I’m trying to think of a reasonable treat for Mr. Martini and I to enjoy after we finish this move. I’d love to do something like take orlando vacations or Caribbean cruise, but that’s not really an option. Since Mr. Martini has done the lion’s share of work on this move, I may offer to treat him to a fancy dinner at the restaurant of his choice. Then I’ll use the rest of the spa gift certificate he gave me for Christmas last year to get a massage.
Thankfully, the move will be over this weekend, and we can get these treats soon. We’re going to need them!
We’re at the point in the move where it is time to update our address with all of our financial providers. I’ve contacted the bank, the car insurance company, the renter’s insurance (the same company, actually), Amazon, Paypal, etc. etc. I think I only have the life insurance company (just life insurance no medical) and the folks that still have control of my 401k from my last job.
Phew! I think that covers it, but I always forget something. Now to rack my brain until I figure out what it is!
I love love love my ancient Mac clamshell. It’s about 10 years old at this point, and I bought it used about 4 years ago – so even then, it was practically an antique (but oh, so cheap!). At this point, I’m mostly using it as a glorified web browser, but now that I have an iTouch, I don’t really even use it for that all that much.
The poor clamshell doesn’t really handle certain functions too well, like blog-posting or excessive word processing. I’m looking into getting a refurbished laptop in the future, so I can do a little more “work” while sitting on the couch than I can do currently. But in the meantime, I’ll keep plugging away on my graphite clamshell as long as it lets me.
I admit that every year at this time, I get a craving for candy corn. It has to be Brach’s candy corn (with real honey!) and it has to be the traditional yellow and orange and white combination. It can’t be a different flavor, it can’t be the pumpkin shaped candy, it has to be the traditional kind or my craving won’t be satisfied.
And every year at this time, I purchase a bag of candy corn, and without realizing it I eat too much of it, which gives me a stomach ache and has me convinced that every dentist in the area and beyond – even a Plano dentist, I wouldn’t be surprised – will sense that I will be needing their services to fill at least three new cavities.
Oh, candy corn. I love you, but only in small doses.
One of the things I’ve done in preparation for this move is go over our utility expenses. I’ve decided to get the cable company’s bundle on cable, internet and phone, which will be much cheaper than the package we got through the phone company. I also did some research on some cheap insurance for renters, and then went through my current insurance agency to see if we could get any discounts (we could!).
It’s a good thing we’re moving, because I don’t think I would have taken the time to do these things, otherwise. Now we’re not only saving money on rent, we’ll be saving money on utilities as well. Nice!
We’re getting ready to finally start moving some stuff over to the new place. We had done a quick clean up over the weekend, just some basic vacuuming and wiping things down. Luckily, the previous tenant had left the place in fairly good shape, so we didn’t need to use the steam cleaner anywhere, just basic cleansers and rags.
Now comes the fun part of trying to decide the order in which we haul things over to the new place. It’s tricky, because it has to be stuff we can live without for about a week or so, but it’s stuff we can still have access to anytime we need it. Basically, it means writing lists and getting organized.
Someone wake me when it’s over, would you?
This weekend, we stopped at a local pie shop – Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen, to be exact – and got some celebratory slices of pie. It was our anniversary, so consider them anniversary pie slices. What’s funny is that we went to the same exact pie shop after our courthouse wedding last year.
The pie at this place is so good that the only way it could be better is if it had could cure acne or reverse the effects of aging. It does neither of those things, but that’s OK, because it is yummy and they have so many varieties you can always get something different, depending on your mood.
Or you could be like me, and always get the blueberry. What can I say, it’s that delicious!
I don’t think I’ve mentioned it already, but I’ll be moving to a new apartment soon. I’m looking forward to moving to a new place with more space and more windows and better light. Right now it’s the planning part, where we’re getting utilities figured out and getting our change of address forms figured out.
The only thing I’m not looking forward to is the actual packing and hauling of, well, everything. I’m trying to think of the entire process as an alternative to finding the best diet pill – maybe the calorie output will be enough to help me lose a few pounds. We’ll see!
I’m taking a photography class at night, and it has reminded me just how much I like learning new things. I’ve always said that I’d love to be a professional student, but the benefits just aren’t the greatest (har har). But being in a classroom again and learning new things really got me itching to look at masters programs. (Yes, I already have one masters degree I’m not using. But I figure if I look at one with better potential job opportunities, it might be worth it!)
Now, since I work full-time, attending in-person classes wouldn’t be ideal for me. I did a little looking around, and found several schools that offer a Masters degree online, including Gonzaga University. Gonzaga offers several different programs, but I was immediately drawn to their Masters in Communication & Leadership Studies program. It’s available online, so even a professional working full time (like me!) can “attend” classes at a school ranked Number 3 in the West by US News and World Report. That right there would give me a little more confidence about the education and mentoring I would receive from a school I couldn’t attend in person. And since so few top-ranked schools are offering these online degrees, that’s a bonus.
Again, it’s just something I’m pondering right now, as I stretch my brain with these photography classes. Sometimes it’s fun to ponder and think about options, you know?
Oh my gosh, have you seen this cute link yet? For the New (Media) Workout? It is cracking me up! I love the idea of using the inevitable clicks over to Twitter and Flickr as an excuse to do some arm circles and jumping jacks.
I admit that I haven’t so far turned my social media clicks as fat burners, but this is just too funny to think about. And just think, if you’re reading this in Google Reader, now is the time you should be doing your 25 situps. Get cracking!
(Hee!)
