BLAH And The Kitchen

Wow, I have really been terrible about posting. I'm in a slump. I wake up in the morning and all I can think about is how many times I can get away with hitting snooze! I get home and eat dinner and then I don't even feel like walking up the stairs to get my laptop. It's these winter blues. I have very little exposure to sunlight since I get to work before the sun is up and lately things have been crazy at work so I've been getting home as the sun is getting pretty low in the sky. At least we're headed toward longer days at this point. I just need to beat these blahs and get excited about life again!

Scott has been taking lots and LOTS of pictures of Buster with things on him and making montage videos to put on YouTube. Very fun.

In other news, we used to have a wall in between our kitchen and our living room, and in stage 1 of the kitchen/living room renovation we (meaning mostly Scott) tore it down! We have a lot of pictures and video of this, so expect a post sometime (hopefully soon, if I can get motivated to do ANYTHING AT ALL...) with lots of details.

The next phase of the renovation will be moving the back door. We've planned this all very carefully, with stages, and each stage has all the steps listed, and we have stopping points marked, and money roughly budgeted out, and as we have enough cash to do the next phase, we plan on doing a phase and then saving up until we have the money for the next phase. At some point we will get a Home Depot card, though, because it looks like the cabinets and appliances and flooring are all going to be around $10,000 all together. We'll see.

So that's the update. Time to get some sleep...maybe tonight I won't wake up a million times. Maybe.

Musical Me

So there's a lot of music bouncing around in my head lately. Here's a new bit that I found on Amazon mp3 and couldn't resist downloading:

Meaghan Smith - "Heartbroken"

I'm also on a Lady Gaga kick. I bought her album "The Fame Monster: Deluxe Edition" and I LOVE IT SO BAD. SO BAD. I've had "Teeth" stuck in my head for days. I've listened to this album twice a day for two weeks. It's that catchy.

Also, I know it's totally after the fact, but I downloaded Tori Amos's Christmas album "Midwinter Graces" and it's totally a non-traditional spin on traditional Christmas tunage. Awesome.

But definitely check out Meaghan Smith. It's Norah Jones meets The Ditty Bops, if you can even believe it.

At Least The Money's Safe

Sorry it's been totally quiet here. There's just been so much going on. But I wanted to get on today to tell a little story.

So Scott had an account at Barnes Bank when we got married, and I added myself onto the account and then we opened a savings account. When we needed a new car we got a car loan through Barnes as well.

So starting on Monday, Scott's debit card started acting funny. He was out of town on business and he only had the debit card (no cash or checks) and he needed to rent a car, but the card was declined. We had lots of money in the account, so he was really confused. It was late at night, so he couldn't go to the bank to withdraw the money, and the ATM wasn't taking the card either, so he had to call his boss and have his boss charge the car on his credit card. At least he wasn't stranded, but it was weird and annoying.

When he tried to use the card elsewhere, it worked, so he wasn't too concerned about it. I hadn't tried to buy anything for a week anyway, so I didn't notice anything weird.

So last night I got a Knitpicks catalog in the mail, and they were having a book sale, and there was a FABULOUS deal on a book about knitting socks, so I got online to buy it and when I entered my card information, it said the card number was invalid. I was confused, and I thought I had typed it in wrong, so I tried again. And again. Five times. I was mad so I went on Amazon and bought it (for more money, but I had decided I really want this book...) and Amazon had my card information stored in there and it went through just fine, so I assumed there was something wrong with Knitpicks and thought nothing of it.

Now, I have had this sinus thing since the beginning of November, and I just kept hoping it would go away, but this morning I woke up and felt TERRIBLE so I decided to go to InstaCare. My lovely Scott took me so I wouldn't have to be alone (awwwww). When we got there Scott's card was declined. I tried mine, and it was also declined. So I sat in the waiting room for Scott to go to an ATM, and once again, that didn't work, so he had to drive to the bank and withdraw some money. They gave him hundred dollar bills, and when he got back the front desk informed us that they couldn't break a hundred. Sweet. So they're going to bill us (thankfully, because I really needed to see the doctor).

So I got in and sure enough I have a sinus infection, and they gave me steroids and antibiotics and massive doses of Mucinex (Mucinex is magic, just in case you were wondering).

ANYWAY. While I was in the doctor's office Scott called the bank to find out what was going on. After like 20 minutes of hemming and hawing they finally confessed that FDIC was SEIZING THEM and we had 30 days to close our accounts and take out our money. Nice.

So we went back to the bank and asked to close our accounts. Apparently, if FDIC is taking over the bank, they don't have to let you close your account at any time. They only let us withdraw $500 today and we have to wait until Tuesday to take out the rest and close the accounts. Either way, we needed to find a new bank, so we looked around and decided that we wanted to go with a national bank chain this time, for more security, and we decided on Chase. We went in there and they were totally awesome and we got our accounts set up and everything, and when we can close out our accounts at Barnes we can bring the rest of our money over to Chase and that will be that.

The only problem is that we still have a car loan over there. We have two options: pay it off (which would be doable at this point but would put our balance a little lower than we would like) or take out a new loan at Chase. We'll see what happens.

Either way, we both have to change our bank account and card information EVERYWHERE online and at all the companies we have it filed with and WOW will that be fun. We also have to change our direct deposit information with both our companies.

It's really just inconvenient. The money's totally safe since the bank was FDIC insured. But STILL.

My main question was...when were they planning on telling us? Because we only found out after we called ourselves.

Yes.

What A Waste Of Time. SO FUN.

Is the world crumbling to pieces?
Sometimes. It depends on whether I've missed any meds lately...

Elaborate on your profile picture?
One time my friend Jonathan and I went to 7-Eleven and got Slurpees. Mine was rainbow flavored. I stole his Punisher hat and was wearing my Trogdor shirt. Good times.

Ever have a near-death experience?
Yeah, it's called getting the flu in third grade and not being able to keep anything down, even water, and ending up in the hospital for almost a week. FUN.

Name an obvious quality you have.
Cynicism, and sometimes I'm not proud of it.

What's the name of the song that's stuck in your head right now?
Bad Romance by Lady Gaga! So addicting!

Name a celebrity you would marry?
I just like being married to my Scott.

Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity?
When I'm really skinny I look like Leelee Sobieski.

Do you like pain?
I only like that pain that happens when you're really sore and you lay down and your back stretches out and it hurts for a minute while it relaxes but you know it's good pain because it will lead to BLISS.

Do you like to shop?
Only on the internet. Going shopping stresses me out, especially if I'm shopping for clothes.

What is your favorite lamp that you own?
I guess it's the steel one in my room next to my bed, because I had it in college and it lit up my textbooks for hours and hours each night after everyone sane had already gone to sleep.

What is on your desktop background?
I just reformatted Baby Pink Lappie so it's nothing right now, but usually it's Buster!

What is the background on your cell phone?
The lilies Scott sent to my work last Valentine's Day.

What was the last movie you watched in theaters?
Paranormal Activity. What's the deal, people, it really wasn't that scary. Signs was scarier. But that might have something to do with the fact that my house was right next to a cornfield at the time...

What was the last book you read?
HP 7 (again).

Do you talk in your sleep?
Occasionally. Sometimes I beat on Scott, too.

Ocean or pool?
POOL POOL POOL. Oceans are creepy, with all the creatures, and then it wreaks havoc on your skin with all the salt water and nast.

Current Crush?
Krispy Kreme donuts. The cream filled chocolate iced ones, in particular.

What's your favorite color(s)?
I'm on a pink kick, but blue will always be there for me.

Window seat or aisle seat?
I like looking out the window, but if you're in the aisle you get out faster. So I guess I can't decide.

Ever met anyone famous?
An Argentinian pop singer.

Do you feel that you've had a truly successful life?
I think that my life took a different turn than I had originally planned, and I think it turned out better than I could ever dream considering all the circumstances.

Ricki Lake or Oprah Winfrey?
I'm not really a talk show sort of person, so no opinion.

Baseball or Football?
I'm not really a sports person, either.

How long do your showers last?
10-20 minutes, depending on how much I'm dawdling.

Do you know how to drive a stick?
Absolutely!

Cake or ice cream?
Ice cream. Although I do love the frosting part of the cake.

Have you been in love?
Several times, each more intense and heartbreaking than the last, until Scott, whom I am still in love with, and will always be because we complete each other (to sound cheesy).

What is your favorite part of the Day / Night?
Afternoons when I get my stuff done so I can chill for the rest of the evening.

Last sport you played?
Um, walking on the treadmill? Not really a sport...

What would you like to spend a lot of time doing?
Eating what I want and being a size 8. Ha.

Favorite drink?
I love the orange Rock Stars, and french vanilla cappuccino, and Kool-Aid even!

Drink Drink: Jack Daniels Watermelon Spike

Favorite show?
Ok there are too many...I can't choose a favorite...how about I list them? Dexter, Stargate, Gilmore Girls, Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters, Firefly, I love TV, can you tell...

What jewelry do you wear?
My wedding band and engagement ring, an earring in my upper left ear, and sometimes earrings in my lobes or necklaces, rarely anything else on my fingers or wrist because I'm always doing something with my hands and it bugs me.

What do you wear to bed?
Big comfy pants and big tee shirts and hand-knit socks :)

Have you ever done anything illegal?
LOL some really BAD speeding tickets is the worst mischief I've ever gotten into. And those were when I was 16.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I don't like traveling all that much, so how about the yarn store?

Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
Not anymore, but sometimes Buster sleeps on our bed with us.

If you won the lottery, what would you do first?
Pay off Mim's house!

If you could be with someone for the rest of your life, who would it be?
Scott

Do you read blogs?
I read Scott's family's blogs, lots of knitting blogs, and a couple of "mommy blogs".

Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex?
I do every day, if the opposite sex wears jeans and tee shirts. Course, I don't ever get confused with men because I have some stuff on my chest.

If you could name a planet, what would you name it?
No clue.

What movie do you really want to see right now?

I don't know, I pretty much have seen everything I'm interested in (that's out, I NEED HP 7 to come out NOW).

Do you feel bad for the Polar Bears?
Of course!

How many pairs of shoes do you own?
Um, around 15 I would guess.

Who's your favorite celebrity?
I'm amused by so many at the checkout stand at the store...

Do you have a bad temper?
Occasionally. Very occasionally though and I'm good about containing it.

What is your deepest fear?
Getting fat again. And losing my family.

What do you want to believe in?
Life.

Do you secretly have feelings for someone?
Not that I know of.

Are you proud of who you are?
Most of the time. I have my flaws, of which I am sometimes deeply ashamed, but most of the time I can realize that I'm ok.

Do you feel alone even in crowded rooms?
Often.

What is the worst thing a person could do to you and still be forgiven?
I forgive anyone for anything as long as they 1. Admit they did something wrong 2. Apologize 3. Make an effort to not do it again and 4. Make restitution in any way necessary.

You're dying in 10 seconds, what are your last words to your best friend?
I wanted another taco...

...to your worst enemy?
I try as a general rule not to make enemies.

Think of a random person, and give them a message here, no name.
I'm so proud of you and your art, even though it's quite macabre. Which I love, by the way.

Has a song ever made you cry?
All the freaking time.

A book ever made you cry?
Oh yes.

Just say anything you want, anything at all:
I need to get more sleep.

Did and Will Do?

Ok, so everyone and their mom is doing a New Year's post, so I might as well jump on in. Four days late. Oops.

So, here are some highlights of this past year:

1 Year at my job

Bought a 1968 Mustang

Had carpal tunnel surgery

Bought A HOUSE

Got 2 new instruments at work

Read all the Harry Potters (again)

Knitted my first sweater

Kwiddens got married

Had to go to court

Drank WAY too much egg nog

Learned to knit socks

Learned to knit mittens

Had our first yard sale

Pierced my ear

Vacationed in Vegas

Got a new baby pink laptop

Got a concealed carry permit and bought a gun of my very own

Buster got a tragic haircut

Had Li over for a week

And here are some things I hope to accomplish or experience this coming year (these are not resolutions, mind you, just some ideas):

Get the rest of the way down to my ideal weight

Wear makeup to work more often (try to look like a girl for once)

Renovate the kitchen

Continue to build my movie/music/TV show collection (I'm thinking about buying Dexter...)

Put more money in savings

Pay off our car

Get a new cell phone

Spoil my new little (NIECE OR NEPHEW) that's coming out of Kwiddens in June (I know the sex but it's a secret for now) (I already started the baby blanket and it is going to be GORGEOUS and expensive...silk bamboo fiber, oh yes)

Keep knitting and crocheting and everything else I love to do

Build up my hand-knit sock arsenal

Get more sun

Work more on the Mustang (although Scott will be doing this more than I will)

There's more, I'm sure, I'm just having a little brain freeze and can't think of any more.

So Happy New Year to everyone. Hope this one's better than the last!

P.S. I wrote 2009 like ten times today in my lab book and kept having to correct it. Oops.