Friday's Feast #158

Appetizer:
Who is the easiest person for you to talk to?

Mi Mommasita!!!

Soup:
If you could live in any ancient city during the height of the quality of its society and culture, which one would you choose?

0-33 A.D. following Jesus around everywhere, what I could have seen!!!

Salad:
What is the most exciting event you’ve ever witnessed?

Only 1??? I've witnessed the birth of 2 children, the birth of puppies, a baby's first sucks on a bottle, walking up to the Grand Canyon, I've witnessed a huge rainbow that had another rainbow inside and another one inside that one and another and another until you couldn't see it anymore. I counted 9 layers before they blended together! This is only a double rainbow.

Main Course:
If you were a celebrity, what would you do for a publicity stunt?

I have no idea. I'm not that into publicity. Maybe jump onto Oprah's couch?

Dessert:
What do you consider the ideal age to have a first child?

I used to think 23 or 24 would be a great age to start having babies, but that came and went 10 years ago, so I say 35 or 36? LOL

Incompetent vs. Incontinence

How many phone calls, how many days wasted....how high is my level of frustration with my new credit card company? THROUGH THE ROOF!

I got a new credit card (as some of you know) to use as back up funding for my upcoming trip. After some investigating, I discovered that one of my other cards has a better rate for purchases and this new card offers 0% through Aug. 2008 for balance transfers! Hello!

So I decided to transfer a large sum of the old card to the new card in order to utilize the best of what both cards offer! Then after you receive the card itself, they send out a 'welcome package'. You have to receive the welcome package to initiate the balance transfer. I never received the welcome package. I called them back after a few weeks, and they said they would send out another one. I never received that one either! Now it's getting too close to have the balance transferred before I leave! I honestly feel like sending them a huge package of adult diapers! If they can't even mail out a package that is their own standard procedure! And I know they have the right address, or I wouldn't have received the card in the first place! Sheesk!

Light at the end of the tunnel

A friend of mine from the bible study, recently confided in me that she was having some issues with paying back some cash advance loans. She said that she didn't have any issues with credit cards, like most people (myself included in times past), but couldn't seem to get out from under this problem.

This is one aspect I haven't talked about here when I've addressed how to fix money issues. I apologize, it's just that I don't use those kinds of loans and hadn't thought of it.

My suggestion would be, get 1 loan or 1 new credit card with a balance big enough to pay off all those cash advance loans. That way, you have one payment per month which will sometimes even be less than all the other payments you are making to those loans. Also, it provides the light at the end of the tunnel and STOPS the cycle of continuing payments! Then, once that loan is paid off, or that credit card is paid off, close the account!

My first blog award!

Thanks to Bridget over at 'And miles to go before we sleep' for handing out this fun award and recognizing me and others enough to pass it on! It's much appreciated and certainly brought a smile to my face today! Thanks for including me...

Gum

That's right, gum. It's something so simple, and yet I rarely buy it! I'm not sure why, maybe it's because I try not to tempt myself by walking down the candy isle. But there was a coupon and so now I have 2 different packs of 17 sticks each. One is of the minty variety, because I like to taste freshness sometimes.

The other one I chose, was a hot cinnamony flavor. I seem to be addicted to the burn lately! I find myself thinking about that hot feeling on my tongue even when I'm not chewing it! I was enjoying it so much yesterday, shortly after I began to chew it, I forgot it was gum an swallowed it! Do you know how long it has been since I swallowed gum? Maybe 20 some odd years! LOL I kinda felt a little nauseous thinking about it in there. But I'm sad now, because I'm down to having only 2 sticks left. I'm not sure if I will buy any more...I don't want to become addicted for real.

How about you, have you rediscovered an old favorite treat recently that you hadn't enjoyed in a long while?

Wordless Wednesday

It was bound to happen eventually.

What you are about to hear is a story that happened to me just the other night. For you see, I am now in the habit of 'can hunting' on my way home late at night. 'Can hunting' is just that, searching out aluminum cans to recycle. It's one of the many ways of making money I recently started to incorporate into my way of life. I like to hunt cans late at night through the park near my house because there are no other people driving through the park at that late hour! I feel safer and it's easier to do what I need to do without other cars, bicyclists and the like. I also circle a couple of streets on the outskirts of the park too.

I always approach the cans cautiously. Sometimes they are not exactly empty. I know this must sound yucky to you readers out there, but it's free money just laying there! I can't help myself! So I have a way of pouring that's really more of a centrifical flinging than anything. I like the liquids to splash away from my ankles! I go can hunting at least once or twice a week now, I just can't help myself!

Well, anyway, it was bound to happen eventually, I stopped to pick up a can and did my test-fling-are you empty-dump move when I felt something inside the can come out and fall onto the ground and scurry away. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I threw the can and got the bleep out of there. I couldn't make out exactly what it was, but it was BIG and dark, it kinda reminded me of one of those Madagascar hissing cockroaches they used to make the participants on Fear Factor eat! I can't even stand to look at a small picture of one on my blog, so click at your own risk!

I might be done 'Can hunting' for a while...

What to wear, what to wear!

Ok, now I'm having a dilemma and I'm asking you people to help me out here. I will be traveling to new destinations. I've bought new clothes, but what do I wear to the different places? I'm fairly certain I know which outfits I'd like to wear for my photos in Italy, that came very easy to me. It also seems like the Lord has really helped me find just the right shirts to fit my mood right now. I am so thankful! Normally it is hard for me to even find clothes I like because I am oddly proportioned. Basically all belly! Seriously, I could pass for at least 9 or 10 months pregnant right now. I'm working on it, but I have come to a place of acceptance. See me, love me. I am embracing my budah-belly-ness.

Anyway, back to what to wear. So, what do you wear to a sunrise at Stonehenge? A hoodie and jeans? How about the castle feast? I will not be able to rent costuming to take with me and don't own any I could take. Seriously, what do I want to look like in these photos? Maybe I should go for something more dignified? And then, the castle feast...I mean it's not like I'll see men dressed up in cufflinks and cumber buns. It's not your standard 'dress up' fair. I wish I had something sort of empire waist and bell sleeves. Oh gosh, I just thought about shoes! What kind of shoes do you wear to Stonehenge??? Um, help!

Beating the system

I got a new PDA cell phone here while back, and the only thing I noticed it couldn't do was take pictures. I chose this particular one because I knew I needed to get on board and update my technology. Get organized. And hey, let's face it, it was in my price range. At the time, I didn't really care that it didn't take photos, I didn't think it would be a bid deal. Boy was I wrong.

I've had a camera phone for so long before this, I really miss being able to change the wallpaper to my kitties or whatever fun place I'd recently visited. Who doesn't get tired of looking at the same ol' thing day in and day out? I know what I'm missing! I had a free month of internet at first and I went online and just downloaded a couple of wallpapers so I could have something other than the default screen to look at. That was fine at the time but I only had like 3 to choose from because you still had to pay for the right to download it.

My phone uses a mini disc for memory storage. My new camera takes an SD type. Well, guess what I just found? The mini disc adapter that came with the mini disc!!! Yay! So I conducted an experiment and hoped for the best. I took the mini disc out of my phone, put it inside the adapter, put them in my camera, snapped off a few shots of my furry babies and then put the mini disc back into my phone and it worked!!! I'd never thought of trying this before but I'm glad I found that adapter. I did it again and this time, I took a few more shots. It's really hard to get 2 cats to do something interesting when they are close to each other. Well for my 2 it is anyway. Here's the best shot of them together, it's currently the wallpaper on my phone ;-)

Taking donations

I've been working so hard these past few months to earn the extra cash needed to take this trip. I do so apologize for having what must seem like tons of posts about my upcoming vacation, but you see, it's the biggest thing on my mind right now. Most things I will be doing from now until I leave, will be centered around getting ready for take-off. Now back to what I was saying.

I've been working overtime, selling things on ebay, using this blog, collecting aluminum cans and really, pretty much everything short of starting a home based business to make the cash. I'd love to go on this trip and come home debt free from it! I don't want to come home and make payments on my memories. I believe this can be done! So, if you care to, I'm now taking donations LOL Just joking of course, unless you really wanted to, send me a comment and I'll tell you where to direct your much appreciated funds LOL

I need to formulate a list

Yes, as you might remember, I am Queen List-maker! But I am beginning to feel the crunch of time coming down on me with my planning and preparing for this trip. I mean, just look at the countdown over there in the sidebar...it's not taking a break! As of the time of this post, I am looking at only 19 days before take off!

So, I will need to make a list of everything I am expecting to get done before leaving and I need to coordinate it with the schedule I have already created for the days left. Right now I have a list of different topical lists of things that either have to be bought, printed, copied, acquired, packed, read or completed before I can leave! Those lists include (but are not limited to *that's the accountant in me*):

• Things to pack: carry on
• Things to pack: luggage
  
• Things to do to prepare for trip
• Paperwork for traveling
• Things to do at home to be gone for 2 weeks

So as you can see, I really need to consolidate all this information into one so I don't miss anything. I have a feeling, I'm going to need a vacation after my vacation!

You're Invited!

Well, it started out as a book party and has now turned into a real party with guests and eats and all that! My friend Jen has just started selling At Home America and I wanted to do a party for her. She even graciously offered to have the show at her house, since I just don't have time to prepare my house and also, most of my people are towards that neck of the woods anyway!

Like many people, I had never heard of At Home America (or AHA) before, but they are 25 years old! There aren't very many distributors in our area that I know of, so it's very likely to be new to many people.

I personally describe their merchandise to be a mix of Pampered Chef, Home Interiors, PartyLite and Home Made Gourmet type items because they have bakeware, dinnerware, jar candes, tee lights, difusers, wax melts and warmers, wreaths, sit arounds, plaques, lots of wrought iron items and even cast iron items, clocks, hooks, shelves, vases, lamps, serving bowls, mixing bowls, full on furniture, serving caddys, throw blankets, painted wooden words of all kinds, rugs, mirrors, magazine racks, photo frames, sconces, phones, radios, an old style turntable, drinkware, coasters, towels, soap dispenser, runners, a vintage fan, decorative pillows, stemware, dip mixes, beer bread mixes (but you can use any carbonated beverage), serving platters, an over the sink rack and much more! That's just in the everyday catalog!

Right now they have a fall and holiday catalog too that has wonderful fall and thanksgiving must-haves as well as Christmas and winter decorations and serving accoutrement. They have like 700 items too take in and you can check out the catalogs online and let me know what you like if you can't come to the party. I will make sure you get it :)

I sent out 42 invitations, of course only about 20% will show up...but hopefully more can come. The party is set for Sat. September 8th, 2007 at 4:01 pm. If you live in the greater St. Louis Area and would like to come, by all means, shoot me a comment and let me know, I'll give you all the information! If you bring a friend, you will earn extra 'Auction Bucks' which can be used to win a special prize :-)

It's funny sometimes...

how you can find fun things online quite by accident, that you end up really liking!

So I have this friend, Patrick who DJs a show called 'The Patrick D. Show' over at MoJoRadioLive. Anyway, whilst trying to get to a point that I could listen to his show, I had to end up...well, I'm still not sure how it all works. There's now an iTunes player involved, basically the point of my story is, I've been turned onto this internet radio station called Live365! They have 10,000 radio stations all free and commercial free (except for the ones they inject to get us interested in buying a paid membership, but I don't mind a few of these from time to time. It beats real radio with commercials every 10 minutes for 10 minutes!

Oh, also, not to shock anyone, but I apparently like listening to the fun sounds of a station called Polynesian Underground. I like it! It's sorta reggea & stuff....reminds me of my trip to the Bahamas and such. Good times...

This is NOT a paid post! Look, it's link-free!!! ;-)

I'm worried about my pictures...

and I haven't even taken them yet! I guess more specifically, I'm worried about the photos of me on my vacation. Maybe I should explain. You see, I have really long hair. It's mostly all one length (although I am going for a haircut before I leave, but more on that later) and frankly there's a fine line most days between hair that gets a second look and hair that makes you want to turn your head the other way!

Usually, to get hair that looks on the 'good' side, I have to do at least some fixing to it that certainly requires a hair dryer at the very minimum! I can kick it up a notch by adding some style with a curling or flattening iron....but the friend I'll be visiting doesn't have ANY such girly power tools for me to use, and mine won't work with the European electrical currents and outlets! So I'm afraid I will be experiencing a perpetual 'bad hair day' in all my photos throughout my entire vacation! Ugh.... Ok, note to friends & family who are reading this: A good birthday or christmas gift idea is that Photoshop program for my computer so I can jazz up my photos when I get back home! LOL

Did I mention this?

On my last Friday night in England we are going to a medieval castle feast and then spending the night in the castle!!!! Note: I will be in my own room.....alone.....got it? Ok, now read on...

Ruthin castle is called 'The Red Fort' and is located in Northern Wales in Ruthin in Denbigshire. I just did a search for it to add a photo and you will not believe the site I just found it on a haunted hotel website!

Oh, Lordy....what have I gotten myself into? According to this website, the 'Grey Lady' is a regular visitor! I don't want to meet her in the hallway by myself... And it's not cheap either...all the reservations for dinner and hotel stay were made already through my friend and her husband that I will be traveling with, so I'm not sure of the final pricing, but my friend said it's comparable to a Bed and Breakfast in that area. I checked online and it looks like it could be upwards of $250! For just me! Oh boy.... I'd better work as many overtime hours as possible! Back to work for me!!!

At work again on Saturday

In preparation of my upcoming trip and due to the fact that I have a lot of work to get done (and being distracted by my blogging habbit!), I am at work again on a Saturday. I don't mind really, it's not like strenuous physical labor. And all too soon (20 days to be exact!) I will be off to Europe on my vacation for 2 weeks and not worried at all about working all these Saturdays!

Boy it will be weird not to be at work for so long...I won't miss it here, though I think my boss will have a renewed appreciation for me by the time I get back. You see, he will have to do all the payrolls that I normally do while I'm gone, plus whatever work he has to do as well! Yeah, take that bossman! LOL

One thing I think we could use around this office is possibly some collaboration software. I've been at him to get a website for our business and they offer website content management, business email solution and enhanced communication among managers and employees. Besides, they offer a free 30 day trial! Anyway, I guess I can't expect him to move too quickly on these things, we only first got high speed internet here in the office a few short months ago! And wouldn't have it now, if it weren't for me pushing and then actually calling and getting it all going and setting it all up, thank you very much! ;-)

Ah, good times...

Speaking of getting started with PayU2Blog, I just received my first set of assignments! 4 to be exact :) Anyway, you get a list of assignments by way of keywords. So I took a gander and the topics seem to be all over the place. Right away I know this is going to be fun, I love a good challenge!

Some of you know I will be going on a big trip to England and Italy here in the next 21 days (OMG I can't believe it's coming so fast!) (*that's what she said*) (sorry, couldn't help myself...) and I just know it's going to be the trip of a lifetime! Certainly something I have wanted to do, but never thought I would. This is a really big deal to me, prior to this, one of the biggest trips I'd ever been on was a road trip to the Rio Las Vegas with 3 friends! It's a really great big curved colorful building (casino and resort actually) with great views, just off the strip. Picture this: A road trip over 3,000 miles with 4 women from the Midwest and back. Too bad that trip ended with the loss of some friendships, but hopefully this one will not end on a sour note.

Welcome to PayU2Blog!

I'm in! This is great, I've been hearing really great things about this up and coming site. The forums over at Geeky Speaky are full of helpful tips and shiny happy bloggers making money and even getting free products to review! Check out this new banner I chose:

I put one over in my sidebar to attract all you bloggers who haven't yet looked into making money with your blogs. I've been a member of PayPerPost for a few months now and have done really well. But I honestly think PayU2Blog will be even better because they have some very simple guidelines:

• Posts have to be only 60 words (or more, of course)
  
• Posts can be of any content as long as you include the text link assigned (aka freeform)
  
• You can post 1 assignment per post
• You can post back to back paid posts
• No disclosure required
• You get paid every two weeks
• $5 per assignment
• Assignments are dropped every Friday
• There's no limit to the number of assignments you can complete in a week, up to how many they actually give you, of course
  
• What are you waiting for? This is only some of the great bennies!

Come on down, you can too earn some nice dough!
Come on, click the cat, you know you want to!

Ok, Ok...

I have to fess up. For anyone who has been watching my sidebar ticker countdown called 'A mile a day before England', you have probably noticed that the tiny treadmill marker has not moved in over a week. I KNOW!!! I am feeling it too. Every night when I lay down, I tell myself I will get up the next morning and walk. And every morning, I get up late and don't have time.

I can't do that, I only have 21 days left until I leave and I want to be used to walking everyday by then! So bookmark my blog, come back and check each day to see if I have walked. I will update it every day around 10 am CST. If the marker doesn't move, feel free to yell at me in a comment! I hereby give you permission.