Tonight the NBC Thursday night comedies are back.
That golden hour with 30 Rock and The Office make me squee with delight. Also, I heard Boston might creep up to 70 today.
With all these happy developments, I will announce in advance that there will be taquitos for dinner! Good day indeed.
Labels: 2008, filler
By: Alyssa | Thursday, April 10, 2008 at Thursday, April 10, 2008 | | 
April first is that dreaded day when people who have a terrible sense of humor attempt to be funny or clever. I humor them with a smile. As person who is both imaginative and determined when it comes to making people laugh, I really hate amateur hour.
So no hilarity from me today. No elaborate jokes or pranks. Tomorrow I may return to the ring to be the clown that I usually am.
Wait - what hilarity you ask? Oh for shame. I'm going to have to buy a joke book. Perhaps I will start with knock knock jokes.
Labels: 2008, filler
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, April 01, 2008 at Tuesday, April 01, 2008 | |
We've been taking it easy over the holidays. The good times should roll right through the start of 2008 when we'll be back rested, ready and strong.
So stay safe, stay dry, and check back in a few days. I hear 2008 is our year.
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Sunday, December 30, 2007 at Sunday, December 30, 2007 | |
I had a day yesterday.
I got soaked in a "light" rain.
Lunch was bad.
My big mouth might have gotten me into some trouble.
An older woman hip-checked me, twice, on the T to get a seat.
When you have a day like this, there's really only one thing to do: go to bed. I sacked out sometime around 8:15.
I expect today to better. Do you hear me, Today? BETTER!
Labels: filler, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at Tuesday, November 27, 2007 | |
We're about to head into a second round of turkey - leftover from earlier today - and I thought this would be a good time to start thinking about tomorrow. Will my pants still fit? Will Deeps and I be able to leave the house or will we need the jaws of life to squeeze out the door?
You know - the little things.
One thing we've talked a bit about is whether or not we need to do any holiday shopping. The general consensus was no - but I thought I'd share a little tip in light of a recent trip to a Buy More store.
We went to pick up a video game and a video game controller. The grand total was about $50. The cashier started to put the h
ard sell on me to purchase some special warranties to cover my products."These things break down all the time," he assured me. "If you pay an extra $5.99 for the controller and $10.99 for the game, we'll replace them if anything happens."
I politely declined; he yammered on about how poorly made the products are.
Deeps and I beat a hasty retreat back to our car, reminded why we like shopping online and wondering about the mixed messages that Buy More is sending us. What is the incentive to keep your stock clean, intact and functional?
Buy our junky stuff, then buy a little more.
Labels: 2007, filler, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Thursday, November 22, 2007 at Thursday, November 22, 2007 | |
Back from a lovely visit to Indiana. Deeps and the cat kept the home fires burning while I celebrated Lyssmas in style. Crocs were given, $20 was handed out and a kid stuck her hand in my mouth. Overall, I'd say it was a good - if exhausting - trip.
I've been told I have filled the DVR to 97% capacity and I've got some stuff to watch. But we'll record tomorrow night and I'll be sure to share exciting stories of children, horror conventions and podcasters.
First, I have to clean the litter box.
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Sunday, November 18, 2007 at Sunday, November 18, 2007 | |
I was listening to Marketplace this week when I heard a comment about how much something cost. According to the reporter a deal was going to personally net a CEO "about a quarter of a billion dollars."
That little turn of phrase reminded me of an editorial meeting I once attended, back when I worked for a large newspaper.
Someone was making their story pitch - trying to get on the front page. I'm fuzzy on the details of the story, except for one clear bit: the cost of the project in the story was "a quarter of a billion dollars."
The editor of the paper was a tough person, inscrutable in many ways. She leaned back in her chair a little and replied, "but that's really just $250 million." Deflated, the reporter's story didn't make the front page.
So what's the difference between a quarter billion dollars and $250 million? Not a penny.
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at Wednesday, October 31, 2007 | |
So today is the first day of the World Series. The Colorado Rockies are here to play against the Red Sox. It might rain a little. People are camped out. Everyone is focused on the big game.
That means the city is mine. Maybe not all the city - I'll skip the areas around sports bars and Fenway, but the rest of the town should be quiet and peaceful.
I can shop or park or do whatever with relative ease. You might say, isn't that easy to do on a Wednesday anyway? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But I'm going to take advantage of the lull in activity to get some errands done.
This is a little trick I learned when I was a kid - I call it the Indy 500 effect. Regular readers may recall that I grew up in Indianapolis and every May we had a really big race. People flocked into town for the event and everyone crammed into like 8 square miles of space. The rest of the city was relatively empty.
No traffic jams, no jockeying for parking position and no lines inside the mall. One year I think I did a lot of Christmas shopping.
Anyway, I've got up to seven nights to take advantage of the luxuries of time and space as the good people of New England crowd around their TV sets. I'll make the most of it.
Labels: 2007, Boston, filler
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Wednesday, October 24, 2007 | |
I'm not really a dog person or a cat person. I have owned all types of animals over the years and I don't really have a strong preference. Right now I have the vicious and temperamental tabby cat called Poopus.
Sometimes when I am out on a particularly nice day, like today, I think it would be great to have a dog to take out for long walks. Today I was strolling through the Public Garden on my way to work when a giant dog bounded out from behind a tree. He was chasing a squirrel.
Soon another joined him in his merry hunt. Two more dogs appeared on the scene. They all looked strangely similar.
Labradoodles.
And they came from four different owners who marveled at the coincidence. The dogs scampered about on the grass, darting around trees.
I don't have much else to say about this except that it probably isn't news that designer dogs have invaded Beacon Hill. Maybe we should alert the NYT Styles section.
Labels: 2007, Boston, filler
By: Alyssa | Monday, October 22, 2007 at Monday, October 22, 2007 | |
I've tried out two products lately that I thought were impressive enough I'd actually write about them in the blog.
So I don't get paid for this. Nobody approached me, I'm not an expert - I've just used these two products under normal conditions. Is that disclaimer-y enough?
First up:
L'Oreal Bare Naturale mineral make-up. Basically, it's like a powdery foundation that you apply with a brush. I like it because it has SPF 15, which is essential for me, and because with a bit of practice I found it very easy to use. I'm not a big fan of foundation. As I get older I do appreciate a little extra smooth coverage, but usually it's just too much.
I needed to practice applying it a few times - it can be a little messy until you get the hang of it. It didn't take me long to get a light application, the way I prefer, with minimal mess. My skin looks even, which it naturally is under most circumstances, but there are times when we could all use a little extra help. I often only wear foundation make-up for weddings or big events. But this stuff is so light and applies so quickly that I've integrated it into my morning routine.
I bought mine for about $11 at Target.
My other product is
Pureology Hydrate shampoo and conditioner. I first tried it about nine months ago when my hair lady mentioned it to me at the salon. I don't normally go in for the shampoo upsell, but since I color my hair I have noticed that some shampoos preserve the color better than others.
In fact, I tried another type of fancy shampoo/conditioner when I ran out of Pureology and hated it with a white hot passion. Red hair color is hard to maintain because you get roots and the ends of your hair fade pretty quickly. I don't think this is as big a problem for blonde or brunette. Anyway, the Pureology stuff seems to keep all my hair the closer to the red I leave the salon with. Plus the conditioner (sold separately for about $22) is really nice and gives you a nice tingly scalp.
Now this stuff is more expensive, I think I paid about $25 at Target for the shampoo. But it lasts me a while. A little goes a long way and I do have a lot of hair. So there you have it, I have used two products that I liked enough I figured I'd tell my internet friends.
The other information you can infer is that I'm watching so much
TV for the podcast that I don't have other fun stories to share with you. I'm working on it!
Labels: 2007, filler, hair
By: Alyssa | Thursday, October 18, 2007 at Thursday, October 18, 2007 | |
I'm pacing myself, but I'm hanging strong. I've managed to sleep, shower, work and even shove a little bit of food in my face. Premiere week is almost over and I've watched a bunch of stuff.
Of course, tonight is the worst night of the week. But whatever - I'm ready. I tried to bring some people up to speed on both Heroes and The Office so that they'd be ready for the new season. And then I had to offer up some suggestions on what people might want to check out.
And then I had to identify the origins of the
Bloodhound Gang and the name of the
mailman on Mister Rogers.
I'm a one-woman pop culture omnibus. And I'm almost ready for Sunday's 50th episode of the
Big Red Podcast.
I don't want to brag or anything - but we got t-shirts.
Just Derek and I. Deeps refuses to wear one. He's not a team player.
Labels: 2007. television, filler
By: Alyssa | Thursday, September 27, 2007 at Thursday, September 27, 2007 | |
But just for one afternoon. We went swimming in the morning, just off the coast of Cape Cod and I was well protected with my SPF 45. But I forgot to throw some sunscreen in my v-neck t-shirt area. And after about an hour of mini golf I had a big red V on my chest.
Whoops!
Anyway, we're back from our first beach vacation. We rented a house near the beach with a couple of friends. Of course renting a house a week after Labor Day saved us a lot of money, but it also made us very aware how quickly September can turn on you. We still swam a couple of times. But I won't lie - it was pretty cold. Still, I'm tough. But you already knew that.
And we got a taste of what it is like to be retired. Apparently we were experiencing "elder" summer, when the over 65 set rolls onto the Cape in style - coach bus style. The nice part was we never had to wait for a table when we showed up to dinner at 7 or 7:30. Thank you early birds!
Anyway, I'm still trying to process photos and deal with mail and catch up on life. But I'm back and we even got a
podcast up. I'll try to think of something pithy in the meantime.
I saw the film crew on Commonwealth Ave yesterday, maybe there is some good fodder there. I'm off for observational adventures!
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at Tuesday, September 18, 2007 | |
I haven't forgotten about you. Don't worry.
But I am taking a short break to enjoy the last of the nice summer weather and to have a few exciting adventures. You'll hear about it later.
Until then, explore more than five years of archives and 40+ episodes of
The Big Red Podcast, America's favorite pop culture podcast. We'll be back on Monday - or maybe sooner.
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at Wednesday, September 12, 2007 | |
Saturday it was around a million degrees, so we headed out to the local cinema to escape the heat.
I suggested that we see
Death at a Funeral since I'd read it was fairly decent.
The movie is okay - I called it the British version of
Superbad but with older folks.
Anyway, the point of my story is that this is the third weekend in the past month where we attended a movie with lots of chatters. But they weren't surly teen chatters, they were middle aged and senior chatters with unruly guts.
Death at a Funeral is a quiet film, despite being a "mad cap comedy" - there isn't a lot of loud incidental music or sound effects. So during the quiet times we were treated to the delicious cinematic analysis of our fellow film-goers.
This happened when we saw the restored version of
The Long Goodbye several weeks ago and then when we saw
Once just a couple weeks back. A herd of older ladies rolled in and chatted through the entire film.
Maybe people forget they aren't at home. Maybe they just wanted to escape the heat. Maybe they didn't notice they were in a movie theater.
Or maybe I'm just being ageist - apparently the AARP set can be just as clueless and inconsiderate in public as the rest of us.
Labels: 2007, filler, movies
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, August 28, 2007 at Tuesday, August 28, 2007 | |
A lot of people take August off - they vacation, they don't blog, and they don't podcast.
I believe August is for generating free content - blog entries and podcasts for everyone! I cannot guarantee that it is all gold, but I try.
On episode 44 - Derek, Deeps and I talk about Jasper Fforde's novel
The Fourth Bear,
Superbad, Flash Gordon's second episode, the premiere of
Californication, Jekyll, and why you might have a shot of seeing the
King of Kong - a movie we
first talked about a few months ago.
Plus We get excited about the
renewal of Flight of the Conchords. Then I beg for iTunes feedback.
Listen to the latest episode.Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher. Don't forget to leave us some iTunes feedback.
Labels: 2007, filler, podcast
By: Alyssa | Friday, August 24, 2007 at Friday, August 24, 2007 | |
I overslept this morning. Whoops.
But luckily, I was awakened by the dulcet tones of a jackhammer. And then another jackhammer. And then the sounds of dudes yelling over the jackhammer.
Ah - the death throes of summer construction. How I love thee so. Just another reason why I think August is the greatest month of the year.
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at Tuesday, August 21, 2007 | |
This morning we were driving to work - well, Deeps was giving me a courtesy drop-off closer to the train station on his way to work.
We were having a very pleasant morning. We chatted a bit about the day and we approached a big intersection. A few bicyclists rode past us and we gave them some space at the red light.
It had been red for a few moments and we slowly rolled to a stop.
Then a big thud jostled us both.
A lady had hit us from behind. If she'd hit us much harder, she'd have pushed us into the cyclists.
I might have busted out something like, "Oh my goodness gracious me!" - or WTF!. I can't be sure. Deeps and I turned to look at the woman behind us. She just did a little shoulder shrug like "whoops." She didn't get out of the car.
She didn't hit us very hard, but she did hit us. We quickly popped out of the car to assess any damage. There wasn't any. Bumpers are for bumping, we reminded ourselves. She never bothered to inspect the damage to her car or ours. She just waved at us - like the the prom queen.
Last year a careless person hit us at an intersection close to our house. She apologized and owned up to what she did immediately. The dummy behind us this morning
refused to take any personal responsibility by even offering up an apology.
I got back in the car with disgust, Deeps pulled away and we assessed the situation.
Deeps: I'm not even sure what to say to someone that stupid so early in the day.
Me: You tell her that she shouldn't be such an irresponsible %@$#!.
Deeps: I'm not going to call her that.
Me: I know - that's what I'm here for. I swear for the family.
I'm hoping this won't be an annual event.The car wreck - not the swearing. That's a weekly event.
Oh who am I kidding?
Labels: 2007, filler, marriage, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, August 15, 2007 at Wednesday, August 15, 2007 | |
My friend is trying to buy her first home. She and her husband have scoured the greater metro area to find a small, single-family home that is in their price range. It's been tough, but they think they finally found the place.
Then came the inspection and problem with the foundation was identified. As we all know, foundation problems can be bad and expensive - it could be a dealbreaker. She was desperately hunting for a good contractor to give her an estimate on the repair.
Earlier in the week she'd talked to our mutual friend, Driver, who said he had a bad feeling about the house. Now this is not a completely weird thing for a person to say - but it is a completely weird thing for our friend Driver to say. I was dubious about his position.
Me: I think he's trying to backpedal from his general pessimism.
Homebuyer: So what's his feeling about the house?
Me: His feeling is that he doesn't want you to feel like he's a jerk.
Homebuyer: And what if there is something wrong with the house?
Me: Well, we already know there is something wrong with it. That's why you're calling the contractor.
Homebuyer: Yeah.
Me: Plus, you're buying an old house in New England. There is something wrong with it. It's an old house. I live in an old house - there's stuff wrong with it. Nothing is level or square or plumb.
Homebuyer: You're right.
Me: Of course, your house could be built on an old burial ground. Or it's haunted.
Homebuyer: Maybe the contractor can tell me about that.
Me: Right, you've got to understand what kind of ghost situation you're dealing with.
Homebuyer: Like are those load-bearing ghosts or are they non-essential ghosts.
Me: Is the foundation being kept up with paint, duck tape and ghosts?
Homebuyer: We'll have to wait for the report.
Labels: 2007, filler, house
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, August 14, 2007 at Tuesday, August 14, 2007 | |
Regular listeners of the
Big Red Podcast got to hear something that doesn't often make it to post-production. This week's episode features a
blooper. Remember those?
If I were making stuff on DVD instead of podcasts, I'd call it an extra feature.
For reasons that are clear now - I was hot and tired - I neglected to edit it out.
So
enjoy my blooper. It's not really hilarious. It's just there. I might have muttered under my breath in annoyance. But that's not really new, now is it?
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, July 31, 2007 at Tuesday, July 31, 2007 | |
Summer means a lot of things to people - sun, sand, ice cream, and relaxation. For others, it means
white pants.
I like white pants as much as the next person, but they can be a little problematic. I think we all understand that white is unforgiving.
We've all been there, new white shirts seem to attract bits of food and drips of coffee faster than anything. Where'd this ketchup come from, you might ask? I haven't eaten ketchup since 2003 - and yet there it is on your shirt.
Today I walked behind lovely woman. As she climbed the stairs in front of me I noticed that her lovely white pants revealed more than she probably wanted to share with strangers. Apparently she forgot that when wearing white pants you should make sure not to wear blue polka dot drawers.
I guess it's not her little secret anymore.
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Monday, July 09, 2007 at Monday, July 09, 2007 | |
We're in the early part of a long thunderstorm - so I'm not sure if that means fireworks are a wash or not. Regardless, it's cool and stormy this 4th of July.
Last night we went to a big Independence day barbecue complete with oceanfront fireworks. We ate hot dogs, drank beer and oohed and ahhed like champs. Today we are reflective and relaxed. Some members of the family might have napped while others lounged on the front porch.
Tonight we'll watch some stuff for the podcast and hope for clear skies for fireworks. The cat is hoping for rain - not a fan of loud noises.
Looking for something to help you through the rest of the week? Hit the
podcast page and check out the giant library of 37 episodes. Better still, subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher. Don't forget to leave us some iTunes feedback.
Labels: 2007, filler, weather
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, July 04, 2007 at Wednesday, July 04, 2007 | |
I don't usually have a case of the Mondays, but yesterday I was a little crabby.
I realized that as I waited behind a particularly slow woman at the coffee shop. She took forever to order and then spent a lot of time chatting with the other slow customer while stirring and sipping her coffee.
When you become completely enraged for very tiny infractions like say - taking too long with the cream and sugar at the coffee kiosk you probably need to reevaluate your relationship with caffeine. And you might need a vacation.
I'm going to spend out some exciting times on the Internet today. Browsing is the first step on the road to recovery.
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, July 03, 2007 at Tuesday, July 03, 2007 | |
I often volunteer to help friends with their home improvement projects. I'm not really skilled in many ways, but I am more than willing and able to do stuff like clean and paint.
A few weeks ago I was part of a small, elite team of painters who tackled a vicious baby nursery project. Okay - it was just a little room that we painted a soft green, but that version is boring.
I guess stories about painting, in general, are boring.
I'm also good at demolition.
Yesterday I arrived at Sparky and Electra's house for what they described as "light demo". If you ever get the opportunity to rip something apart and then build it back up, especially at someone else's house, you should take it.
So I borrowed the pry bar and put my hammer to good work. We made quick work of their old screened porch and have left the main structure in tact to rebuild in the future.
At one point Electra and I were wailing on the a post - wood and dirt was flying - when Sparky noted that we were a deadly force to be reckoned with. But only on structures below five and half feet.
"Yeah, we'll need a ladder," Electra agreed.
"I like the idea that we're agents of destruction for cities and towns under six feet tall," I replied. "Like tiny Godzillas."
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Monday, July 02, 2007 at Monday, July 02, 2007 | |
Scott over at Moonshine Mountain has tagged me with another music meme. (I'm a little
foggy on the rules, but whatever.)
I don't know why I keep getting tagged with music - it's my worst field of knowledge. You know when people play Trivial Pursuit and there's that one subject that you're weak on? An always elusive pie piece?
Music is my elusive piece of pie.
But
in the year 1992 I was a a lass of eighteen. I remember a bunch of my friends took me to a divey Greek joint in downtown Indianapolis where we at flaming cheese and rocked out with some belly dancers.
I might have even rocked out to some of these songs.
10.
I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston - I'm somewhat ashamed to say that this song hit about the time I broke up with my boyfriend. I drove around for a week listening to this song and crying. Driving and crying isn't what you learn about in driver's ed.
6.
Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana - I remember the first time I heard this song. I was driving, again a popular teen activity in Central Indiana. I still have a pretty visceral reaction when I hear it.
2.
I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred - Man, 1992 was this perfect storm of end of 80s metal, the exploding rap and grunge scenes and of course bizarre one-hit-wonders like this. I might still sing this while doing laundry. I'm too sexy for folding socks.
45.
All 4 Love by Color Me Badd - I think that extra D is for savings. This song reminds me that I also graduated from high school and college from the kids of Beverly Hills 90210.
3.
End of the Road by Boyz II Men: This was the song I heard about 3 million times during graduation. I get it. We're like changing and stuff. Of course, that would assume I actually attended my high school graduation. I did not.
By the way, the people who choose this song to play over and over again for our graduation also tried to push really hard for a
Tears in Heaven theme for prom. S
ongs about dead kids make for a highly skippable event.
Now you're it:
Kristen,
Grumpy Frump,
Janna,
Steve, and
Nabbalicious.
Go nuts!
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, June 13, 2007 at Wednesday, June 13, 2007 | |
I know it is summer because the humidity arrives and I am forced to wear short pants. Stupid short pants.
But the other way I note the arrival of summer in Boston is that the baby ducks are born. Yesterday I finally saw some flitting around the lagoon - they were very tiny. But they were fast.
I'll admit, I was starting to get a little nervous about them.
The Peregrine falcon has been flying around and I was wondering if he'd gone for an easy snack. Oh yeah, I went there.
The ducks were too far away for me to photograph with my crappy camera, so imagine some baby ducks in your mind. And while you're at it, imagine a coupon for big savings on a digital camera. Now imagine that I've won the lottery.
What? Too much?
Labels: 2007, animals, filler
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, June 06, 2007 at Wednesday, June 06, 2007 | |
Sandal season is upon us and I finally caved in. Sure, it's like 40 degrees in the morning, but by the afternoon we're well into the 60s. Sandals ahoy!
I got a delightful pedicure. I'm not constantly running out for one - although I could devote a whole post to the ladies at the pedicure place. "Can you break a hundred?" one woman asked.
You know, you have to go into the bank and make a special request to get hundreds. What's the point? Also - who carries that much cash? Her purse cost more than my monthly mortgage payment.
Anyway, my feet are always being abused. At least, that's what one pedicure lady told me.
"Your feet will never be beautiful," she said. "You walk too much."
Really? I'm in close proximity to
America's Walking City - of course I hoof it. That's also why I have a small collection of shoes at my office. I truck around in my sneakers (or if you're from Indiana,
tennis shoes).
What does this have to do with anything? Well -
not everyone has addressed their feet for summer footwear. I don't think you have to go get a pedicure. You should just do a little bit of basic maintenance - trim a snaggly toenail. Maybe throw on a little foot lotion.
You're worth it. And if you won't do it for yourself, do it for me. Oh - this applies to dudes too.
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Sunday, May 06, 2007 at Sunday, May 06, 2007 | |
I also like to make about 400 cubic tons of food during a blizzard.
On the menu today is my world famous turkey meatloaf, breakfast for dinner, and lentil soup.
No one will starve at my house. Except the cat. And she's totally faking it. If your pet waddles, she is not starving. Also, I feed her ever morning at 7:15 or all hell breaks loose.
Happy blizzard, New England!
I might share some tasty recipes later. I'm a giver.
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Friday, March 16, 2007 at Friday, March 16, 2007 | |
This morning I got the first blast of sunshine in the eye. I should note that sunshine in the eye is tough to do in my bedroom because I have black out shades. Someone left a door open.
Yes, I like to make my bedroom very cave-like. Or tomb-like. Take your pick.
A few days ago, before New England plunged into a serious deep-freeze, I heard some birds chirping.
I'll think they're cool for a couple of days. Then I'll start to hate them. I'd like it noted that the
evil blue jay family from last year never really departed for the winter. Stupid global warming.
It's hard to think that in less than three months I'll probably be sweating in the garden. It's harder to imagine what I'm going to plant.
The sun is nice, a little warmth to go with it would also be fine with me. I'm not talking a lot. Even 40 would make me happy.
Labels: 2007, evil bird, filler
By: Alyssa | Thursday, March 08, 2007 at Thursday, March 08, 2007 | |
I like reading about
personal finance. I'm at an age where I'm thinking about how children might affect our life, what my parents are facing in their retirement and then just my regular
day-to-day costs of living.
For practical purposes,
money is very tightly connected with your hopes and dreams. Can you afford to
stay home for a year? Can you do the around the world trip you always dreamed of? Can you
ever retire? So this is why I like to read about it.
We don't actually have complicated stuff - it's pretty straight forward. We just squirrel our money away into lots of different locations. Today I grabbed a little money from my checking account for a friend's birthday lunch. I looked at the receipt and sighed.
We have a little savings account attached to our checking - just for overdrafts. But our main savings is in a very high yield savings account outside our brick-n-mortar bank. I leave the bare minimum in the overdraft account so that we're not charged a fee by the bank. I probably don't need it anymore, but it may be more trouble than it is worth to get rid of.
Anyway, to my point. I saw the little interest payment for February. It was $.06. That's right. Six freaking cents. I have a savings account (aka the patio account) that has about the same amount of money as my overdraft account - except it is earning a much better rate of interest. The interest for February was a little over a dollar.
Small change, yes, but significant over time. So if you still don't have a high-interest rate savings account from one of the
reputable online banks - you might want to do a little investigating. My
ING account is currently paying nearly 17 times the interest that I get for my brick-n-mortar savings account.
See, math is fun!
Labels: 2007, filler
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, March 07, 2007 at Wednesday, March 07, 2007 | |
I've gone for my bi-monthly hair doing.
That's for you
Mike Pope -
BIMONTHLY! Every two months. Go crazy people.
Anyway, I usually bring a book, an MP3 player, a magazine and some kind of doodling thing. My hair lady and I get along just fine, but I'm there for a long time (over 2 hours!) and frankly, I don't think she's obligated to talk to me the whole time.
I read for a while, then we chat, then I read some more. Tonight we talked about feeling old.
Hair Lady: I don't really do sports.
Me: Yeah, I don't ski or anything like that.
HL: What if I broke my hand? I'd be out of luck.
Me: You're starting to sound like a fogey now.
HL: I really am.
Moments later she flipped huge hunks of my hair in such a way that I was compelled - by law - to make a
Flock of Seagulls joke.
HL: Oh yeah! That was bad.
Me: Yeah, nothing like weird black hair with platinum tips.
HL: What year was that?
Me: I'd say early 80s - like 82 maybe.
HL: That's why I don't really remember it. I was born in 83.
Me: No.
HL: Yeah.
Me: Wow, I thought we were closer in age.
HL: When were you born?
Me: 74.
HL: Wow.
Me: Yep.
We were silently contemplating the years between us. Nearly a decade.
HL: 74 isn't bad. Could be 24.
Me: You are very comforting.
HL: So you weren't kidding about going blonde at 40.
Me: Well, no. I think about these things now.
HL: It's still a long way away.
Me: For you maybe.
She laughed politely. I tipped her anyway.
Labels: 2007, filler, hair
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, February 28, 2007 at Wednesday, February 28, 2007 | |
Most of the time I did a good job while navigating in Florida.
Driver is a little more overprepared than I am and he had lots of maps printed out and ready to go before we even got to the car rental place.
He handed me a map and off we headed to beautiful Orlando.
As we drove I marveled at the palm trees (a personal favorite) and the number of small fires we saw burning. I’ve read a lot about the building boom in Florida; things are moving so fast that crews are sometimes burning debris as they clear land.
And it was weirdly humid, like it gets in the spring just before it starts to rain.
So I was a little distracted and fell down on the navigating job almost immediately. We reached a large fork in the freeway and I read the directions in a hurry.
Me: It says head toward Disney World.
Driver: Really?
Me: Yeah, right here is where we go.
I read the next line and realized I’d made a little mistake (I'd read the line above where we were actually located), but we were well on the way to Disney World.
Me: I screwed up.
Driver: Oh.
I looked around for a place to turn off, but there was none. We were just blazing a trail to Disney World being welcomed by large signs and beautiful landscaping.
Me: Oh *%&@, we’re going to Disney World.
Driver: That’s now how it goes in the commercials.
Labels: 2007, filler, travel
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, January 30, 2007 at Tuesday, January 30, 2007 | |
My dentist was very concerned about my pain issues. But I think he was focusing on the wrong stuff.
He talked to me at length about the possibility of a root canal if I felt any extreme pain.
I tried to get him to quantify the pain for me, but he had a tough time describing it.
Me: Is it like, mind altering and life changing?
Dentist: Yeah, t
Jacki @
7:34 AM
mike @
2:33 PM
