Content

Well, after a very rough week, today wasn't too bad. Maybe I've just become apathetic at my job and I'm beginning to relax. Sad, yes - but relaxing & less stressful, YES!
I cut off my hair the last night. Its up to my shoulders again. After saying I wasn't going to go short till I was completely gray... I decided I couldn't take the long, either (or wait that long - which, at this rate - shouldn't be too much longer anyway). I am keeping it this length till after my friend's wedding and then off with the hair! My hairdresser (who, seemed to have a feverish look in his eye when I suggested it) made me schedule an hour long appointment for July. Eh, its hair, who cares. And besides, I was beginning to get tired of people grabbing my hair. Yes, people love to grab red hair (I'm talking COMPLETE strangers, I don't mind my friends). I actually had people at the grocery store grabbing it and one woman asked me if I had kids. Funny and WIERD all at the same time.
This weekend is Memorial Day weekend - I'm actually getting Monday off (I haven't the last 2 years). Part of me wants to do household projects (painting windows, anyone?) and part of me wants to do absolutely NOTHING. I'm at the pivotal point of still wanting to get the house to where I want and the I-can't-stand-being-married-to-my-house-anymore attitude. I think the house and I need to finally have that long talk to see where this relationship is really going. I'm committed, yes, but I also need to start going out and seeing my friends, too. Otherwise, we'll just end up loathing each other. You always need to bring new experiences into the relationship or it just goes stale after awhile.

Money for a sick day

Trying to figure out a way that I can:
A. Maximize my health insurance benefits
B. Without paying a lot
C. And not getting stuck in a situation that cannot be reversed or updated to fit my changing needs.
Its a freaking joke.
*Thunk*! [sound of me stepping up onto my political soapbox] You know, its all crap. Health care, I mean. My parent-in-laws were just visting us and my MIL showed me a checklist of bills she keeps in her purse. She has a running list of medical bills she has yet to pay off (my DIL accidentally cut 11 tendons in his left arm while building a dollhouse stand this past Christmas). She had a list of medical bills that was longer then the average bills (like electricity, phone, cable, etc). Its nuts! And, they couldn't pay anything but the minimum balance while DIL was out (he could barely dress himself let alone work) recooperating. Their deductible is $500, their insurance only covers 80% and... he was supposed to quit therapy cause the doctors wouldn't take his health care provider after medicare ran out (fortunately, the nurse weasled a way around this for him). The surgery for the tendons to get re-attached was over $1300.... EACH TENDON! Yikes. WTF. My parents, Rob's parents, your parents... hell US... we are all getting fucked & falling into a bigger and bigger medical sink-hole. I can get on a whole other soapbox involving the exceptionally high cost for real estate these days, the gross absurdity of the rising costs of living verses the no increase on people's wages, the cost of gas, the Iraqi War (is it a war if they don't want us over there "helping" anymore and people are car-bombed nearly daily? Is this really even a war anymore?!.)etc, etc, etc. BUT SERIOUSLY people, we have a problem on our hands!*I'm reaching my boiling point where I just grit my teeth at this point and then eye the clock so I can see how long till I can have a drink*.
On a more favorable note, Rob and I pay $460 a month for health insurance. No, that's not quite the favorable part - read on... I just switched to my work's insurance which means we only have to pay out-of-pocket for Rob, just under $200 a month. I will lose some $ from my paycheck to cover me at work... but that's a helluva lot easier than writing away half a paycheck each month. Ugh, my insurance, it never did cover anything until after the deductible was met (which, took us a year to meet!). Hopefully, I won't need to resort to dumping health care all together and start stuffing Hamilton's under the mattress for an emergency fund, but honestly - aren't we all considering it?

One Two Three None

OK, so I'm addicted to this one chick's blog and I check it pretty periodically. I found it by looking up something on Google, now its like looking into someone's bathroom medicine cabinet - yes, I'm a peeker, OK. She posted how she's addicted to Dooce's website, which, I must admit - its pretty fabulous.
Dooce is currently deciding whether or not to have a second child and after skimming 194 responses (yeah, she's big-time) - this was one person's response. HILARITY!

"....let me share a piece of advice my Grandmother gave me...
Two children will keep each other company when they are older, sure there will be the squabbles and disagreements, but while they're busy playing and fighting with eachother you can be sneaking a drink in the kitchen, and that alone makes it worth it."

Ah, I love good old-timey drinking wisdom.

Mad as Hell....

No clue as to why, I just am. Its like that commercial that was on TV years ago for "Serifam" - the PMS wonder drug for woman. You know, the one where the woman wrestles a shopping cart from the pack only to have a ridiculous display of anger ensue as she cannot untangle the cart... and I can just grit my teeth with sympathy frustration for this woman as she rattles the carts... her purse swinging. Another woman comes up and easily slides a cart out from the grouping right next to her. She moves over, grabs a cart from that pack and heads into the store. THAT is how I feel today.
I came into work in an OK mood. I had good intentions. Sure its in the 50's in May (gloomy/rainy) but I was OK. I get to my office to fine my lamp is burnt out so I get a bulb - turns out its the lamp that isn't working so I am stuck in the semi-dark today (again, I'm OK). Now the printer jams... OK, I'm getting pissed now cause I tiny shred of paper is stuck in the machine. Jim brings me a phillips and a flashlight so I can unassemble this thing... some small spring-like part falls out. Great, now I need to call in a professional.
So I get back to the project I had started last week (a more creative one than what I have been doing) to find my email jammed with requested busy-work. ARG. Now I'm just pissed. I mean really really crazy angry. I'm just shy of packing up my stuff and going home cause I'm so ugly right now - I don't want the world to see the display I am about to release. OK, and now I want to cry. Cry cause its all so frustrating and overwhelming. I know what I'll do, I'll call Rob and warn him of my state-of-mind to be nice. ...What?!. He isn't answering the phone - that son-ova.... oh wait, he's calling me on my cell phone. Its too late! I'm already pissed! And he better not ask why - I just am. BECAUSE.
*sigh*
This is really f**king miserable. I hate this.

Question of the Day

Do you give unsolicited advice... if you can clearly see someone doing something wrong AND they seem to be suffering as a result? Or do you let them figure it all out on their own, cause, you aren't their parent. Hmmm, maybe I just answered my own question.

Babbling Brook

Painted the guest room this blue/grey/greenish color that is almost the same as "Restoration Hardware"'s latest color used on their shopping bags. Its called,... are you ready for this?... Babbling Brook. Who could pass that up?
The house has sh*t everywhere: books fill the dining room table, a dresser is in the hallway and plastic wrap is everywhere (I'm repainting the radiator white and all the trim white in the room, too). I like doing these projects but sometimes I get so compulsive I wish I could just shut off my brain long enough to sit somewhere with a cup of coffee... staring outside... thinking of... nothing.
Eh, who am I kidding?

Attended the WRIR Outdoor Fundraiser Event held on the canal right outside the newly renovated Lady Bird Hat Factory (www.shockoeslip.com). The turn-out wasn't what I anticipated but then again, neither was the size of the space (I thought both would be huge). But the weather was great and so were the bands. The price was expensive at $10 to get in and there was only 1 food cart (7 hrs of music with only 1 food cart? Eek!). Beers were only $3 and coke/water was only $1 (cheap!). They even had liquor!The organization/cleanliness was pretty well laid out. I plan to attend one again next time... it really has legs and is something worth checking out when they do it again.