A big Happy Birthday wish to both Karlo and Regina. Reg, I would have cooked you a birthday waffle too if you were here. You don't know what you missed! Poor Karlo hasn't had much of a birthday so far. His presents were a bust and then it was a lot of work outside with the snow removal. But don't worry, he'll soon be treated to a movie and dinner. This is our once a year trip to the real theater. Oh boy.

While Karlo was outside working I was inside playing with my camera. I uploaded some of my experimental shots and if you would like to see them, you can click here.

Ta Da

I finally took my very first picture with my new DSLR. I wanted it to be special and here it is . . .

Now, I'll never forget my first picture! After getting over the thrill of pushing the shutter release for the first time I opened the flood gates. I ran around the house taking pictures of everything. I will share some of those with you soon. All this clicking of pictures around the house sparked a blog topic. I decided to pick out my favorite part of every room . . .

Master Bedroom - My favorite part of the master bedroom (besides the obvious dreamy and comfy bed) is my full length mirror. I always wanted a full length mirror to dress in front of and this one does double duty. The entire mirror opens up to reveal a jewelry cabinet. Heaven.

Master Bathroom – Nancy will flip because I’m not picking the big whirlpool tub. Yes, it is beautiful, but the truth is I’ve yet to get into it, aside from cleaning it. My favorite part of the bathroom is my vanity table. I feel like such a ‘girl’ sitting there primping . . . usually getting ready to ride a motorcycle, hike, kayak or go play in the dirt. How ironic.

Craft Room - I love everything about my ‘craft’ room but the books are my favorite.

Guest Bedroom - Everyone will think I’m nuts for this one, but I just love the fact that we have a pull-up bar installed without having to install any hardware or damage any woodwork. One hidden perk of a post a beam house.

Guest bathroom – My favorite part of the guest bathroom is the delicious color of the walls. Yes, they are purple!
Useless Wasted Space – I know this isn’t really a room, but since we have an awful lot of it I decided to pick my favorite part. I love to curl up like a cat in this cozy chair in the late afternoons when the setting sun is beaming through the window. I bring a book, but usually don’t last more than 15 minutes before I fall asleep.

Half Bathroom – This sink was the inspiration for the whole bathroom. Never dreamed I would paint the walls a bold blue, but it seems to work. Love, love, love this sink.

Office – My scrapbook table is my favorite part of the office. I couldn't really take a picture of it because it’s always a mess, but I love this little corner of my office. It’s my little piece of scrapbook heaven. I especially love this IKEA wall storage contraption.

Dining room – Karlo is still not happy about this, but my Snoopy plate brings me joy and for the rest of the winter it will be proudly on display in our dining room cabinet.

Sitting Room - Normally my favorite part of this room are the wooden ducks sitting on my simulated 'water.' Impossible to explain and unfortunately to show. The table is now home to a jigsaw puzzle. But it didn't take me long to pick a new favorite. No explanation necessary.


Pool Table Room - This one is just too obvious!

Laundry Room - You would think my favorite part would be the new washer and drier, or the drying rack that I made Karlo drive me all the way to New Haven to buy . . . but my favorite part is this piece of artwork that Lisa made.

Foyer – I can’t possible include a list of all my favorite parts of the house and not include my awesome fish tank. I’m going to call the foyer a room just so I can add my tank that hangs on the wall.

Kitchen - This is a tough one. Do I have a favorite part of the kitchen? Don't be ridiculous. Of course not. I love my kitchen, but nothing stands out as my favorite. Oh wait, the wood stove is technically in the kitchen! That’s my favorite thing in the entire house.

After taking all these (mostly boring) pictures I experimented with the camera for a while. I will be uploading some of those experimental pics later today and I'll share the link real soon.

On My Way

After one of my longest spells of not working out I decided it’s time to get moving again. My rib injury at the end of October put me out of commission for all of November. I finally started to feel better in December, but that was a whirlwind work frenzy that I barely survived. Now it’s a new year and the perfect time to get back into a routine.

Today marks the end of my first week of P90X. That’s right, I’m going through the torture all over again. I’ve been studying my yoga textbooks (in preparation for my teaching certificate) and I learned that the human body starts to decay after the age of 35. Isn’t that a pleasant thought? Good grief. Just the thought of it makes me ill and I decided it’s time to stop reading and start doing.

As if P90X is not enough, I’m doing an extra work out at lunch time. I’m just lovin’ the streaming Netflix workouts right in my office. Just about every day this week I completed two workouts and I can’t believe how great I feel already. It’s incredible how quickly I fall back into the fitness addiction. I went from not doing a darn thing for 3 months and not seeming to care about it, to true guilt if I don’t exercise twice a day. Most of my body parts are sore and that actually makes me very happy. I love to be sore because it’s physical proof that I worked hard.

So I’m on my way to getting back in shape. Unfortunately I’m also on my way to losing the use of my right hand. This cold weather is not helping and my ‘dots’ are getting worse. As long as they stay off the fingertips so I can still type I’ll be happy.

Photography Goals

Last night on Facebook I listed my status as “at a loss for a blog topic.” It is very unusual for me to be topic-less as I never seem to run out of stories to tell. Some Facebook buddies tried to help me out with topic suggestions, one of which was “My Photography Goals for 2009.” So here goes . . .

My biggest goal is to actually press the shutter release button on my new Nikon D60. I’ve fondled and caressed it for hours. I’ve studied most of the users manual and even watched a very cool DVD that Karlo bought me, but would you believe I haven’t actually taken a picture yet? I know it sounds up surd and it truly is. But I feel as though I’m a DSLR virgin and I want the first time to be special. I just can’t bring myself to snapping a picture of the wall. I’m really not an ‘indoor’ photographer. That may be because I’ve never owned a digital camera that can take nice photos indoors. I am definitely much more of an outdoor, nature, landscape, travel photographer and let’s see . . . I haven’t traveled since I got the camera, there isn’t much nature to capture right now, and it’s nearly impossible for me to be outdoors without mittens on.

My cold weather skin affliction is not going away anytime soon so it looks like my only real choice is to suck it up and become an ‘indoor’ photographer this winter. I am going to make it a priority to TAKE A PICTURE this weekend and christen my new baby. My photo blog has been grossly neglected (but I’m still blaming my cousin for that one) and it’s time that I gave it some attention. I need to start focusing on simple objects instead of beautiful landscapes. That sounds much more challenging and might be kind of fun. I would also like to eventually have a portfolio site one of these days. Not sure I’m making it a ‘goal,’ but more of a dream.

I’m Conflicted

It’s Tuesday night and the premiere of American Idol is about to start. I haven’t missed the premiere of American Idol since it started too many years back to remember. My confliction is due to the fact that my favorite show Fringe is also on Tuesday night and I can’t watch both. What am I to do? I spent nearly an hour today trying to research means of recording TV via DVRs. We no longer own a barbaric VCR and I haven’t sprung for Tivo or a DVR through our cable company. After all my research and talking to some techie friends, I discovered that many popular shows are available via the network websites. All you do is go to the site and stream the video on demand. Now granted you can’t watch the episodes until a week or so after they air, but that’s fine by me. I searched around and found that I can watch Fringe and New Adventures of Old Christine (which I love, but I can never remember what day or time it airs) anytime I want. I’m so excited. Now I can peacefully watch American Idol tonight without stressing that I’m missing Fringe. Life is good again.

And life is doubly good since I just renewed our subscription to Netflix. Ever since I discovered that it’s monkey simple to hook a laptop up to our big screen TV I realized how easy it is to watch streaming video from the comfort of our couch. Since Netflix offers many options via instant streaming I couldn’t resist. And boy did it come in handy today. I planned to bring a P90X DVD to the office today for my lunch time workout. Unfortunately I forgot the darn CD on the counter, but Netflix saved the day. In less than 2 minutes I found dozens of workout videos and had one streaming in my office in no time. Now I have a private gym, on demand, right in my office. Love it. The biggest bonus . . . the streaming workouts from Netflix are a LOT easier than P90X and that made my day.

We Didn’t Really Need a New Phone

But this cute red cordless phone was sitting by the checkout aisle at Job Lots and I couldn’t resist. That is precisely the problem with Job Lots–you come home with all sorts of things that you don’t really need and end up spending more money than if you went to a regular store and paid full price for just the items you needed.

But at any rate, I love our new phone and I’m glad we bought it. It’s small, shiny and cute and fits nicely on the counter. The best part is that is has caller ID and this amazing magic “Google 411” button that gives you free directory assistance. You just press the button and an automated robot asks you questions. All you have to do is answer his questions and he instantly gets you the information you need. You don’t have to wait for a rude operator to answer the phone and ask you for the correct spelling. I tested it out and was amazed. I asked for a business name and it not only gave me the phone number, but also the address. It even gave me the option of connecting me directly to the number. And it’s all free. You got to love Google.

I Didn't Cheat, I Swear

I'm having a hard time coming up with blog topics this week. I guess I'm overworked and under-stimulated. And my sinus problems must be effecting my brain's ability to be creative. So in lieu of my musings, I would like to share this quiz that I found online. Anybody that knows me will immediately think I cheated, or at least took the quiz several times to come out with this most perfect conclusion. The quiz was "What Kind of Sweater are You?" and this was my result.

You Are a Turtleneck Sweater

You are sophisticated, streetwise, and even a little cynical. You are quite cultured, and you don't fall for gimmicks or trends easily. You are naturally chic. You have a urban, cosmopolitan style. And you know that the secret to looking good is not trying too hard!

What Kind of Sweater Are You?

Living With a Teenager

Jessica has been visiting this week and it’s remarkable how different life is with a ‘kid’ around the house. OK, maybe she’s not a kid anymore, but I’m certainly feeling a little hipper just having her around. After noon today I’ll hopefully be looking a little hipper too. It must have been Jessica’s influence that made me pick that new hairstyle.

In addition to helping me pick out my new doo, Jess introduced us to something fun (and probably illegal). Did you know that you could watch movies for free right off the internet? This was news to me. There’s a site www.watch-movies.net that lists hundreds of movies, even first run flicks that just opened at the box office, and all you do is click and watch. Two nights ago we hooked a laptop directly to our TV and watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Leave it to Jess to know how to do this. She also introduced me to Limewire years ago and is responsible for my iPod being loaded with free music.

Now shopping with a teenager is a completely different story. I don’t think I’m ready to do that again anytime soon. I don’t have the stamina for it, nor the patience. But I do have to admit, parts of it were rather amusing. For instance Jessica insisted that I try on ridiculous shoes and boots with 6 inch stiletto heels. In my entire life my feet have never touched shoes like that. We had some good laughs as I stood, over 6 feet tall with wobbly legs, complaining that I would tip over and never make it out of the house in them. We argued about the ‘pole dancing’ shoes that she insisted on buying and I even got persuaded to buy some ‘sexy’ boots with heels too high for me. I’ll be thinking about Jessica all day today as the pain from my new blister reminds me of those darn boots.

New Proposed Doo

So far I got the thumbs up on my new proposed hairstyle from Karlo, Jessica, Lisa and my hairdresser. Jess was the first to tell me it was cool, but she’s 19. Then Karlo told me to ‘go for it,’ but he’s also told me to shave my head so I don’t trust him. I knew Lisa would be my voice of reason and even she told me to go for it. Just to be sure I emailed my hairdresser in advance to get her opinion. She loved the look, but questioned whether I was ready to go so short. Now I’m second-guessing myself. I may need more opinions. Would I be crazy to get this cut? Is it too hip, too trendy, too young for me?


Speak now if you think I would be nuts. My appointment is tomorrow. And no, I’m not dying it blonde.

I've Been Slacking

Where exactly did the past four days go? I just can't seem to accept that our four glorious days off are already over. As you can see, by my lack of blogging, I haven't been at the computer much. That is probably a good thing seeing as I was strapped to my computer at home for most of my free time in December. It was a dreadfully busy month for me and dragging myself into my home office is still hard.

In place of having my face in front of a monitor I've had my nose in a book. I decided at the end of 2008 to chase a long-time dream of becoming a certified yoga instructor. Not that I really want to quit my job and change careers . . . like most things I do, I'm doing it for the challenge of it. I think it would be good to have these credentials behind me so I'm just going for it. I'm two weeks into the studying and lovin' it. If you want to learn more I'm documenting some of it on my YogaDudes blog.

Between my new 'homework' and my new toy (a new camera, yes I know . . . ANOTHER new camera) I have too many distractions keeping me away from the computer. If my cousin would get on the ball and assign a photo theme this week I may even get the inspiration to click the shutter button for the first time. More on my new baby in future posts. And I want to publically thank my Santa for spoiling me this year! I can see me having many happy years with my new Nikon. I almost want to bring it to bed with me and cuddle with it like a stuffed animal.

Before I sign off I just want to wish everyone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!