Dear new people downstairs...

I judged. When I can hear that you are watching every episode of married with children, I realize that your humour level is lame. If you turned your tv down a little (or a lot would be even better!), I wouldn't care. I too have watched the show and have giggled once or twice. I wouldn't watch a marathon of it on surround sound though.
Oh, and one more thing. Can you please take your garbage to the alley where the garbage man will pick it up? I know it is much more convenient to just open your door and let it pile up there, but it makes us look "trashy." I am not cool with this and will be pretty upset if I end up moving it.

Thanks,
Arual

Live Traffic Feed

I installed this a couple of days ago and I don'treally care for it. It tells me all of the time when I come onto my bolg (duh!) and although seeing that people form Turkey are checking out my blog, I kind of liked not knowing where anyone was from.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and enjoyed Boxing Day today. I stayed at home both days, caught up in schoolwork, did some baking and enjoyed not having to pretend to be anyone else except me. Molly and Oryx loved having me around both days too (I assume, maybe they both were thinking WTF?).
Anyway, I am getting rid of my live feed. This post was fairly pointless.

Holiday Exhibitionism

Last night was a very busy night at the toy store. But I made it and I am done! Woo Hoo! I felt free last night as I counted the till for the last time and locked the door for the last time.
I get a 5.25% raise January 1 at my full time gig which is really nice. It will help relieve some of the pressure of losing that extra income. But time is money, and I need to use my time towards my educational goals at this point.

I work today and then I am off till January 5th. I have a trip to Saskatchewan for a few days in that time off and I can't wait. I need to get away from here and it will be nice to start a New Year refreshed.

I have been working on my 2009 goals. I already posted my plan with my credit card and have thought of a few others that I would like to complete:

1)27 credits in school
2)Save $1000 in Down Payment account
3)Save $2000 in Emergency Fund
4)Complete Ride to Conquer Cancer

I plan on posting my quarterly plans for each of these goals with in the next few days (when I have time off and can focus).

Almost Christmas...

This year for Christmas I am not planning on doing anything. I find Christmas to be the most stressful time of the year. I hate having to plan out which side of the family I am spending what meals or days with because one parent or the other always seems to lay a guilt trip. Possibly not intentionally, but I always feel bad when i say I am going to the other parent's. SO the last couple of years I have spent Christmas by myself, watching movies. This year will be a little bit harder because of the whole situation with A. I was tormenting myself earlier thinking about last year when we went ice skating on Christmas morning and then played board games Christmas afternoon. It was one of the best Christmas days I have ever had. I almost liked Christmas because of last year.

True to my word I have bought minimal presents for people. I am not aiding and abetting clutter this year. On Christmas day I am going to bake to keep my mind off of stuff and then I will hand out baked goodness when I do see my family.

In other Arualian news, people have finally moved into the basement suite at my place. They left their TV on all night and it is so loud I can hear everything going on. And one of the them snores...loudly. Such bliss. I can't wait till my lease is up and I can downsize to a place with less rent. This idea makes me sad too because I was originally thinking A and I were going to move in together when my lease was up. Unless I can figure out what I really want soon, I think A and I are going to be a thing of the past. He says he will wait while I figure stuff out, but I don't know what to do, I am super scared about getting hurt again, and I know he won't wait forever.

Tonight is my last shift at the toy store which is a happy thought at least.

Serious withdrawals

I can't get into my facebook on the computer. I have no issue with looking on my phone, but my laptop screen just informs me that there is an error and facebook is working on it!!! For the whole weekend there has been this message. I feel shaky and clammy. What if I am out of the loop on everything. What was life like before facebook??? Ahhhh!

In other news I had a very thrifty weekend. Its cold outside so I am in hibernation mode. I did go for brunch with a friend that is in town, but her mom treated us (thanks!).

Just a couple more days till Christmas. I can't wait till it's over. I am actually not a big fan of this time of year at all. And I miss A, but am pretty certain that it's over. That's really not helping to make this time of year better.

One more shift...

I received my pay cheque from the toy store last night and it was shorted 4 hours. This prompted my co-worker to check her hours and she was shorted too. She is wondering if they have always been skimming a little off her pay cheque because she has never paid attention before. I think this is crazy! I always check my hours and know approximately what to expect on each cheque.
So, they are going to issue me an new cheque and I am again happy to only have one more shift left. Christmas has been crazy there, there is no communication in the store and this is the second time they have shorted my hours.

Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter

Tonight I am going to watch that movie after my shift at the toy store. I am not even sure what it is about except that it's a musical and I ♥ musicals (that was for you making up for past mistakes!).

Today is payday. I transferred $100 to my EF, $50 to my Down Payment account, and paid $141.62 on my VISA. This was the interest charge incurred last month. My total paid on my VISA this month is at about $550. I don't think I will make my goal of $1300 BUT I am okay with $550 at this point. And who knows, I still have two pay cheques from the toy store coming to me.

Speaking of the toy store, I have two shifts left!!! Tonight and next Tuesday. I can't wait to have some extra time to throw at my school work. And speaking of school work, I am reading Who has seen the wind right now for Canadian Lit and I am falling in love with it. I have laughed out loud a multitude of times and felt empathy for the little boy at times. I can't believe I have only now read this classic (Canadian classic anyway).

One week till Christmas!

Warm Weather

Today it has warmed up to a balmy -18 degrees. Thats including the wind chill factor. It is a nice change from the -40 degree weather we have been having the last couple of days. My dog will finally go outside.

I spoiled myself last Friday and bought myself a new pair of winter boots. They are suede and knee high and are super cute. I heart them. Today, because it's "warm" out, I am showing them off over a pair of coloured tights.

And it looks like I am going to NYC for my birthday next year! I am very excited. :)

Lunatic Fringe

Last night was the company Christmas party and it was great. Tom Cochrane performed and then was followed by a local band that played some funk and reggae type stuff. There were 2200 people there and the set up was a cocktail party. Lots of finger foods to sample everywhere.

The decor was beautiful. The theme was a white hot Christmas and the bars were ice sculptures as well as various photo booths around. All seating was either black leather couches or white satin chairs. And feather throw pillows.

I loved it. And I didn't want to get too crazy, so I only spent $20 at the bar. Cab rides home were provided for by the company.

So, total fro my ticket, my dates ticket and my drinks I spent $4o, watched Tom Cochrane and had great food. And had an excuse to dress nice.

All in all a wonderful night.

Moonjar

This is not a sponsored post. I do not even write sponsored posts. This about a product we got in at the toy store that Ilove (although I do think the price tag is a bit extreme).

The moonjar is three tins wrapped together. Each tin is a piggy bank and is designated for a certain action. One tin for saving, one for spending, one for sharing. This is a fabulous way (I think) to teach children about money and responsibility that comes with money.

You can check it out here

The concept is great, but what I decided to do is steal this idea for when I have kids, but use spaghetti jars. Let my kids paint each jar or decorate it how they wish. Maybe a picture of what they are saving for on the saving jar, or who they would like to share their money with on the sharing one. And this way they can watch their money grow too.

I think it's my new favorite product in the toystore.


In other small mall news, a store in the mall has the following sign outside their store to lure customers in: What Recession? Come in and spend now! followed by a list of all things that are a "deal."

I laughed. And shook my head. And thought about the moonjars.

What am I doing?

I miss A a lot. I am afraid that if I go back I will get hurt again. I am afraid if I don't go back, I may regret this the rest of my life. I keep doing all of this stuff to keep busy, but it feels fake and empty.

I don't know what to do, and the scariest part is I feel empty.

Aye Aye Mateys!

This morning I paid $414.72 to my credit card and transferred $102 over to my Emergency Fund. My Emergency Fund is now at $500 which is 25% of my goal.
The $414.72 paid off my flight to Saskatoon and a trip to Wal-Mart to stock up on household essentials.

Make your own Moonshine

This is the website of the day and I think I know what people are getting for Christmas this year! www.ibiblio.org/moonshine/ Good times held by all :)

This weekend was a blast. I watched the surreal film fest on Saturday and finally saw Salvedor Dali's infamous short. And then on Sunday I tried the Tubby Dog Cap'n Dog hot dog. Who would have thought that peanut butter, jam and Cap'n crunch could taste okay on a hot dog. Not something one should eat everyday or after heavy drinking, but I am glad to say I have tried it once.

AND on Sunday I was able to add to my Dr. Seuss collection and found a first edition of the Cat in The Hat's Songbook. Exciting! My little collection is growing and really adding some depth to my bookshelf. I must appear so deep to new acquaintances that browse to figure stuff out about me. Maybe I can write an analysis of Dr. Seuss picture books and their deeper meanings....

PS. Its December 1 and its 13 degrees out (Celsius). I love Chinooks :)

PPS. I can't wait to eat my advent chocolate when I get home.

Au Revoir Part Time Job

I gave my notice last night at the toy store. I told them I would stay until the end of the month. They are willing to work with me in the New Year to reduce my hours. But at this point I think I am ready to leave the toy store. Only 6 more shifts.

I also did some calculations today and will be able to clear about $1300 off of my credit card in December. And I worked out what I want to pay off in 2009 by breaking it down into quarters.

In Q1 and Q2 I want to pay off all of my dental charges that are sitting on my credit card. This is about $3392.00 (implants are expensive, but I am happy with my smile)

In Q3 I want to pay off the charge for my new glasses and contacts that I bought last January. $935 (I spoiled myself this year, but had my last pair of glasses for over 6 years...cost per use made this price worth it)

And in Q4 I am going to start throwing money at all of the university charges accumulating on there.

I also decided my credit card can only be used to pay for school in 2009. No more putting concert tickets, groceries, home parties, bus passes etc. etc. on there.

I am happy that I have a plan for the credit card in place. I am thinking about doing this quarter thing with my other goals too. Look at me being all business like :)

Food origins

I am going to quit the toy store. I am falling behind in school and I feel like I waste my time at the toy store. There isn’t a lot of work and they have two girls on a shift. I could be doing more productive things with my time. I am going to wait till the end of December. I would give my notice tonight, but the last girl that did that they let go right on the spot. Which I would be okay with, but I would like that extra money in December.
I think if I start off the New Year with just one job again and focus on school, I may realize this hope of finishing school faster.

Last night I realized that I am paid January 1! This means that I will have more money in December to put towards my saving/ debt goals as I don’t have to stretch the money for January’s rent! Woo Hoo! I felt much better last night after this awareness. Because I am not buying anyone anything for Christmas, I will start the New Year on solid ground. I will still have debt of course, but I am working on a plan of attack for next year to really lessen it.

And here are some positives about breaking up: last night to keep from thinking I deep cleaned my house, finished laundry (including putting it away!), and was able to put in solid time on my courses. I have also been walking Molly everyday to get out of the house (and Oryx comes along too, following behind…so cute!) which she loves. Some days are really easy, other days/some moments are tough. I feel better about my decision – if A is the one it will work out. If not, we can’t waste each other’s time.

And yesterday I made a steak in my slow cooker. I wasn’t sure if it would work. I made a marinade and then let the slow cooker do its magic all day. It was fabulous. So juicy! And still a little pink which I like. I am becoming more and more experimental with my slow cooker.

And that’s a little insight into my life for today….

Ball's-Eye View

I was tagged twice for the same meme by Making up for Past Mistakes and Northern Living Allowance. They both want to know interesting things about me and I guess my blog doesn’t divulge enough quirkiness! Just kidding. It actually took me most of the morning to come up with six things that people might find interesting about myself and I hope I don’t fail!

1) I was born March 10, 1982. This is the 69th day of the year and I am a Pisces. On March 10th, 1982 there was a little phenomenon happening that day in the universe called sygyzy. All nine planets (back when there were nine planets…poor Pluto, I still believe in you) aligned on the same side of the sun. I like to think it was so no planet overshadowed my birth. I am vain like that.

2) When I was 18 years old I accepted a date from this guy. It seriously trumps all bad first dates from Hell. He picked me up and we went for pizza. He then asked if I wanted to meet up with some of his friends to shoot some pool. I thought that would be fine until it turned out his “friends” were his ex-girlfriend and the guy she cheated on my date with!!! AWKWARD!! I wish I believed I was worth more than I did that night and I would have left right away. Instead, I began drinking to lessen the tension. I was the only one drinking. After we played pool for a couple of hours, we decided to call it a night. My date drove us all home. First he dropped off his ex and her date at her place and then me. For some reason he ran a red light and our car was t-boned. My side was the side that was hit and I was thrown out of the vehicle. Someone out there was looking out for me because although I flew out of a car, scraped my body along the road, woke up in the hospital, and suffer from back pain now, I only have two scars on my body that are small and fairly unnoticeable. I was also able to walk right away and did not have a single broken bone. I didn’t accept a second date from that guy.

3)When I was 19, I went to a psychic. So far the only thing she said to come true was that she saw me with a little dog. My father adopted Molly from the SPCA for me a year or so later. She is a shih tzu and weighs in at 8 lbs. And like me, although she is little, she is tough (oh, who am I kidding…we both get by on cuteness). Molly is my shadow and I can’t imagine life without her. When I started working full-time I was worried about her being alone all of the time. One day at work I heard all of these magpies (a pretty bird that gets through life by being a jerk) squawking and cawing and being loud jerks. They were dive bombing into the yard beside the warehouse I worked in. I went to investigate and there was a small cat (maybe 6 months old?). I threw rocks at the magpies and lured the kitty to me. I then brought her to my friends place because they were looking for a cat. What we didn’t know was that this cat was prego and a few months later we had 5 little kitties that needed a home. I picked Oryx to take home because he greeted me at the door. Molly now had a little friend to play with. Oryx is now 3 years old and weighs in at over 20 lbs. My two furry babies still play fight and cuddle and I am so glad to have both of them in my life.

4) So if you read my blog, this is not new news. I hate all things fowl: chicken, turkey, duck, goose, magpies! I have never eaten a magpie nor would I ever as they are scavenger birds, but I still hate them. I do like eggs a lot though…is it wrong that I enjoy eating bird fetuses?

5. I am signing up for the ride to conquer cancer. This is a 200km bike ride from Calgary to the Rocky Mountains. It takes place next June and is a 2 day ride. I am starting to train now. My bike rides usually consist of coasting down the hill to wal-mart than asking my dad to pick me up. BUT I know in my heart I can do this and can’t wait for the feelings of accomplishment that will come with it.

6. My paternal grandparents met in a German work camp in World War II. So as strange as this may sound, if it weren’t for Hitler’s morbid vision I wouldn’t be here today. My grandmother is of Russian descent and lived in Latvia and my grandfather is from Holland. Fate once again worked its magic allowing the two of them to meet, marry and fall in love. They had to get married because if not, my grandmother would have been sent back to Latvia. The story goes that my grandpa took her to city hall and he said ya, so my grandma said da and then realized they were married. I love that story. She giggles when she tells it and he says that it’s been a wonderful 60 plus years. I want to find someone to spend 60+ years with.

So, hopefully that was interesting enough for everyone. I tag you to do it if you want because I think everyone I know has been tagged.

Junk Stew

It’s quarter to four on a Friday and I think that the clock is playing tricks. I am here till 5, but ready to go now. I have a jam packed weekend planned. A weekend of very little thinking -- hopefully. Tonight is all about crazy antics with my favorite girl in the whole world. Chuckles and I have planned to spend the evening rocking out on a speaker while sipping rye-and-cokes. She is then going to sleep over. Tomorrow, Peaches and I are going to a pub to watch the hockey game. Don’t tell him that I have no clue what hockey drama is going on and I am actually okay with being ignorant about the sport. In fact, don’t tell anyone in this crazy little city I live in. Sunday is Grey Cup Sunday…also something I could care less about except that it offers a reason to indulge in homemade nachos at my friend’s place while watching her ginormous tv.
It is probably going to be a pricey weekend. And my frugal side of me is saying I should cancel all plans, stay in and watch movies. But my sad heart-broken side is demanding that I get out there and laugh and try to forget that I may have told my future to go away and never come back. I know that it was a future that wasn’t even offering me what I wanted (although he now is if I can give him one more chance…can I? Still not sure how long I can play the make-up, break-up game), but it’s still scary that everything I had mapped out now needs to be re-routed.
I bought myself a plane ticket to Saskatoon yesterday. I am going to spend New Years with Jsquared. I wish it was time to go now. I wish I could get out of town for awhile and just think and not worry about putting on a strong face for work. I wish that A hadn’t told me he didn’t know if I was the one. I wish for world peace. I wish I could buy a house now. I wish I could quit working and finish school full-time. I wish it was 5:00.

Movie Bites

I have been spending a lot of time watching movies to keep my mind off of stuff. A is really determined that I should give him another chance. I am still not sure that's the best solution. I would like to give a shout out to the public library for hooking me up with a lot of Marilyn Monroe movies this week. And a shout out to a new friend for hooking me up with first seasons of shows I wanted to see.
I would also like to thank the cable company for not cutting my cable correctly and leaving me with MTV. I am catching up on The Hills which I don't even particularly like, but keeps my mind off my own drama.
I have increased my Down Payment account to $300 and my emergency Fund is almost at $300 as well. I get paid tonight and then again on Friday from both jobs. Being as I am not Christmas shopping anymore but instead baking for everyone, I am positive that I can get both of these accounts to $500 by December 31. It is not the $1000 goal I had set out, but there was a case of falling off of the wagon there after my trip to Latvia.

I wish I was in Latvia. I need out of this city really bad. I just want to get away from it all and stop thinking about A and what may have been the worst decision I ever made.

Blue Ball Machine

Nothing really to post...I still don't know what to do about A and I am taking my time to really think through everything. I worked at the toy store last night and now I am excited that in 4 more paycheques it will be January and no more Christmas. People spend crazy amounts of money on their kids...on stuff that said kid will grow out of anywhere from a couple months to a couple years. And who is to say that the toy will even be played with that entire time which really does not make said toy cost effective.
For my own Christmas spending this year, I am making everyone baked goods. I don't feel like searching for stuff when I know that people will enjoy cookies or bread.

PS. I miss A, but I can't play this game anymore. What if I agree to go back and then a year down the road we are in the same place. We have been driving on a flat tire for a while now and not getting anywhere. I think I need to get out and walk and see what's on the road ahead.

PPS. Yay for Friday.

What the Fluff

A sent me a text that stated he couldn't imagine life without me. I am at a crossroads. His text was beautifully written (well as beautiful as text speak will allow) and all the things I wanted to hear. Is it wrong that I feel he needs to prove they are not just words? I told him that i am not going anywhere at this point, but I am also not running back. I told him he needs to do all of that stuff for him, not me. And if he doesn't want to do it for any other reason then we are still at the same place really....

I don't know what to do. And strangely I am feeling really strong about the whole thing (well just not a blubbering mess...I don't feel like I am falling apart). And for anyone going through a break-up? Read "It's called a break-up because it's broken" and watch lots of movies and eat curry and play drinking bingo with all of your friends at the bar. Because strangely, I did these things yesterday and I feel okay...I also added two bottles of wine to this mix which may have helped.

Thank you for all of the comments. I haven't really told any of my other friends or family yet because I don't want the questions. And according to facebook, we are still in a relationship. I don't need that guy I knew in the third grade to send me condolences. It seems fake. And again, don't want the questions. How can I explain that a week ago I thought A and I were going to be forever and now it is no longer. I will wait till I know for sure I think.

A told me last week that he didn't know if he wanted the same things I did. How can I stay with someone who doesn't even know if he wants the same future I do? And when I asked him if he wanted to be with me, he told me he didn't know. The worst part is that A told me this last year and we broke up. And then he changed his mind and we made up, but now he is saying it again. I can't keep playing this game. And I thought things were so good. I can't be some body's maybe. And it hurts and this rye isn't making it better. I have to be strong because I made a tough choice that in the end will be better. But it hurts right now. I saw marriage and a house and babies. He can't even imagine that stuff with me. I can't wait for him forever. We have been together 2 and a half years. If he doesn't know now, how long would we have to wait?
I already regret my decision. But it's been an hour. I need to sleep on it and wait and see. It's his turn to make decisions. I can't be with someone that I convinced to be with me.

Worlds of Illusion

I stole this from Fabulously Broke. I am an English Major and wanted to see how well I would do. Bold means I have read it, Italics means that I have it on a list to read for a class I am in now or I own it and I am planning on reading it.

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald


2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger


3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee


5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker


6. Ulysses by James Joyce

7. Beloved by Toni Morrison

8. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding


9. 1984 by George Orwell


10. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

11. Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov

12. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck


13. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White


14. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

15. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

16. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley


17. Animal Farm by George Orwell


18. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

19. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

20. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

21. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

22. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne


23. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

24. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

25. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

26. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell


27. Native Son by Richard Wright

28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

29. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

30. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

31. On the Road by Jack Kerouac

32. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

33. The Call of the Wild by Jack London

34. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

35. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

36. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin

37. The World According to Garp by John Irving

38. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

39. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

40. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien


41. Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally

42. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

43. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

44. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce

45. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

46. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

47. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum


48. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence

49. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

50. The Awakening by Kate Chopin

51. My Antonia by Willa Cather

52. Howards End by E.M. Forster

53. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

54. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

55. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

56. Jazz by Toni Morrison

57. Sophie's Choice by William Styron

58. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner

59. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

60. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

61. A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

62. Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

63. Orlando by Virginia Woolf

64. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence

65. Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

66. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

67. A Separate Peace by John Knowles

68. Light in August by William Faulkner

69. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James

70. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

71. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

72. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

73. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs

74. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

75. Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence

76. Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe

77. In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway

78. The Autobiography of Alice B. Tokias by Gertrude Stein

79. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

80. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer

81. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

82. White Noise by Don DeLillo

83. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

84. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

85. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

86. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

87. The Bostonians by Henry James

88. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

89. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

90. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

91. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

92. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand


93. The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles

94. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

95. Kim by Rudyard Kipling

96. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

97. Rabbit, Run by John Updike

98. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster

99. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

100. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie


WOW!!! Not nearly as good as I thought it would be...I have a lot of reading ahead of me to do.

Swiss Chalet

I hate chicken...if you remember my Thanksgiving post, I believe I alluded to disliking all bird. Anyway, today my friend invited me for lunch and suggested Swiss Chalet. Sweet, a place which has mostly chicken on the menu!!! (SARCASM) And some sauce that I could almost describe as the only thing worse than chicken! But I figured I could find something else on the menu to appease her.
Swiss Chalet has this amazing lunch special where for like $8, you get all you can eat bread sticks, salad and soup. I have to say I was able to eat a filling lunch of bread and salad on a budget. If I liked chicken, I would have had more soup too (chicken noodle or chicken minestrone are your choices). Swiss Chalet may get into my black book of budget friendly lunch choices.

PS. I still hate chicken!

Next year is really soon...

I have made no goals this month. I have fallen off the financial wagon and this month I am just going to work on getting back into saving and debt-repaying momentum. Thinking about Christmas is kind of freaking me out. And then I was thinking that with Christmas comes NYE and that is usually followed by a new calendar year (usually heehee).
I am starting to work on a 2009 budget which will include my goals that I want to achieve in 2009 and a month by month plan of how to achieve this. I am hoping to have this up and posted with in the next few days. Some things happened in my life in the last few days that has made me realize that I need to find the key to unlock my chains and set me free.
Sorry for no inspirational November goals post. Money seems to be slipping through my hands like water these days! Tomorrow is payday and I am hoping to start getting back on track.

Please don't be mad...

...the fur coat was bought second hand, but it really added to my look. It's my mom's -- she bought it second hand years ago and I am sure the fox would have died of natural causes by now. And Canada is a country that was (sadly) developed based on fur trading. This is what I looked like for Halloween:

Happy Halloween!

The most wonderful time of the year has arrived!!! This morning I wore all black and a carnival eye mask to pass out freebies downtown for work. And tonight I am off to party as a 1940s gangster. I know, I was supposed to be a paper bag princess and I was super excited until Wednesday night when my friend informed me that this girl going to the same party was dressing up like that too. I am not one to show up somewhere in the same dress as someone else and so last minute I scrounged my closet to put something together. My shoes were the inspiration of the entire outfit.
Still super cheap for me to put together and I plan on looking hot enough to melt all of the ghosts and goblins ;)

Hope everyone has a spook-tacular day.

Butterfly Kisses

Making up for Past Mistakes awarded me with a BUTTERFLY Award! Thank you so much :) I am sure you can tell based on the title of my blog that I love the butterflies. I have always felt an attraction to butterflies like most girls and then after a horrible break-up many years ago I stumbled upon two quotes that aided my decision to make the butterfly my emblem. The first quote was: If it weren't for change, we wouldn't have butterflies. I was able to see that change was a good thing. The second quote was: what the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. This enlightened me to see that my break up was not the end of the world, and there was hope I would morph into something beautiful from all of the sadness. I collect butterflies or little bits of beauty in the hopes of becoming the woman I want to be -- financially, socially and emotionally.

I award this butterfly award to:
♫ Dolly Iris
and
♪ Canadian Saver

These two ladies have read my blog from almost day one and motivated me to keep writing which in turns has been aiding my finances. Thanks Ladies. ☺

Historical Returns

Today is the anniversary of the 1929 stock market crash. Interesting I noted that during this time where everyone is worried about the economy. I am not too worried about it. I know this isn't the first down and that there will be another up followed by a down as that's the way life goes. I know that people have survived all of the other downs and I am sure we will all survive this one too. And I know that as much as money makes life comfortable, it doesn't make life so there is no sense stressing about a market that is volatile.

Grumpkins

I depleted some of my emergency fund to pay all of my bills this morning. My phone bill was due and I figured while I was paying it, I would just pay the utility bill and the Internet bill at the same time. I should have paid them with my chequing account, but on Sunday I was at Wal-Mart buying bread making ingredients and then looked through their clothes and found a skirt and a couple turtle necks that I could use for work. Plus I needed some tights as it is getting cold out (PS I hate winter, yet refuse to leave Canada....). So over all I spent something like $80 on clothes and $15 on ingredients. I am happy with my purchases because I need more professional looking stuff for work. I used to work in a warehouse where there was no dresscode and I lived in jeans. Now I am in an office where jeans can only be worn on Fridays. I have made it through my first year, but last winter I was freezing as my hoodie was not really appropriate.
I bought bread making ingredients because my friend gave me her bread maker when she moved. I love it!!! My house smells awesome (baked bread is my favorite smell ever) and I have a fresh loaf of bread for peanut butter sandwiches. Yummy!
So yes, I "borrowed" some money out of my emergency fund, but plan on paying it back on November 6, with the money I would have used to pay my bills. I just don't like looking at bills. It's like they taunt me until I pay them.

PS. My last post may look blank, but its really a secret code (not really that secret) for my new BLOG background. Not sure if I really like the overall look, but I was home sick yesterday and playing around.

PPS. I miss relaxing in a cafe in Latvia drinking turkish coffee. Just randomly throwing that out there.

More reasons why I can't wait to own my own house

1) I don't have to deal with a crazy landlord anymore. The only crazy landlord will be me
2)I won't have loud neighbors downstairs that think I actually enjoy listening to their music and didn't really want to watch a show on tv (in fairness, I actually save electricity this way because some of their music is okay...but Wednesday nights for some reason is Michael Jackson night --I think she is cleaning--and it makes me want to scream!!! haha)
3)I also won't have to deal with said neighbors when they blow a fuse and need to come upstairs because the fuses are in my house (wouldn't be an issue except it is a very frequent thing --figure out which appliances can't be on together so you don't overload the circut!!)

I wish I lived...

...in the states today. Linen and Things is supposed to start liquidating their stores as early as today. Apparently the Canadian ones are doing well. I wanted couch covers as my cat has done a number on my couch with his claws. He doesn't think I understand his artistic vision. I don't. *sigh*

So....

I have used my $500 windfall to remove the Banff Hotel charge off of my credit card reconciliation spreadsheet. Yesterday I also applied my toy store pay cheque of $157 to my credit card as well as $93 from my full-time job. I was able to apply approx $750 this weekend and cleaned up a lot of little charges. Some of the charges were from cab fares back and forth to events for my full time job that I will be reimbursed for.
I worked both Sunday and Monday of this weekend at the toy store and on Monday was paid time and a half for the hours I put in (yay to holidays!). My next pay cheque from the toy store should be around $255 and this too shall be directly applied to my credit card.
On Saturday I plan on bringing all of my rolled coin, as well as leftover British money to the bank, and boosting my down payment account.
This month is looking really great financially.

I am working away in my Canadian Lit course as I am hoping to complete it by December 17, 2008. It's a tight timeline, but if I complete it I will have covered enough credits this year to be considered a full time student come tax time which should help me in the tax return department. This course should also keep me busy enough that I won't be spending copious amounts of money on entertainment in the next couple of months.

$500 windfall

Last March, for my birthday, A handed me a card with the note that he would pay for one of my courses. Yesterday evening (being as I just started my two new courses), I received an email with a $500 bank transfer. Right away I applied this to my credit card. He also emailed me $44 for his Alberta Health Care this month and I transferred that to my down payment account.
Today, I am baking for the United Way bake sale taking place at work on Tuesday. I am super excited to spend an afternoon with friends decorating Halloween cupcakes and making peanut butter cookies. Bakerella is our inspiration (although I do believe she needs to venture away from the cake pops. I get it, you're amazing and make cute cake pops. Move on!) and you should check her blog out sometime at www.bakerella.com
I am too lazy to link right now.

TGI A Long weekend!!!

It's Thanksgiving. The time of year where the great Turkey is honoured and celebrated. I hate turkey. I think all bird is pretty gross actually. I look forward to this time of year because it means a long weekend (woohoo!!!) and usually a good deal of pumpkin pie.
I am working at the toy store on Sunday and Monday. On Monday I should be getting paid time and a half. All of this money is going to my credit card which was used to pay for my two courses in school I just started and needs to be taken down again. I can't wait till school is over and my credit card is paid off. And I don't have to work part-time anymore.
A and I are talking about moving in together in April when my lease is up. That would mean I would be cutting my expenses all in half. Right now I pay $1200 a month in rent and about $200 in bills (less in summer, more in winter). If A and I move in together, I would have about $700 extra a month to put towards debt, my downpayment, my emergency fund and paying for school. The issue is, A and I tried living together before and he couldn't handle that I was always around (I lived there!!! Where was I supposed to go?) and we decided to live seperately again. He says that this time he is ready. I think I am not so sure I am anymore. It makes financial sense, but there is a sense he may not be ready again and I can't go through life with an open door policy (does that even make sense?). I am also hoping that my dad's carrot of a loaned downpayment comes through....
I love living on my own. I want to blast Madonna and dance around...no one stops me. I want quiet while I read, I don't turn anything on. I guess I will see how I feel in February or March. Sometimes I think i would like him to move in now. Other times I wonder if our arrangement now is the best one. But like his mom stated, eventually we will probably have to live together (you know, when we marry and have babies...)

Anyway, hope you all enjoy your weekend of the bird.

WOW!!!

I received my marks back yesterday evening for my research paper and my final grade. Even though my research paper was 3 pages short (it was supposed to be between 10-12 pages, but I handed in 7 --and not even because there was a total of half a sentence on page 7), I received 94%!!! WooHoo!!! The feedback I received was that it was well written, the research integrated nicely and a good use of all 7 of my research sources. So, although I thought for sure I bombed my final exam from lack of preparing and wrote my paper the last minute (And I am talking last minute as everything had to be submitted September 30th and I emailed that paper on 11:20pm September 30th), I pulled off an A- in the course!! The sad thing is, this really didn't teach me anything except that I can get things done in the final hour and pull off great grades. I wonder if I had bombed everything if I would force myself to prepare better next time...
So it's the final quarter of the year. Overall I feel that I have had a pretty great year. I have finished three courses for school, was able to travel to Latvia and England, and have gained more control of my finances although I can still better myself in that department. The final quarter I have started on two more courses for school and I have been working on my last quarter financial plan today.

Dear Canadian Government

Thank you for depositing my GST cheque today and pimping out my account. I feel like Xhibit has placed an LCD screen in my mud flaps. You rock like the shamrock.

~Arual

October's Goals

A new month, a new slate and no more worrying about Child Development! And October contains my favorite holiday (Halloween :))! I have decided to go as the paper bag princess this year. I had to analyze this story for my Children's Literature course two summers ago and have a new found respect for it. I also found a paper leaf bag for fall clean up that will be long enough to cover me like a dress. Some soot and some messed up hair and a tiara and I should be good to go. I am considering photocopying images from the story to decoupage onto my "dress" just in case there are people out there who have no idea who the paper bag princess is (and if you don't --shame on you. Go read some Robert Munsch, I also recommend Mud Puddle and Mortimer).
So my goals for this month are not too crazy as I learned my lesson last month when I had two melt downs due to school stress.
1)Pay off Banff Hotel Charge ($484.88)
2)Finish up Literature of the Americas course (aka my English Essay that I have procrastinated on)
3)Create a study Schedule for the two courses that I started yesterday
4)No Spending Ts (I stole this from Frugal Dreamer)
5) Read first 2 books of each course (4 books total, but I am almost done the first one)

The last goal may be the hardest to complete, but I figure that as long as I plug away at it, it's not entirely impossible. I read on the bus and before bed now anyway. It may as well be school reading. I thought I could finish these two courses in 3 months, but I don't want the stress I felt in September to happen in December (with Christmas that month too!), so I have decided to try and finish one for sure in 3 months and the other I will give myself a little more time. That means I will only receive 18 credits this year instead of the 21 I want. The nice thing is that one of the courses doesn't have any exams --just two papers. That takes away the stress of scheduling exams!

Somehow....

...on my psychology final last week that I was sure I bombed, I managed a B-. This afternoon, I had a meltdown about my research paper, suffering from where to begin and writers block, and apathy because what did it matter because I was sure I BOMBED the final exam. BUT at 4:00 I checked my grades via the lovely Internet that serves as a distraction to any constructive work I could be doing and discovered that I had passed and pretty well too all things considered. This gave me some motivation for my paper (which is due by 11:59pm BTW) and I have been able to spit out 2 pages. Not enough yet, but I feel a good vibe coming.
So, yes, I am on a blogging break which is just about as bad as facebook. I have been thinking about turning off my Internet, but I am a bad addict like the alcoholic that feels she can hang out in a bar.
I look forward to creating October goals tomorrow. I look forward to a new month tomorrow. I look forward to being done this course.

PS. I am investigating ING accounts for A and I to jointly open. We are both a little nervous about this, but I want our house fund to start building faster and this way we can watch our money grow faster. So, if you have one and want to refer me to get your bonus money, you need to leave me a comment as to why i should choose you. Most creative answer will win.

Personal Loan

I have paid off 50% of my loan that I borrowed for my implant tooth!!! Yeah!!! :)

September Review

September has been a rough month. Finishing up my two courses has become a nightmare. I have written both finals and still have the papers to write (which need to be done this weekend in order for me to fulfill my contract obligations with Athabasca University). My English Final, I feel fairly confident that I scored well. My Psychology final…well not so much. I am pretty sure I bombed that exam and I need to write an amazing research paper in order to secure a passing grade. Canadian Art History is flashing before my eyes when the same situation occurred. I ended up with a C in a course I could have easily received an A in.
I think I may be putting too much pressure on myself and have decided to refocus on my original two goals: Finishing school and buying a house. I think that once I started these goals in motion and realized how much potential and possibility I have within, I became obsessed with completing all of my goals or the goals I think I want to complete: the idea of perfection and leading a completely pulled together life. Except, I have too much on my plate with my large goals right now and this month has proven that I am working myself to the limit. I almost broke down in tears writing my psychology final because I wasn’t prepared enough. I think I need to shelf my 101 in 1001 days goal right now. Occasionally I may complete some of those items, but I can not make it a focus or a priority right now. Finishing school and owning a house are the two most important things to me at this stage of my life and that is what I need to focus on.
I was able to meet my emergency savings goal this month. And will meet my down payment goal when I pick up my cheque from the toy store tonight. I paid off the interest charges on my VISA, but wasn’t able to pay off the hotel charge. This is going to be priority one next month. My other goals included my essays for school which I have been working on and will be done by the 30th only because I really have no choice. I also registered into two more courses for an October 1 start date. October 1, I plan on spending time on making a study schedule so that I am spending time everyday on these two courses thus avoiding feeling overwhelmed the last month of the contract.
The month was fairly successful although stressful. I can’t wait till these two papers are submitted and I can forget all about Child Development and Literature of the Americas (although the literature course was enjoyable – everyone should read Song of Solomon).

Revealing curves

Oh man. I had my first dance class on Wednesday and man are my thighs killing me today (two days later!). Tomorrow I have my first boot camp class and I am hoping that it isn't painful to walk by then...then I can work them out again and feel this intense pain till Wednesday thus continuing a cycle! It's a good pain though i suppose as it reminds me every time I walk to the fridge that I want to drop a few pounds :)

This is going to be one hectic weekend. I have to write a research paper and organize myself for some serious studying sessions. My psychology final is on Wednesday evening and I still have to work during the days as well as work my part-time job Sunday and Monday evening. I can't wait till Thursday when i have no papers and no exams coming up and I can veg out. I have a sex and the City marathon planned for next weekend :)

On the financial front I received a cheque from Blue cross that was the last of my health spending account for the last year (new year started on July 1, 2008). I am going to put this extra $25 into my down payment account. A also owes me some money for his health care that will be put in this account this weekend as well.

The power of the Dark side...

...has enticed me to procrastinate. English final exam is tomorrow and I only have the introduction to my English essay written. I foresee a restless evening ahead of me filled with words, sentence structure, quotes and proper MLA documentation.
I have been living off of coffee today. I can't wait till Friday night when I can sleep right after work.

Fall Fitness

In the year since I started working at my full-time job, I think I have gained about 10lbs. There was a glitch in my life last October where A and I decided to take a break and I lost 20lbs quickly due to my wine and cracker diet. Since we decided to work things out though I know my scale has been on the upswing. Anyway, I decided to spend $112.35 and enrolled in two fitness classes. One of them is a dance class that is supposed to teach me the choreography viewed in pop music videos. And the second class is a boot camp class, which I am worried is going to be like the last ten pounds boot camp on Slice and I am going to end up crying because I was caught cheating and the instructor is going to work me hard and say things intended to motivate, but end up hurting....but hopefully, it's as fun as the description says it will be.

I am super excited for the dance class. I love making up dances (I know, I am 26 years old and should probably grow out of this, but too bad!). It starts on September 17, right after I finish writing my first final exam this month. I think it will be a great way to let off that after-exam anxiety.

I think that $112.35 for 2 classes that each last 10 weeks is worth it. I will get out of the house, meet new people and get in better shape.

Mannequin Wanderlust

Things I absolutely need (okay want) when I buy a house
~ A dishwasher (so tired of sclading hot water melting rubber gloves to my hands and the time I put into washing each dish)
~ a soaker tub (I love soaking in the bath and i always make sure hotels I book into has super deep ones)
~counter space in the kitchen (right now, my deep freeze is also my counter for preparing food to be cooked)
~ a basement for the hot summer nights so that I can sleep at nights

That's all I can think of right now. I am sure there are many more "needs," but right now I am going through the place I live in now and everything that bugs me about it.

I hate rent...

I can't wait till I own my own place. If I have to work all week to pay for a roof over my head, I want this roof to be mine! I forsee quite a few no-spend days ahead for the plain and simple reason that I am flat broke (besides my savings which I really don't want to spend). I hate paying someone else's mortgage!
My dad is selling his house in March or April as he and his girlfriend are building a new place out of town. He mentioned that he may be in a position to lend me a down payment. I am thinking about taking him up on this offer. If i am going to be flat broke, I want to know that its for owning something.

Finished ranting....for today.

Au revoir beautiful Summer, bonjour gorgeous Autumn

I can not believe how quickly August raced by. It seems unfair that I didn't have enough time to soak in the sun reading. I know partly I didn't make the time or take advantage of any time I did have. Just another lesson learned about seizing the moment. The final look at my August goals reveals the following completions and some deferred goals.
Pay Hair mix charge : Done August 15 (or sometime in there)
$200 in savings account: only able to swing $122. Too much eating out!
$100 in Down payment account: only $22 again due to lack of discipline in the eating out department
English units 13, 14 and 15: DONE!!!
Psych quizzes 4 and 5:DONE!!!
English Essay and Psych Essay: Picked topics for both, started on the English Essay and gave myself a due date of September 5th. Psych essay is a research essay and I began a folder on EBSCO with relevant articles from psychology journals.

Not a bad month, but fiscally could have been better. Part of it is Summer has this way of making me spend money and when I got back from Latvia many moons ago, I never bothered to grocery shop till last week. BUT with September rolling in is that feeling of "back to the books" responsibility.

My September goals:
1)Pay Banff Hotel Charge on VISA: $484.88 as well as July and August's purchase interest charges (July: 111.98 and August: 108.96)
2)$200 into Emergency Fund Savings account
3)$100 into Down Payment Savings account
4)English Essay
5)Psychology Essay
6) Enroll into 2 more English courses for October 1 start

I need to start snow flaking again the way I was last May. I already know the first part-time pay cheque from the toy store is going to be a little more than $200 which will take care of the purchase interest charges. And I am receiving a raise at my full-time job which will aid in the savings goals I think. And I have my English and Psychology final exams this month so goals 4 and 5 are really inevitable. I look forward to a successful month. :)

Grand Illusions

I am not sure what to do. I have become more and more dissatisfied with my part-time job and I kind-of want to quit (on the spot, no notice given). The other part of me enjoys the extra income and although I live in a city where part-time jobs are a dime a dozen, the idea of looking for another part-time job doesn’t thrill me -- one of those “better the devil you know” kinds of deals.
I am up for my one year review September 4th at my full-time job, and I know I will be getting a raise. When I returned from Latvia, my boss repeatedly informed me that he had no idea how much I did around here and how efficiently I did it all. I know he will give me a steller review and the union will then up my wage. It’s the way it works around here. I just don’t think my raise is going to be enough to justify quitting the toy store right now. I could go the route of looking for a roommate which would reduce my rent and bills by half, but I like my space. In April, my lease is up and A is talking about us moving in together.
Should I stick it out another month? See what effect my raise has on my income (for all I know it will mostly go to taxes!) and then decide? I am just really unimpressed with both the owners and the assistant manager. They have scheduled me for days I informed them that I couldn’t work. My cheque was shorted two hours (although they did pay it out on the next cheque) once. When I interviewed, I told them I didn’t want to work weekends as I am in school and work full time already. I like my Saturdays and Sundays for studying as well as relaxing. So for Labor Day long weekend they have me scheduled Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. I don’t mind an occasional Sunday shift or a Friday evening shift, but I really don’t think it’s fair when they agreed to my terms to have me scheduled Friday and Sunday the same weekend!
But the money…I really want my debt paid off and a healthy down payment savings account. I need to look into other options of steady extra income. I have been scheduled for September so I think I will finish the month off and then re-evaluate. October I am going to be much busier too as I will be starting two more courses in school.
Why can’t I be a multi-billionaire who only worries about where the next party is at?

TGIF Timewaster

Another week bites the dust! I received my Internet bill yesterday and was surprised that it carried the balance of last month onto this month when I remembered paying it in August. I called the company and they informed me that no payment has been made since July. Then I re-checked my bank records and saw my mistake. My cell phone and my Internet are with the same company but different divisions, and when I paid the bill I wasn’t paying attention and paid my cell bill instead. Now I have to pay a late fee!!! GRRR. This morning I straightened it all out and paid my Internet off. I don’t what I would do without being as I don’t have cable anymore nor can I imagine not being able to check my facebook regularly.
Not a whole lot planned this weekend. Going to a concert with a friend on Saturday night and I went to check out this photography exhibition. I am hoping that I can have no-spend days today and Sunday to help in my 101 in 1001 goal of having 500 no-spend days out of the 1001. I have to average about 15 no spend days a month for the next 33 months to meet it. This month I have 4 (although possibly more because I wasn’t really tracking it at the beginning). On my other Blog I have a chart to showcase the no-spend days.


EDIT: So I realized that yesterday in the same blog post I wrote about paying my bills and having a spend-free day. I forgot that paying my bills counts as spending so no no-spend day for me! When you do everything online it feels less like spending, more like transferring. But Sunday for sure, I am going to make a spend-free day.

You're on the other side of the mirror

This weekend I was able to finish all of my reading for school,clean my entire house, get Molly's hair cut, and visit the farmer's market. Tonight, I am feeling a lot like these guys:


A thunder storm is starting right now and so much of me wants to go out and dance in the rain. It's been sweltering all week and I need the rain to help cool down my house. These guys could use some rain too I think:





A fairly productive weekend. I am studying to write my online quiz now and that's one more thing crossed off my list of goals!

I love thunder storms!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

A gnome is born...

Yesterday was payday from my full-time job and today is payday from the part-time job. I ♥ payday! I can pay off my hairmix credit card charge today and some purchase interest too. Feels good to meet another August goal.
Speaking of August...where the hell did it go? I can not believe it is already half way through the month and there is officially about a month left of summer. I have a lot of school work to do this weekend to catch up.

MID MONTH REVIEW OF GOALS:
Pay Hair mix charge : Paying this in 2 minutes
$200 in savings account: transferred $100 yesterday
$100 in Down payment account: not yet
English units 13, 14 and 15: 13 and 14 are done, working on 15 today
Psych quizzes 4 and 5: Hopefully 4 will be done this weekend. have one more chapter to read for that
English Essay and Psych Essay: Not started yet as still finishing up units

Not too bad for a mid month review. Just got to keep on truckin' :)

Healthcare Snowflaking

I have A on my benefits plan and I pay his healthcare every month. This only started in July and I don't notice it off of my check. A is going to pay me back what is deducted off of my check for his healthcare and because I don't notice, I am going to split this amount in half every month transferring half to my down payment fund, and half to my emergency fund. By December (which is the last month in Alberta we have to pay for healthcare!!!) I will have increased both acounts by $132 each. Doesn't seem like a lot, but will add to what I am already contributing. And every penny counts..

Lego Mini-Me

Hooray! A is home and my much-needed hug arrived. I feel a hundred per cent better with him here. His trip was fabulous and he loved the concert. I guess at one point 70 000 people were singing “run through the hills” with Iron Maiden. A said the bands looked just as impressed with how many people were there as the people there did.
Today, there is a new chocolate place opening in the city where you can order the chocolate you want and they make it right in front of you. I have put this on my list of places to check out and can’t wait to try delectable chocolate that I watched being made. YUMMY!!!
My part-time job shorted me by 2 hours on my pay cheque. I was assured that they would put those 2 hours on my next cheque, but I am so not impressed. I think I need to look for another part-time job. I can’t wait for the day when I don’t have to work two jobs. Nothing like motivating a girl to aggressively save and finish up her education then to pay her minimally to deal with managers that appear to becoming more and more clueless.
This weekend looks like a low-key spending weekend. A work BBQ followed by a play tomorrow, but nothing planned for Sunday. Tonight, I am watching my friend’s baby and hanging out with A. Did I mention how happy I am that he is home?

It's time for a change

A comes home tomorrow and I can’t wait. I need a hug very badly. Yesterday I was feeling so low and down about myself, but today I decided that I can’t dwell on the past and mistakes I have made. I can only go out of my way and not make the same mistakes and learn from the ones I have made. I keep realizing more and more that I need to grow up. I need to stop partying so much. I need to stop putting myself in situations where the part of me that I hate seems to thrive.
In 5 years or so, I don’t see myself in this city. I don’t see myself dealing with the same drama or contributing to it. That means I still have 5 years to grow out of it. I am starting with my 101 in 1001 plan. And there will be people who want me to come out and party and be the “old” Arual, but I have to be strong and keep with my plan of being the Arual that I love. The one who doesn’t have regrets and is clear-headed in the morning. I am too old to make my plan for the evening revolve around how ridiculously messed up I can get.
I wish it were tomorrow.

I wish

I wish I could just up and leave and start all over somewhere. Just A, me, my dog and cat. New life, new friends, new beginnings, a clean slate. I try so hard to be a better person, but my past knocks on my door to remind me that maybe I am not. I wish there was a way for me to just go away and everyone would forget about me.

Rosebud in a blink

I love the beginning of a month. It’s a fresh slate that has 31 (or 30 or 28 depending…) days of opportunities waiting to happen. And I especially love the beginning of the month when it falls on a Friday! Not only is it one of my favorite days of the week, but it also means that I have a weekend to work on monthly goals and I start the month off on a positive foot. And I love it even more when that weekend is a long weekend. Today could quite possibly be one of the happiest days of the year 
Today is also the day that I start my 101 goals in 1001 days project. I created a blog for that project so that each goal will be updated there. I suppose I could have put the two together which I may do in the end, but for now I just created a new one.
My weekend looks promising – tonight a quiet night watching Sex and the City Season two. Tomorrow, a drive out to the country for a bonfire at a friend’s place which is sure to filled with rowdiness. Sunday and Monday are filled with housework and homework. I am really hoping to get two units in my English course done this weekend (2 novels). The one novel I am halfway through and am hoping to finish it tonight, the other novel I will start on Sunday when I get home from Nanton.
I also received my schedule from the toy store and looks like I will make approximately $420 extra dollars this month to apply to my VISA! Super stoked about that.
I sure do love the beginning of a month 

August Goals

1. Pay Hair Mix charge on Credit card ($200.10)
2. $200 in emergency fund
3. $100 in Downpayment Savings
4. English units 13, 14 and 15 (not too bad, two novels and final conclusion of course)
5. English Essay Two
6. Psych Quiz 4
7. Psych quiz 5
8 Psych Assignment

I miss A

*sigh* A has been gone 5 days. He wrote to me this morning to tell me they arrived in Amsterdam after driving all night and getting lost in Belgium. I hope he remembers to get me some black licorice.
I am trying to study for my psychology quiz. It's online, so I could look up the answers if I wanted, but that won't help me when it's time for the final. Psychology is a lot of memory work. I am studying developmental psychology which is interesting in itself, but working at the toy store is like seeing what I read come alive. Shouldn't that help me understand better? I guess it's not a matter of understanding, but more of remembering. And there is a lot of remembering! Tonight I get a fun-filled evening of studying, cleaning my house, studying and then taking the quiz.
This weekend I watched all of season one of Sex and the City. My friend that asked me to be her bridesmaid in her Halloween themed wedding loves Sex and the City and even though the ceremony is not until 2009, I have been thinking about shower and stagette themes. I think a Sex and the City themed brunch for her shower would be fun. So I need to brush up on all things SATC. I watch the show with a notepad so I can jot down any ideas that come to mind. My friend's stagette is going to be an all day affair. I am wondering if we should incorporate the shower in the morning (brunch time anyway) and then after begin the other activities (I hear pole dancing calling our names :)). The only thing she asked was that at the end of the night we meet up with the stag party at a night club. I still have lots of time to think about it and conference with the other bridesmaids.

One from Column A....

I made this list a couple years ago of things to do before I died. Reading Saving4Later's blog a few days ago, she mentioned a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days and googling this, there is a whole network dedicated to this project. I love and am intrigued by the idea. I then remembered my list and thought to myself, I should really start crossing things off of it. I also recently watched the Bucket List which shows so many aspects of my life have this theme and is probably a sign. I am working on a list of 101 things done in 1001 days and goals on there include my financial goals, my health goals, my career goals. The following list is more of a fun list and I am sure as I get older, some of the things on it won't be as appealing (although at 26 I still think a mudball fight would be awesome!). Maybe that is even more reason why I should start crossing items off.

My to do list

1. Visit Mexico, not just the resort in Mexico
2. Hot air balloon ride
3. Swim with dolphins
4. Raft though rain forest
5. Experience New York City; visit MOMA, see Broadway on Broadway, shopping on Fashion Ave, Central Park etc. etc. DONE March 12-17 2009
6. Compete in a marathon
7. Have eyes fixed
8. Learn to speak another language
9. Snowboard
10. Have a mud ball fight
11. Crazy carpet down a mountain
12. Show up at my boyfriends wearing only lingerie, my trench coat and pumps. See what happens
13. Show up at my boyfriends wearing shorts, halter top, chaps, cowboy hat and boots. See what happens.
14. Feed the homeless on Christmas day
15. Become a big sister
16. Laugh at least 100 times a day
17. Take a gnome sightseeing and take lots of pictures of him. Get doubles and mail to a random person.
18. Finish a New York Times crossword
19. Become the Sudoku master!!
20. Learn how to perfectly execute a roundhouse kick
21. Learn how to wear nothing but red lipstick and still look classy
22. Learn sign language
23. Have a breakfast picnic at a lookout spot and watch the sunrise
24. Watch a horror movie in a cornfield with just my boyfriend
25. Learn how to skip rocks on water
26. Enter a sandwich-making competition and win first prize in the “aesthetically- pleasing” category. If no such competition, create one.
27. Write more poetry
28. Start writing my memoir
29. Kiss my boyfriend at least 100 times a day
30. Conjure up a plan to receive more hugs on a daily basis.
31. Build something from scratch using wood and power tools.
32. Create the art piece that is in my mind and try to sell it at a gallery working on this
33. Have a flour fight.
34. Take the stairs to the top of the Calgary TowerDid this twice, 04/19/08 and in 04/20/07
35. Learn to be more patient
36. Learn to love myself more
37. Drive to California, go to six flags and ride the “X”
38. Learn to swim
39. Send more letters and postcards to my friend
40. Ask a telemarketer what his or her biggest wish/dream is, instead of hanging up
41. Visit an art gallery once a month and seriously look as though I plan on purchasing a piece
42. Train and audition for jeopardy
43. Ride a horse Did this 05/18/08
44. Tapdance
45. Volunteer at the SPCA. Give evil looks to people who are abandoning their animals for stupid reasons
46. Challenge someone to a shopping cart race down a hill. Wear a helmet just in case.
47. Dance like no one is watching
48. Seduce my boyfriend while wearing a masquerade mask. Leave it on.
49. Challenge my friends to a “macaroni-and-cheese” contest. The noodles must be homemade.
50. Drink expensive champagne “just because” while soaking in a bubble bath


It must have been just a little under two years ago when I wrote this list because I had just started dating A. The only thing I have completed is walking up the stairs of the Calgary Tower which I have done twice. I did start a gnome project, but the girl I was doing it with had differnt ideas. I should do that again. I think it would be so funny to receive a random envelope filled with a gnome's vacation. Although it may seem creepy to some.

Evil Green Men

A is in London. He left yesterday at 6:00pm and I am missing him like crazy. I had my manager show me how to track a flight to make sure it landed safely. I keep checking my facebook to see if he left me a message. I know I should let him have his time to explore and discover another country and himself in the process. I am very afraid he might discover that he doesn't want me. So silly. A assures me that he loves me with all of his heart and he plans on spending the rest of his life with me. I get so insecure that one girl will bat her eyelashes, speak with an eloquent accent (although I suppose to my Newfoundlander boyfriend, my Albertan accent would be eloquent)and he will realize that I am just an ordinary girl-next-door. My mind is working over time. I know that he loves me, I keep telling myself that there is nothing to worry about, I am trying hard to remember to breathe.
Thinking about this most of the night and all of this morning, I have decided it is time to face my insecurities, shed my bad habit of second guessing my BF's motives, and grow up. How can i have a grown up relationship when I am a scared little girl clinging on for fear that he will find something better if I am not around? If that does happen, there is not much I could do about it, so why waste energy? Better to spend that energy showing him how much I love and appreciate him instead of looking for the reasons he would love and appreciate me.
He is gone for two weeks. I made it three weeks without him while I was in Latvia and it was hard, but I survived. I am stronger and I know he waited while I was gone. He wouldn't wait so he could rush off to some country to find a foreign woman. I need to use these two weeks productively. Finish some stuff around the house, work on some of my goals, maybe check out some things in the city I want to do (like go to the zoo). When A makes it home, I want to hear his adventures, but also want to let him know that I didn't just mope around for two weeks. I often fall into the trap of making my BF the focus of my life, waiting around for him, doing stuff for him, doing stuff with him. It's not bad to do this half of the time which is the point of a relationship, but I need to learn how to focus on me half of the time and when focusing on me, look at all of the other relationships I have in life and help them grow too. Maybe these two weeks will be good for me. The three weeks I had in another country was the start and now the two weeks in my own will help me more to become me...whoever she might be.

Day of the living Dead

I am still working on those pics and my blog about my trip. It is a work in progress. Between catching up on sleep, cleaning my house (note to self, the house is not self cleaning and 3 weeks is a long time to be away)and meeting with friends, I have had only a few minutes here and there to work on my blog. It took me an hour to upload them onto facebook and if I were braver, I would just link the two.
I am also working on August goals (I had none for July as it was a time away and I am OK with that)and playing catch up with my psychology homework.
I am happy that I got paid while I was away and came home to a nice cushioned bank account. I paid some of my VISA charges off and have the rest sitting in my account because it makes me feel good to look at it.
A leaves for Europe on Wednesday for two weeks so i have also been spending time with him...lots of time. Here is kind of a funny story. We have been watching the Sopranos on DVD from Season one. We thought we had bought Season Six part 1, and I was excited we only have two episodes left. Except when I was looking at the box last night, I saw it is actually season six part 2!!!! Makes sense now why I feel there is so much ambiguity this season...I missed the first half!!! So now, I am going to finish of the end of the season then go buy the first half to fill in all of those blanks. I feel so stupid that we are only noticing now. But I am looking forward to watching those last two episodes tonight :)

Sandcastles of Dreams

I am back! After a tour of Latvia, I am tired, but feel more intrigued about my ancestory and want to learn more about the country that my grandmother and her family originated from. So much history in every brick used to build a house, or line a road. So many stories, myths, legends I need to learn about now that my brain has been slipped a tiny bit of information.
I will include come pictures and more about my trip when I get home from work. I missed blogging quite a bit while I was gone. And I have news on my garden front too! I am not sure what happened, but the garden is out of control! I think I need to cut back on it. And I planted the seed centre of a green pepper and it started growing too. When I have time to put together the pictures and the stories this evening I will post again.

Three week hiatus from Blogger sipping Vodka in Latvia

(Are they known for Vodka? Or is that just a Russian thing?)I leave in four hours. I am excited and ready to board that plane NOW!!!! I can't wait to learn more about the world and myself in the next three weeks.
I most likely will not have Internet access over there. Possibly a good thing because maybe a three week vacation from facebook alone is what I need to gain a better perspective on life.
I will be home July 16 2008. Please look forward to reading about my adventures and don't think I abandoned my Blog.

Later Gators!


PS. Check out this website . I am in love with it. I want to have a beach party and as a centre piece have a cupcake beach. SO CUTE!!!

What dreams may come

The countdown is on (actually it has been going since I pretty much started this Blog, but now I am reaching the final hours) and I have so much to do! I need to clean my house so that when I get home it’s not a complete disaster. My brother is staying with my furry babies, but I don’t think J is big into cleaning. Keeping things tidy sure, but not cleaning. And three weeks is a long time with no cleaning. I figure I power wash it now, it won’t be so bad when I get back. I also have a lot of little things I need to buy before I go. I was going to go on my lunch break today to Shoppers, but the rain will keep me indoors. Which is fine, I have some reading I can do for school and my manager is away today 
I started making a list of everything I need to pack and tonight I want to start putting some of it in a suitcase as well as lay the clothes out to see how many outfits I can make mixing and matching. I was going to do this last night, but A surprised me at the toy store and came over to see me. It may be the last time I see him before I leave. And then when I get back, he is off on a European adventure with a friend of his from A’s hometown in Newfoundland. They are going to some Heavy Metal festival in Germany. Not my thing, but he will love it! I am going to miss him a lot.
I keep having dreams about doors. I wonder if this means I am entering a new phase of life. I am a little bit concerned as I looked up the meaning in the dream dictionary and all connotations are negative. Last night, I was building doors in my dream. I am trying to think what a door represents for me and I think because I am creating one, maybe it means that I am creating this new phase of my life I am entering. Hopefully it is positive.

Credit Card Usage

I just returned from the pet hospital. Sometime today, while playing in the reservoir, my dog broke her nail so that it was barely hanging on. There was a lot of blood that I didn't notice till we got home and she left a trail on the tiles. Right away I had A drive us to the emergency pet hospital, where Molly was put under and her nail removed. $275 later, I have a happy dog and a regular heartbeat again. It sucks that I had to use my credit card, but I am glad I had it.
I leave in a few days for my trip. I am very excited, but now nervous about my dog and cat. My brother is going to stay with them and I know that they will most likely be fine, but what if? I know my brother will call my mom and she will be able to handle the fiscal side of an emergency. But still, I hate thinking I will be so far away and pretty much unreachable if something were to happen... Scary!
I will worry about this charge when I get back. I am going to be paid twice while I am gone and unable to touch the money. I will also get a measly 8 hour cheque from the toy store while I am gone too. I am hoping to make some major monetary changes, and some debt destruction when I get back.

My trip savings

I saved $1000 for my trip. Diligently, since January, I have put away $100 a paycheque and watched my money accumulate. I have never saved before in my life. I am now leaving in 6 days, but the idea of taking that money out is unnerving. I worked hard to get it to $1000 and it took a lot of strength and will power to not touch that money with the promise that I will pay it back later.
The whole purpose of saving that money is here and now I don't want to touch it so I am trying to think of other ways to come up with $1000 in 6 days. I am ridiculous.

Garden of Eden

Here is an update of my garden...that isn't quite as lush as the title would suggest,but one can dream.



My new tomatoes are sprouting and I can only hope grow strong. I think I properly hardened them off this time around. I am waiting patiently for my zucchinis to blossom. But we are experiencing Monsoon June and this weekend is the first time I have glimpsed sunshine in weeks.

The Happiness Project

I picked up an issue of Money Sense this weekend. I figured it would be better for my brain then my usual Cosmo, which I notice follows the same schedule year after year, month after month. I am sure most magazines do that, but Money Sense is new to me. I don't think I will continue buying it as it doesn't make money sense to me to throw away $5 every month, so I am going to see if the library subscribes to it. And every month I am going to Snowflake that $5.

Anyway, the back page notes 6 books or blogs people should read. I found this site and I love it! What a great idea. I want to start my own happiness project and I think in a way, I already am with this blog. My money, my garden, my random thoughts all are leading me to feel much better about myself resulting in happiness. When I was younger, people described me as sunshine. It feels like over the years I am getting duller because of dissatisfaction and this tires me. I want to be bright sunshine again! I look forward to continuing to read this happiness blog and work on my own project. If everyone had a happiness project, imagine the world we could live in...

And in financial news, A gave me $200 as a gift for putting up with him for 2 years. And a beautiful tropical plant. I wasn't expecting the money, but he told me it was for my trip. This means that I have reached my Latvia goal of $1000 in spending money! Thanks sexy man I call lover. :)

Zen Dragon

My midterm is tomorrow morning. I am still working on this essay. School is tougher when I don’t have due dates written in stone…I tend to wait until the last minute. Athabasca University’s guidelines suggest that all assignments are completed in order given but it is up to me. I wanted this paper done and handed in way before the midterm, but looks like that won’t be happening. I am almost halfway done and I am using my work day to toil over it. I am hoping to be at least 2/3rds by the end of the day and finish it up tonight. I can then put it in the mail on my walk over to the exam centre tomorrow morning. But I can not stress anymore if it’s not done. As long as it is done by the end of the weekend, I will be okay.

Tomorrow is A and my two year anniversary. I am making him dinner and we are staying in, playing board games, listening to some jazz. I have to work Sunday. Glad for the money, but wish I could just sleep. I am excited for July as I will be getting three paycheques from my full time job and not in town for half the month to spend anything. I will be able to do some major debt cleanup when I get back from my trip.

I am living off of tea today for caffeine. I need to focus on my paper. I am trying to write a paragraph an hour while I am at work, but also trying to appear as though I am actually working.

I need to be fierce with this task, but have to remain calm, keep my composure, relax and just let the words flow. I can not wait to be done school. I wish I had gone full time when I had the chance. Just did it and got it over with.

♥ ♦ ♣ ♠

June Goal number 4 completed!

I paid the Ramada Hotel charge off yesterday. My next paycheque from the toy store is going to be over $200 so I can easily pay the Dream theatre charge.

I only have 11 more days of work till I leave for Latvia! :)

♀ ♂

My friend that is having the Halloween themed wedding just asked me to be a bridesmaid. I have never been a bridesmaid before and I am super excited! I can't wait to see what Halloween costume I have to wear as a bridesmaid. What a great way to start off a Monday. :)

Mirror, mirror

It’s almost the weekend! Thank goodness. And it is really nice outside today and I don’t have to work after work. I do need to write my paper (I feel like I always says this, but I don’t do it…I promise tomorrow I will be able to write that I am done this paper), but first I am going to take my dog for a walk along the river. I live ten minutes from the Bow River, but I don’t take advantage of this fact at all. My dog will be so thrilled with all of the new scents!
Yesterday a friend of mine accused me of being selfish. Although I explained things to her and she recanted her original thought, it made me think. She said that all I care about is my own happiness and I look at the world through rose-coloured glasses. I think in a lot of ways she is right. I don’t like feeling sad or frustrated. Once you get in the habit of feeling sad, it is really hard to feel happy which makes you even sadder (does this make sense?). After my ex broke my heart (and by break, I mean he tore the beating entity right out of my chest, threw it on the ground, stomped all over it, put it back in my chest and repeated the process two or three more times), I was sad for a long time. And it was hard to not feel sad. When I discovered little by little things that could make me feel human again, I clung to them. I never want to feel that low again. I felt as though I fell to the bottom of a hole and although I could see people at the top reaching out to me, I couldn’t reach their hands and slowly I had to scale that hole myself until I was close enough to allow another human to touch me (his name is A –well his initial anyway).
Is it wrong that I want to look at the world in rose-coloured glasses? Or try to anyway? I don’t think so. I know I need to be realistic and that not everything is going to be beautiful and shiny all of the time, but it is easier to deal with all of the rain clouds when you can focus on the glimpse of blue sky.
I was shocked when I read the email my friend sent me. I didn’t believe any of her accusations were just... I am in my mid-twenties-- I am focusing on me, my life, my goals, my dreams, and my future. If I don’t start focusing on me now, and the life that I want, when will I? Am I supposed to be part of the crowd my whole life? Living their dreams, wanting their wants? What’s the point of living, if it is for other people?

Maybe I am selfish.

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

I took the day off yesterday as I was exhausted. I slept until noon. I wanted to use the afternoon to write my paper, but as a procrastinator that did not happen. I need a severe kick in the butt! My due date for this paper is Friday. I am going to a movie premier with my aunt tonight who scored tickets through work. Tomorrow I am free, but Friday night I am working. So that leaves me tomorrow night to write a 2500 word paper (which isn’t really a lot…most of my blog posts are around 300 words and take less than 15 minutes to write. I brought my books with me to work and I am hoping to pound out a couple of paragraphs. After the movie tonight, I hope to write one more paragraph. Rinse and repeat for tomorrow.
On my walk into downtown this morning, I picked up a brochure for SWAP: working holidays. I am fantasizing what it would be like to teach English for a year in China, or work in a pub in Ireland. I don’t know if I could handle being away from A, my friends and my pets for a year, but the experience would be amazing. I am going to keep it in my mind and see where I am at with school next summer. Some of the SWAP programs, I have till I am 30 to participate so I am not in a huge rush. And maybe in a year A will want to come too, and my dad will take care of my furry kids.
On the financial front I am pleased to say that I was able to end May with $11 left in my account, contributed $200 to my Latvian fund, and $100 to my down payment fund. I also paid $456.35 to my debt.
And yesterday I did end up replanting new cherry tomato seeds. I will keep this pot inside until sweltering plus 30 degree Celsius days. I couldn’t find green peppers at the grocery store I was in, but tonight before the movie I will check out Zellers. I also decided to experiment with watermelons too. Maybe I will get one or two little ones. ☺

Watering my garden with tears

I thought it was time. The sun was warm and I thought it would be nice all day. I thought a few hours in fresh air would be good for all. The zucchini loves it out there and the pot of beans and peas too. My oldest babies though, my green pepper and my *tear* tomato plants, did not thrive at all. Instead they have lost strength and are now drooping with what appears as exhaustion of life.I can only hope that kind words and strong roots will strengthen their bodies and they will learn to stand straight looking for the sun. Today is the saddest way to start June.

♥ ♦ ♣ ♠

May Goals in Review

1)Get back on target with regards to school work. Have both papers written for English by end of month and midterm scheduled for mid-June. Have written before I leave for Latvia. Write Quiz two for psychology May 1st and quiz 3 and 4 within month of May. This one, I worked the hardest on all month. I now have one novel left to read for the second unit in English, there is only one paper and I am going to be writing that early next week and I scheduled my midterm for June 14th meaning the paper needs to be done prior to that date. Because I was pushing myself on the English, I fell behind a bit in Psychology. My plan is to have the last three quizzes (quiz 3, 4 and 5) written before I leave for Latvia. I am going to bring a couple novels with me to Latvia so that I don’t fall too far behind on my trip.

2) NO EATING OUT (again, unless someone else pays for it ☺) Create a meal plan on weekend and make lunches night before so ready to go. I am so not good with this goal at all! I have no good excuse as to why I can not follow this except that I need to try harder. I wouldn’t mind so much if it were good food, but I eat so much junk. What a waste of money and calories!
3) Increase income by $200 CHECK! Increased by $411 (two part time cheques and $10 for returning my pop and beer cans)Decrease expenses by $200 No check here. Eating out and when I busted the grocery challenge for Airmiles did not help me in this goal
4) Work on Russian language CDs while doing sit ups, squats, lunges, etc. LOL!! Good thing my grandmother is coming to Latvia with us to translate for me. With school and work, I didn’t have time to even open the Russian book. I should at least attempt to learn a couple key phrases I guess. I am a horrible procrastinator.

June Goals

I figure I am putting too much pressure on myself with all of these goals. This month I am going to try to be a little more specific and not so ambitious.
1) $100 added to Down payment account
2) $200 into Latvia/ Emergency Fund
3) Quiz 3 and Quiz 4 in Psychology
4) Pay Ramada Hotel Charge on VISA ($149.42)
5) Pay Dream Theatre Charge on VISA ($110.25)
6) $75 on groceries
7) Ride bike 9 times for an hour a time

Everything here is measurable. Either I did or I didn’t. And because I am leaving on the 26th, everything needs to be done by then. I hope this month is more productive then my last two months have been. And for my art gallery this month, I am going to visit one in Latvia. I am also in England for two days before I fly into Riga so maybe I will check out one there too.