After eating dinner at home tonight I went to the kitchen to wash my dinner and lunch (packed for work) dishes. After they were rinsed and in the dishwasher I turned on the garbage disposal to a horrific sound. It was one of my favorite spoons stuck in the disposal with mangled tooth marks. I was upset at myself for not checking it, but I shrugged my shoulders and put it in the dishwasher.
I saw a container from lunch housing two sausages that I didn't eat so I placed them in the disposal and turned it to, grind...grind....lurch.....nothing. It stopped working. Being a home owner for the past five years, (yep five years at the end of May) I knew of the little tool located in the cabinet that turns the blades in the disposal when this happens. I get on my hands and knees and proceeded to located the tool and turn the bottom blades.
As I was sitting on the floor I call out to Joanne and ask her for assistance. She comes to the kitchen and I ask her to run the water and turn on the disposal again. This is what happened.
Joanne: Are you read for me to turn it on?
Candy: Yes
Disposal: grind...grind...grind.
Candy: I don't think it is fixed.
Joanne: Let me look inside
Candy: OK
Joanne: Don't do anything.
Joanne: I don't see anything...lets try it again
Candy: OK
Disposal: grind...grind...grind
Joanne: Let me put my hand in there to see if I can feel anything
Joanne: Ohhhh there is something in there
Candy: Oh...that is the sausage I just put in there
I said this as I was still sitting on the floor with my hands far from the inside of the disposal.
Joanne: OK...I will get it out and we will try it again
Disposal: grind...grind...grind
Candy: I guess it isn't fixed
Joanne: Do you have a flashlight?
Candy: Yes...it is in the drawer
Joanne: I don't see anything...just the blades
Candy: Let me turn the bottom and you can watch it move
Joanne: Slow down...wait...wait...I see something...
Joanne: It's a dime
Candy: How did that get in there...It must have been the cats!
Candy: Lets try it again
Disposal: Normal disposal noise
Go Girl Power...I am so happy to have fixed this without the aid of my brother or a repairman!
April 29, 2009
April 28, 2009
Nutritionist
I did the craziest thing last week. JW comes to my cube area today to talk with GW and myself. He was talking about going to the gas station to get a candy bar. I think he was just joking until I told him I really needed a Twix Peanut Butter bar. Then all three of us started to moan at the thought of how wonderful the candy would taste in our mouths. I now wanted some candy but I had no money due to my debit card debacle last week. So I tried to convince him to buy it for me and I would eventually pay him back. He thought I should pay for his too since he was being the delivery service. I conceded, but I still think we were all in the mode of joking. Then I had a brilliant idea. I realized that I had my Speedway gift card in my wallet and I could give that to him to purchase our candy. This turned the tide in my favor and thirty minutes later he was back at my desk with our yummy Twix bars.
I am telling you this story because my eating is out of control! I have tried to fix this on my own to no avail, so I am considering paying for some nutrition consulting at my gym. They offer a six week package for $199 and it includes personal one on one consulting and help with accountability. My friend NM recently began utilizing their services for her specific need and she has great things to say about their service. They also have a weight loss program, but the fee is $499. This is very steep and I am not sure that I want to pay that much money for weight loss assistance. So which would be better for me?
Nutrition Counseling
I would hope that it could help me with the following problems:
Eating in moderation
Making good choices
Eating dessert after every meal
Eating way too many calories each day
Teach me how many calories I should be eating each day
Holding me accountable
Dining out way too often
I was thinking if I could just reduce my food budget by $200 in May I could afford this service. I really think I want to do this...I will contemplate it while I am on vacation eating very delicious foods and decide when I come home.
April 26, 2009
Obscene Spending Part II
I tried really hard this week to control my food budget. I brought my lunch to work four days last week. Ok...Ok...I didn't eat it one day, I ate out for lunch two days last week. That is an improvement over five days. I had plans after work several nights and I brought food to eat for dinner so I wouldn't spend so much eating out. I though I was doing great until I pulled up my weekly spending amount.
Gasp...Gasp...Gasp
$144.59
This puts me right in line to spend my usual $600 per month.
I really thought I was doing good, however my undoing was the weekend. On Friday night I went to dinner at the Cheesecake factory, bought six cookies at a cookie stand in the mall, went to the movies and bought a $4 Coke. The evening cost me $33.95, although, the movie was classified as entertainment not food. This totaled 17% of my weekly food budget.
Then there was Saturday. I woke up late and had to rush to meet Ems for biking at Crown Hill. The caused me to stop at Wendy's for a double cheeseburger, Diet Coke and oranges. After biking I was feeling parched so I needed another Diet Coke, bottled water and a ice cream cone. Then I was off to Honors Beauty College for a hair cut and scalp treatment. When that task was completed I felt the need for two beef mexi-melts at Taco Bell. Do you see how this category keeps creeping up.
After mowing the loan I went downtown to meet NM and CH at the Rathskeller for fun and drinks. NM introduced me to the most wonderful Belgium Beer, Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic Beer. It was very delightful and tasty. I don't think I have ever liked a beer as much as this one. Of course there was a problem. Rathskeller charges $12 per bottle. It didn't take me very long to drink the bottle, so I had two. I had just spent $24 on two drinks. Did I think I was rich?
After we were done at the Biergarten we moved on to McNiven's for a small meal, more drinks and great conversation. This place was great and they served us a very tasty Beef Stu at 11:30. This was the cheapest place I had been to the entire night. My total bill was under $6 for my food and two Cokes.
The total damage for Saturday night was $43.46, this amounted to 30% of my weekly budget. So between Friday and Saturday I spent 47% of my weekly expenditures. I guess I was rewarding myself for doing so well during the week. I am definitely going to rethink my spending behavior this week.
$24 for two drinks....I have gone INSANE!!
BTW...when I am on my fab vacation next week I will not be tracking my food or entertainment expenditures....all of this will be lumped into vacation budget and as long as I stay within my $500 allocation I will be very happy.
April 22, 2009
Childhood Memory
When I was a child, in approximately sixth through tenth grade my favorite TV show was "The Facts of Life". I LOVED this show. I would watch it every day after school in re-runs, and I know I must have seen all of the episodes multiple times. After my parents purchased our first VCR player at Montgomery Wards for $400, I began taping them in earnest. When I taped these shows I would sit in the living room with the remote control and pause the taping for the commercials. So I basically did my own video editing in a very crude manner. I would watch and re-watch these episodes. I am not sure if I ever wore a tape out but I know I must have come close.
I had a full collection of them on six hour tapes that I meticulously organized. As a matter of fact my entire VHS tape collection was numbered and cataloged. I even had the tapes with multiple TV episodes logged per episode. I had a regular video store in my bedroom. I guess this is what a kid does when they have too much time on their hands.
The obsessions with TFOL lead to my obsession with boarding school. I really wanted to go. I want to remind you that my family was in no position to send me off, and I certainly didn’t have grades that would allow me a scholarship, but that didn’t hold me back. One day I went into the Junior High School counselor’s office and took all of the literature that I could find on far off boarding schools. I even applied to many of them. I don’t remember ever hearing back from any of them. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t get a rejection, perhaps my mom filtered the mail? I will never know.
I remember babysitting for one of my mom’s friends and her having a “serious” talk with me about this topic. She had attended boarding school as an adolescent and she was trying to sway my mind and explain to me why it wouldn’t be fun. She explained that the privileged rich girls wouldn’t be nice to a little fat girl from a trailer park. I just couldn’t see it. I felt like I was “Jo”, a tough girl that could take on anything and win.
I am telling you this story because I still have crazy ideas like this as an adult and I honestly think that I can achieve them. I was doing a search for weight loss spas and camps last weekend and I ran across a website called Fat Packing. It is a company that takes the not so fit individual out for a week or two week long back-packing excursion in various state parks in American. As soon as I saw the website I immediately wanted to go. I was like, where do I sign up. It sounded like a great adventure. It combined my love of the outdoors and nature with camping, hiking and being on vacation. It is interesting to me that these are the types of vacations that I gravitate toward, when most people I know just want to go somewhere for a week and sit on a beach and be lazy. That thought never enters my mind because I always want to be active.
This trip would consist of walking approximately fifty miles in a week carrying a full fifty pound backpack across various terrains. They state on the website that it is for people who are up to fifty pounds overweight (I don’t fit into this category) and want to loose a bit of weight and have fun. They suggest that if you are unsure of your physical ability go to a sporting goods store and try on a backpack, then load it up with fifty pounds of gear, and then walk up and down the steps for fifteen minutes. After you are done you are supposed to evaluate how you feel. I think I know how it would feel but somehow it seems different to do it outside and be in the wilderness rather than in Dicks Sporting Goods. Wouldn’t it be funny to see me hiking up and down the stars at Dicks carrying a backpack ;)
Even after writing this post I still want to go on this adventure. I have already allocated all of my vacation for this year so I would like to make this a trip for the spring or summer 2010. Who wants to join me? We could sing The Facts of Life theme song as we walked.
I had a full collection of them on six hour tapes that I meticulously organized. As a matter of fact my entire VHS tape collection was numbered and cataloged. I even had the tapes with multiple TV episodes logged per episode. I had a regular video store in my bedroom. I guess this is what a kid does when they have too much time on their hands.
The obsessions with TFOL lead to my obsession with boarding school. I really wanted to go. I want to remind you that my family was in no position to send me off, and I certainly didn’t have grades that would allow me a scholarship, but that didn’t hold me back. One day I went into the Junior High School counselor’s office and took all of the literature that I could find on far off boarding schools. I even applied to many of them. I don’t remember ever hearing back from any of them. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t get a rejection, perhaps my mom filtered the mail? I will never know.
I remember babysitting for one of my mom’s friends and her having a “serious” talk with me about this topic. She had attended boarding school as an adolescent and she was trying to sway my mind and explain to me why it wouldn’t be fun. She explained that the privileged rich girls wouldn’t be nice to a little fat girl from a trailer park. I just couldn’t see it. I felt like I was “Jo”, a tough girl that could take on anything and win.
I am telling you this story because I still have crazy ideas like this as an adult and I honestly think that I can achieve them. I was doing a search for weight loss spas and camps last weekend and I ran across a website called Fat Packing. It is a company that takes the not so fit individual out for a week or two week long back-packing excursion in various state parks in American. As soon as I saw the website I immediately wanted to go. I was like, where do I sign up. It sounded like a great adventure. It combined my love of the outdoors and nature with camping, hiking and being on vacation. It is interesting to me that these are the types of vacations that I gravitate toward, when most people I know just want to go somewhere for a week and sit on a beach and be lazy. That thought never enters my mind because I always want to be active.
This trip would consist of walking approximately fifty miles in a week carrying a full fifty pound backpack across various terrains. They state on the website that it is for people who are up to fifty pounds overweight (I don’t fit into this category) and want to loose a bit of weight and have fun. They suggest that if you are unsure of your physical ability go to a sporting goods store and try on a backpack, then load it up with fifty pounds of gear, and then walk up and down the steps for fifteen minutes. After you are done you are supposed to evaluate how you feel. I think I know how it would feel but somehow it seems different to do it outside and be in the wilderness rather than in Dicks Sporting Goods. Wouldn’t it be funny to see me hiking up and down the stars at Dicks carrying a backpack ;)
Even after writing this post I still want to go on this adventure. I have already allocated all of my vacation for this year so I would like to make this a trip for the spring or summer 2010. Who wants to join me? We could sing The Facts of Life theme song as we walked.
April 21, 2009
Rejection Sucks!
Rejection Sucks! I was feeling all girlie and emotional yesterday over the large quantity of rejections I have received in April. This is in reference to my ongoing saga of online dating. Lately I have taken the aggressive stance. I have been sending emails to a variety of men in hopes that they might find me interesting and want to talk. That really hasn’t happened and my statics are not very good. I have sent 94 emails to potential man, I have received 13 outright rejections and the remaining 81 have ignored my emails. Out of the 94 emails, only 66 have been read. This is a 70% read statistic. (BTW...as I am writing this I am listening to "Someone to Love" by Fountains of Wayne, how ironic.)
In the first few months I took a fairly passive role. I randomly sent emails to people and really just waited around for people to contact me. Then it occurred to me that isn’t like me to wait for things to happen. I usually fight and work at what I want. So I did. This idea hasn’t worked either. Should I just post a fake picture of a beautiful woman?
I have met two different guys in person with no luck. I have had no kissing ;( I have been on four dates. I have had several IM conversations with different people. When is it going to work? I am trying to be patient, but as many of you know I lack a bit in this area. Any suggestions?
In the first few months I took a fairly passive role. I randomly sent emails to people and really just waited around for people to contact me. Then it occurred to me that isn’t like me to wait for things to happen. I usually fight and work at what I want. So I did. This idea hasn’t worked either. Should I just post a fake picture of a beautiful woman?
I have met two different guys in person with no luck. I have had no kissing ;( I have been on four dates. I have had several IM conversations with different people. When is it going to work? I am trying to be patient, but as many of you know I lack a bit in this area. Any suggestions?
April 19, 2009
Obscene Spending
I was reviewing my 2008 spending on Microsoft Money and I am constantly surprised how much money I am able to spend on frivolous items. This is a breakdown of some of the significant spending categories.
Clothing
$1086.03
For a girl who doesn't find clothing that important, that seems to be a large amount of money. My closet is not overflowing. I wear the same ten outfits to work every two weeks. I always weed out my closet of old and unattractive items. How did I spend so much money.
Food
$7068.32
Broken Down
Dining Out
$3026.91
Groceries
$4041.41
Gasp...Gasp....Gasp.....Shocked Silence.....I guess this is why I never loose any weight. I had no idea that I spent this much money. This includes all household items, cleaning and pet supplies. This breaks down to about $589 per month. OMG...I really need to change this.
In the first quarter of 2009 I have spent $1995.78. This averages out to $665.26 per month. Wow, this is even higher than 2008. In 2007, I spent $6650.87, it averages out to $554.24 per month. Evidently this is a pattern.
I would really like to be down to about $300 a month. What do other single people spend in this category. I think I need a food intervention!
Gifts
$866.92
At least this was less than food and most of it was for Christmas. I would like to be down to less than $400 for 2009. This is going to involve some drastic changes with my Christmas spending. There are just too many children in the family. I guess I can now have a very small, and I mean small, amount of sympathy for my mothers mother who NEVER EVER bought us gifts. She had at least eleven grandchildren and I am sure it was just not affordable.
Books
$631.40
I am surprised that it wasn't more. I am OK with this spending.
Cultural Events
$2017.33
I like to be entertained. To be fair this includes all of the plays that AL and I saw in NYC last summer. She paid for the hotel and I bought the play tickets. Additionally this includes tickets I may have purchased for my friends and when they gave me cash I just used it as spending money. So this isn't a true reflection in this category. I would guess it would have been more like $1200 to $1300 for the year.
Vacation
$6941.92
Yikes...this is the big category. This includes the trip to India/Dubai, NYC and various weekend trips. I am sure I am in line to spend as much in 2009 as I already have several trips planned. I am OK spending this amount of money on vacations as this is my ultimate favorite activity. I just think I need to get some of the other categories in line (uh...Food) to allow for more expenditure here.
I hope you have enjoyed this snapshot of my spending activity.
Clothing
$1086.03
For a girl who doesn't find clothing that important, that seems to be a large amount of money. My closet is not overflowing. I wear the same ten outfits to work every two weeks. I always weed out my closet of old and unattractive items. How did I spend so much money.
Food
$7068.32
Broken Down
Dining Out
$3026.91
Groceries
$4041.41
Gasp...Gasp....Gasp.....Shocked Silence.....I guess this is why I never loose any weight. I had no idea that I spent this much money. This includes all household items, cleaning and pet supplies. This breaks down to about $589 per month. OMG...I really need to change this.
In the first quarter of 2009 I have spent $1995.78. This averages out to $665.26 per month. Wow, this is even higher than 2008. In 2007, I spent $6650.87, it averages out to $554.24 per month. Evidently this is a pattern.
I would really like to be down to about $300 a month. What do other single people spend in this category. I think I need a food intervention!
Gifts
$866.92
At least this was less than food and most of it was for Christmas. I would like to be down to less than $400 for 2009. This is going to involve some drastic changes with my Christmas spending. There are just too many children in the family. I guess I can now have a very small, and I mean small, amount of sympathy for my mothers mother who NEVER EVER bought us gifts. She had at least eleven grandchildren and I am sure it was just not affordable.
Books
$631.40
I am surprised that it wasn't more. I am OK with this spending.
Cultural Events
$2017.33
I like to be entertained. To be fair this includes all of the plays that AL and I saw in NYC last summer. She paid for the hotel and I bought the play tickets. Additionally this includes tickets I may have purchased for my friends and when they gave me cash I just used it as spending money. So this isn't a true reflection in this category. I would guess it would have been more like $1200 to $1300 for the year.
Vacation
$6941.92
Yikes...this is the big category. This includes the trip to India/Dubai, NYC and various weekend trips. I am sure I am in line to spend as much in 2009 as I already have several trips planned. I am OK spending this amount of money on vacations as this is my ultimate favorite activity. I just think I need to get some of the other categories in line (uh...Food) to allow for more expenditure here.
I hope you have enjoyed this snapshot of my spending activity.
April 16, 2009
Chat with a New Boy
I was talking to a new guy online on Wednesday night and this is a snippet of our conversation.
Jerry (10:07 PM): so have you met lots of men on the site yet?
Candace (10:08 PM): Some...but no one that I have chemistry with
Candace (10:08 PM): and you?
Jerry (10:09 PM): ok good to know..i have just met you only on the site so far
Jerry (10:09 PM): i think chemistry is also important to me
Candace (10:10 PM): How long have you been using match?
Jerry (10:11 PM): i used it for a couple of days then i decided to cancel my profile since i came across someone that captivated my heart
Candace (10:12 PM): do you think that is a bit much since we haven't met?
Jerry (10:12 PM): not really, it was just a good start
(Isn't this a wee bit crazy since we haven't met?)
Candace (10:13 PM): ok....have you ever used online dating in the past?
Jerry (10:15 PM): not really i just got introduced recently to the match by a friend who it worked for
Jerry (10:15 PM): and you
Candace (10:16 PM): I started about two months ago for the first time...I think for the same reason...I know several people who have great people this way.
(Ummmm...why did I just lie? It has really been five months....duh)
Jerry (10:19 PM): do you chat with other men on here?
Candace (10:20 PM): I have talked to different people in the past but I am not talking to anyone else right now
Jerry (10:21 PM): ok just thought being focus on one person at a time helps
Jerry (10:21 PM): are you a one man woman?
Candace (10:22 PM): yes...i think that is important
Candace (10:22 PM): and you
Jerry (10:22 PM): good
Jerry (10:22 PM): i'm one woman man
Jerry (10:23 PM): when i am with someone no other woman exsit
Candace (10:23 PM): ok...that might be a bit extreme
Jerry (10:23 PM): i focus completely on her
Candace (10:24 PM): ok.....
(Does this sound a little possessive?)
What do you think? Should I talk to him again?
Online Dating
Jerry (10:07 PM): so have you met lots of men on the site yet?
Candace (10:08 PM): Some...but no one that I have chemistry with
Candace (10:08 PM): and you?
Jerry (10:09 PM): ok good to know..i have just met you only on the site so far
Jerry (10:09 PM): i think chemistry is also important to me
Candace (10:10 PM): How long have you been using match?
Jerry (10:11 PM): i used it for a couple of days then i decided to cancel my profile since i came across someone that captivated my heart
Candace (10:12 PM): do you think that is a bit much since we haven't met?
Jerry (10:12 PM): not really, it was just a good start
(Isn't this a wee bit crazy since we haven't met?)
Candace (10:13 PM): ok....have you ever used online dating in the past?
Jerry (10:15 PM): not really i just got introduced recently to the match by a friend who it worked for
Jerry (10:15 PM): and you
Candace (10:16 PM): I started about two months ago for the first time...I think for the same reason...I know several people who have great people this way.
(Ummmm...why did I just lie? It has really been five months....duh)
Jerry (10:19 PM): do you chat with other men on here?
Candace (10:20 PM): I have talked to different people in the past but I am not talking to anyone else right now
Jerry (10:21 PM): ok just thought being focus on one person at a time helps
Jerry (10:21 PM): are you a one man woman?
Candace (10:22 PM): yes...i think that is important
Candace (10:22 PM): and you
Jerry (10:22 PM): good
Jerry (10:22 PM): i'm one woman man
Jerry (10:23 PM): when i am with someone no other woman exsit
Candace (10:23 PM): ok...that might be a bit extreme
Jerry (10:23 PM): i focus completely on her
Candace (10:24 PM): ok.....
(Does this sound a little possessive?)
What do you think? Should I talk to him again?
Online Dating
April 15, 2009
Aggravation at the Movies
I just hate being aggravated by the service industry. I went to the movies on Saturday evening at 6:55pm to see Knowing. I have a frequent movie goer card that gets me discount concession items and if a movie has been out for two weeks or more I can see it anytime of the day for $5.50. That is one of my favorite parts about the movie theatre beyond that they are new and the seats are very comfortable and cushy. After waiting in line for five minutes I reach the employee at the theatre and give him the name of the movie I wanted to see, then I give him my frequent movie goer card. He just looks at me and I hand him my trusty debit card. He swiped and then handed me back my card without speaking. Upon review of my receipt I realized that he charged me the full price of the tickets, $9.00. I looked at the employee and inquired if I was to receive my frequent movie goer discount, he was like "I guess". He said he was going to void the initial transaction and re-run my card for the correct amount.
Meanwhile the next customer in line was getting very impatient. He was standing two inches from me, taping his foot and being very antsy. He didn't realize I was not going to leave until the money problem was resolved. I don't care that he was impatient but I just wanted him to respect my personal space.
This morning I checked my bank account and I realized that the employee never voided the original transaction. I had been charged $9 and $5.50, I was immediately furious that I had to deal with this problem over such a little amount. But I know myself and I know that it would eat at me until I resolved the problem. I could not let it go. I knew I needed to call them and get the credit due to me.
I used the Live Search feature on my phone to locate the phone number. I called and the number didn't work. I then looked online at the yahoo movies website and I dialed the number listed and it was no longer in service. I then tried the yahoo yellow pages and that number didn't work either. I was like WTF, why is it so difficult to get their stupid phone number. I finally found it after ten minutes of searching on the yellowpages.com website.
When I called I was immediately connected with the manager and I explained to him my problem. He took about fifteen minutes looking up the information to confirm the two charges. Then I still cannot believe what he told me...wait for it. I NEEDED TO COME TO THE MOVIE THEATRE SO THEY COULD PROCESS ME MY CREDIT! I was flabbergasted. I had already wasted about thirty minutes trying to resolve a $9 problem. Now I needed to take more time and go to the theatre. This was not the customer service experience I bargained for.
I was able to stop by the theatre tonight and it only took me about fifteen minutes to get the problem resolved. This means that I spend a total of forth-five minutes on this task. The manager in training was perfectly nice but I was still annoyed at the extra aggravation. I guess upon future visits to this theatre I am going to have to be extra anal to make sure the charge me the correct amount up front.
Meanwhile the next customer in line was getting very impatient. He was standing two inches from me, taping his foot and being very antsy. He didn't realize I was not going to leave until the money problem was resolved. I don't care that he was impatient but I just wanted him to respect my personal space.
This morning I checked my bank account and I realized that the employee never voided the original transaction. I had been charged $9 and $5.50, I was immediately furious that I had to deal with this problem over such a little amount. But I know myself and I know that it would eat at me until I resolved the problem. I could not let it go. I knew I needed to call them and get the credit due to me.
I used the Live Search feature on my phone to locate the phone number. I called and the number didn't work. I then looked online at the yahoo movies website and I dialed the number listed and it was no longer in service. I then tried the yahoo yellow pages and that number didn't work either. I was like WTF, why is it so difficult to get their stupid phone number. I finally found it after ten minutes of searching on the yellowpages.com website.
When I called I was immediately connected with the manager and I explained to him my problem. He took about fifteen minutes looking up the information to confirm the two charges. Then I still cannot believe what he told me...wait for it. I NEEDED TO COME TO THE MOVIE THEATRE SO THEY COULD PROCESS ME MY CREDIT! I was flabbergasted. I had already wasted about thirty minutes trying to resolve a $9 problem. Now I needed to take more time and go to the theatre. This was not the customer service experience I bargained for.
I was able to stop by the theatre tonight and it only took me about fifteen minutes to get the problem resolved. This means that I spend a total of forth-five minutes on this task. The manager in training was perfectly nice but I was still annoyed at the extra aggravation. I guess upon future visits to this theatre I am going to have to be extra anal to make sure the charge me the correct amount up front.
April 7, 2009
Why I don’t think that I want to be a Parent
I had the pleasure of watching my two nieces and nephew this past weekend for three full days. It was fun and hell all at the same time. It really made me think about my interest in having children of my own. Sometimes when I see Paige or Sarah and see how cute they are and how much love they give, it makes me want to have a perfect child of my own. That thought usually doesn’t last long.
I know when I am with them and then I tire of them, I can always return them to the parents. There is always a safety net. At one point a few years ago I had some interest in adopting an Asian baby and I did some research on that topic. I LOVE little Asian babies, they are so cute! I looked and realized that it wasn’t easy, fast or cheap. It could cost more than $15,000 and that does not even encompass the soft costs. I am no longer interested in pursuing this but it was interesting to find out the details. BTW...most of the countries require a mom and a dad for the baby and will note accept a single person. My brother came over one day and found the Asian baby web search and made fun of me forever. He couldn’t understand why I would even research the topic or even have the thought.
He did some thinking and he decided that I needed to become a foster parent. HE WAS CRAZY. He kept talking about all of the money the state is willing to give to people who take in these unwanted kids. I did some research on this topic and Indiana has a website that you can view photos and portfolios of children in need of homes. It is so crazy that you can shop for children on the Internet. But a person like me would be more likely to do that type of research rather than going to a state office. I assure you I am not considering this idea.
I still come to the conclusion that children are not for me. I like being selfish and only having me to think about. I like being able to see my friends 7 days a week and staying out till 2am with-out repercussions. I like reading loads of books and having unlimited Internet time. I like having money and time to travel to exotic locations or just camping for the weekend. I like leaving the steak knife on the TV tray for three days without worry of a stabbing incident. I like having uninterrupted phone conversations for two hours and going to work at nine am and leaving at six or seven with-out guilt. I like eating out all of the time and rarely going to the grocery store. I like that most of my friends are childless and have the ability to play as I do. I like my life as it is!
Call me selfish but I don't think children are in the cards for me. If I say something different in the future, please give me a good hard shake and tell me to re-read this post! For now I like borrowing Lou's, Wendy's and Ron's children for fun activities. I like being Fun Aunt Candy and giving the teenagers sex books, letting the little ones stay up too late, eat junk food and watch inappropriate TV. I like taking them to cultural events and exposing them to something different than their parents point of view. I would like to travel with them when they are older and can pay for themselves. I want to be good enough to them so one of them will take care of me when I am old and incapacitated.
I hope you can still respect me for having this radical point-of-view.
I know when I am with them and then I tire of them, I can always return them to the parents. There is always a safety net. At one point a few years ago I had some interest in adopting an Asian baby and I did some research on that topic. I LOVE little Asian babies, they are so cute! I looked and realized that it wasn’t easy, fast or cheap. It could cost more than $15,000 and that does not even encompass the soft costs. I am no longer interested in pursuing this but it was interesting to find out the details. BTW...most of the countries require a mom and a dad for the baby and will note accept a single person. My brother came over one day and found the Asian baby web search and made fun of me forever. He couldn’t understand why I would even research the topic or even have the thought.
He did some thinking and he decided that I needed to become a foster parent. HE WAS CRAZY. He kept talking about all of the money the state is willing to give to people who take in these unwanted kids. I did some research on this topic and Indiana has a website that you can view photos and portfolios of children in need of homes. It is so crazy that you can shop for children on the Internet. But a person like me would be more likely to do that type of research rather than going to a state office. I assure you I am not considering this idea.
I still come to the conclusion that children are not for me. I like being selfish and only having me to think about. I like being able to see my friends 7 days a week and staying out till 2am with-out repercussions. I like reading loads of books and having unlimited Internet time. I like having money and time to travel to exotic locations or just camping for the weekend. I like leaving the steak knife on the TV tray for three days without worry of a stabbing incident. I like having uninterrupted phone conversations for two hours and going to work at nine am and leaving at six or seven with-out guilt. I like eating out all of the time and rarely going to the grocery store. I like that most of my friends are childless and have the ability to play as I do. I like my life as it is!
Call me selfish but I don't think children are in the cards for me. If I say something different in the future, please give me a good hard shake and tell me to re-read this post! For now I like borrowing Lou's, Wendy's and Ron's children for fun activities. I like being Fun Aunt Candy and giving the teenagers sex books, letting the little ones stay up too late, eat junk food and watch inappropriate TV. I like taking them to cultural events and exposing them to something different than their parents point of view. I would like to travel with them when they are older and can pay for themselves. I want to be good enough to them so one of them will take care of me when I am old and incapacitated.
I hope you can still respect me for having this radical point-of-view.
April 5, 2009
Why you should never purchase your fifteen year old daughter a sewing machine!
When I was hanging out with Nicole and her husband last night we had a funny conversation about our Junior High and High school attire. We reminisced about our brown Eastland shoes with the curly cue ends and our tight, straight legged jeans that were pegged at the bottom and the Guess Jeans. I never owned a pair! In addition to the confirming cloths I also had a bit of a strange style. For a brief period in my freshman year I decided I wanted to make my own cloths. I requested a sewing machine for Christmas and received a nice on in a wooden base. I then bought one skirt pattern and a variety of material and proceeded to make several skirts. Unfortunate, I wore these items out in public and I have photo documentation.
Please enjoy my walk through memory lane!
Take a look at that old bike. Doesn't it look allot like my current one?
I even wore this one on our summer vacation to Florida. I decided to pair it with a yellow T-shirt.
Please enjoy my walk through memory lane!
Take a look at that old bike. Doesn't it look allot like my current one? I even wore this one on our summer vacation to Florida. I decided to pair it with a yellow T-shirt.
I think that this was during a birthday party for one of my friends. I had received this Kodak instant camera the prior year for Christmas. It was one of my most prized possessions. Check out the giant curly hair. Yuck Perms!
Somehow, this is even worse. Why would I wear a red shirt and the red sox? It doesn't really match! I believe this photo was taken at our Junior High lock in. This is where we spent the entire night at the JH and played games, watched movies and stayed up all night with our friends. Our Freshman class was still located at the middle school.
Isn't this nice. The white eyelet skirt paired with the white eyelet shirt and white shoes. Do you notice how the trim on the skirt is not even. Homemade goods have so much character.
Another homemade skirt, this time in multi-colored triangles. The dog's name was Shotzi AKA Duke. The entire family couldn't decide upon a name. My mom and brother called him Shotzi and I called him Duke. We never agreed upon anything. I loved him dearly! 
April 4, 2009
Sparks New Bed
I purchased this bed for Mickey and Sparks on Tuesday. I brought it home and I couldn't get either of them go to inside. I was so mad...didn't they know it is their job to amuse me!
Sparks finally decided to take a nap inside of the bed today.
Isn't he super cute!
April 2, 2009
IM Chat with Boy
Warning semi-adult content included. I met a boy on match.com and I have had three IM conversations with him and several emails back and forth. I should have known better than to talk to him again but I got sucked in. This is a snipped from our conversation on Monday:
Candace (11:08 PM): Do you like traveling? Where have you been?
gohoxxxxxxxx (11:12 PM): i actually haven't traveled much, just different states
Candace (11:13 PM): Where do you dream of going?
gohoxxxxxxxx (11:13 PM): amsterdam
Candace (11:14 PM): Ohhhhh.....I went there in 2000......do you dream of the pot or the girls in the windows
gohoxxxxxxxx (11:15 PM): the pot and you in the window
Candace (11:15 PM): clever answer
gohoxxxxxxxx (11:15 PM): you love it
This wasn't too bad but I redirected the conversation to something else. So tonight I think he got a little out of hand considering I have never met him or talked to him in person.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Candace (9:24 PM): HI
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:24 PM): hey there! i love when i get e-mails from you
Candace (9:25 PM): Thank you...I like sending you emails
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:25 PM): good i'm glad
Candace (9:26 PM): So what is going on?
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:26 PM): oh not much, bored and enjoying the storm. you?
Candace (9:26 PM): The same....I am watching the movie Smart People
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:27 PM): never seen it. it'd be better if we were enjoying the storm together
Candace (9:27 PM): I do like storm when I am inside
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:31 PM): especially if i'm hanging out in my pjs
Candace (9:31 PM): I do like to be in my PJ's when I am at home...it is the most comfortable
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:32 PM): we are a good match then. i'm sure yours are cuter than mine though lol
Candace (9:33 PM): Sometimes...but I usually go for comfort...no little butterflies
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:33 PM): comfort is always good. i'm a cotton fan on women
Candace (9:34 PM): Good...because cotton is the best material...but no pink
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:34 PM): good i don't like pink. i like cotton everything on a woman, especially underneath
Candace (9:35 PM): ok...i am not going there
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:35 PM): haha aww just trying to have a little fun joking around
Candace (9:37 PM): Ok...I am now changing the topic....what is your favorite food?
He never came back after this comment. I guess since I wouldn't bite to the dirty talk he was going to find someone else. Why Why Why...this is what I get for talking to strangers online.
I hope you are amused!
Candace (11:08 PM): Do you like traveling? Where have you been?
gohoxxxxxxxx (11:12 PM): i actually haven't traveled much, just different states
Candace (11:13 PM): Where do you dream of going?
gohoxxxxxxxx (11:13 PM): amsterdam
Candace (11:14 PM): Ohhhhh.....I went there in 2000......do you dream of the pot or the girls in the windows
gohoxxxxxxxx (11:15 PM): the pot and you in the window
Candace (11:15 PM): clever answer
gohoxxxxxxxx (11:15 PM): you love it
This wasn't too bad but I redirected the conversation to something else. So tonight I think he got a little out of hand considering I have never met him or talked to him in person.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Candace (9:24 PM): HI
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:24 PM): hey there! i love when i get e-mails from you
Candace (9:25 PM): Thank you...I like sending you emails
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:25 PM): good i'm glad
Candace (9:26 PM): So what is going on?
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:26 PM): oh not much, bored and enjoying the storm. you?
Candace (9:26 PM): The same....I am watching the movie Smart People
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:27 PM): never seen it. it'd be better if we were enjoying the storm together
Candace (9:27 PM): I do like storm when I am inside
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:31 PM): especially if i'm hanging out in my pjs
Candace (9:31 PM): I do like to be in my PJ's when I am at home...it is the most comfortable
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:32 PM): we are a good match then. i'm sure yours are cuter than mine though lol
Candace (9:33 PM): Sometimes...but I usually go for comfort...no little butterflies
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:33 PM): comfort is always good. i'm a cotton fan on women
Candace (9:34 PM): Good...because cotton is the best material...but no pink
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:34 PM): good i don't like pink. i like cotton everything on a woman, especially underneath
Candace (9:35 PM): ok...i am not going there
gohoxxxxxxxx (9:35 PM): haha aww just trying to have a little fun joking around
Candace (9:37 PM): Ok...I am now changing the topic....what is your favorite food?
He never came back after this comment. I guess since I wouldn't bite to the dirty talk he was going to find someone else. Why Why Why...this is what I get for talking to strangers online.
I hope you are amused!
Observation
I ordered pizza the last two days in a row. Please don't judge me, I am aware that pizza is not the best thing for me to eat. Technically, yesterday I didn't have pizza I received a Big Don Italian Sub and barbecue wings, today it was thin crust double peperoni pizza.
Anyways, I had an interesting observation regarding the deliver person. Both days the person appeared to be in their sixties. This struck me as very odd. I am used to the delivery person being in their twenties. It made me wonder how this demographic changed so much with-out me noticing. Is this a recent change? Has this been gradual?
I talked to the guy yesterday and he told me that it was his second job, and he lives in the same community as I do. He works nights and he was called in because the regular person has back problems. I know...I know...I have a large amount of knowledge of a stranger.
Is this a result of our bad economy? Are regular people getting second jobs. Are people getting laid off from their main jobs and the only option that they have left is to deliver pizza? Has anyone else noticed this change? Let me know your experiences.
BTW...I spent a brief period in 1993 or 1994 working for Papa Johns as a delivery driver.
Anyways, I had an interesting observation regarding the deliver person. Both days the person appeared to be in their sixties. This struck me as very odd. I am used to the delivery person being in their twenties. It made me wonder how this demographic changed so much with-out me noticing. Is this a recent change? Has this been gradual?
I talked to the guy yesterday and he told me that it was his second job, and he lives in the same community as I do. He works nights and he was called in because the regular person has back problems. I know...I know...I have a large amount of knowledge of a stranger.
Is this a result of our bad economy? Are regular people getting second jobs. Are people getting laid off from their main jobs and the only option that they have left is to deliver pizza? Has anyone else noticed this change? Let me know your experiences.
BTW...I spent a brief period in 1993 or 1994 working for Papa Johns as a delivery driver.
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