Should you invest in a ballplayer? - MSN Money

Should you invest in a ballplayer? - MSN Money

The 15 tools every homeowner should own - Improve & Repair - MSN Real Estate

The 15 tools every homeowner should own - Improve & Repair - MSN Real Estate

Car repairs, blech...

Two little weeks after paying off my car, I am facing repairs. It is as if the money gods looked down upon me and said "Hey, she thinks things are going ok. Let's send a Murphy at her." A Murphy is of course a variant on the whole Murphy's Law thing. Things are going ok, guess it's time for a roadblock. Fingers crossed that it's under $500.

Nosy neighbors...

I have one of the nosiest, but most well-intentioned neighbors. There are businesses along one side of our street, a rental on one side of me and a single, 50ish lady on the other. She is constantly providing the young, single female (me) with new homeowner tips.

I think she has a love affair of sorts with my roses, for example. I don't really like roses. Don't care for them as a cut flower and really hate how prickly they are while growing in the yard. Apparently, I'm not giving my roses proper care. I honestly don't care about them. They are an entire length of the yard, pink and prickly. Pretty, I suppose. But also a lot of work. She has already told me twice this Spring that I should trim them "way down so they bloom all summer long". Last summer, I didn't take good enough care of them so one day I came home and found that she had trimmed them all herself. I honestly didn't mind, it was one less chore than I had to do.

Now, she is apparently finding fault with the care of my dog, Sami. Sami is a little more than a puppy, a little more than an adult dog. Sort of teenagerish. Which means she has some nasty habits, doesn't like being alone and digs when bored. Since I started working those two days a week, I am home less than I was. According to the neighbor, poor Sami is alone so much that she worries that she is getting depressed. And if I ever think about getting rid of Sami, she would be happy to take her from me.

I don't have any plans to give up my dog or to trim my roses, but I may start planning ways to trim neighbor time away a little more. Where does the line appear between friendly advice and being a big old busy body? How do I remain polite and neighborly without actually doing any of the things she "suggests"? Apartment living never brought up this sort of dilemma. In fact, I was able to successfully avoid meeting most of my neighbors over the 10 years of apartment living. I didn't know then, but that was an ok arrangement for me.

Paid off my car... Woo!

Paid off my car today, woo woo woo woo woo! (That was totally a paid off car song, please set to music.) I am now the total owner of a very used 2001 Ford Escape in need of a new window retinting and some upholstery work. Yay me.

Heh...

What do you know, Roger Clemens isn't as dumb as I thought. Misremembered is a word according to dictionary.com.

"What possible reason would Mr. Pettitte have to fabricate a statement about you, his friend?" an understandably mystified Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) inquired.

Clemens stood firm."I think he misremembers our conversation," he said.

Catch-up corner...

I bought new curtains this weekend. They are too long to be short, too short to be long. They are the high-waters of curtains. I think my grandma can shorten them for me. I should really learn to sew. Thank god for grandmas.

I'm going on vacation this summer! Yay vacation. I'm excited and it is still five months away. When you are an adult, you have to find your milestones where you can. Somehow, the week at the beach is what keeps me going. Here is our house. Well, at least our house for a week in July.

Tomorrow is a holiday from my day job, but not my night one. At least the day will be only five hours long instead of 14. A partial day off is better than nothing.

I have a bad tooth. I am so fricking terrified of the dentist that I have been putting up with a toothache for the past week. It's not bad most of the time but every now and then something cold will hit it-then HOLY HELL it hurts! I must make an appointment next week. The worst thing? I haven't been to the dentist since returning to ML years ago.

My bro and his family were here overnight this weekend. Since returning from his away-place, he has become just a LITTLE pussy-whipped. OMG. Where did he go? Scary stuff happening, there.

Chinese New Year Horoscope: Tiger - AOL Horoscopes

Chinese New Year Horoscope: Tiger - AOL Horoscopes:
The Year of the Earth Rat will be more challenging for Tigers than last year (ruled by the Fire Pig).You're not going to always get what you want, and may run up against others who have a different objective. Reserve your energy for the battles worth fighting for.

Sad...

Oh, I used to totally crush on him. 1o Things I Hate About You? Amazing. Gay cowboys, hot. I feel personally touched. Things are sad.

Police probe actor Heath Ledger’s death

A grown up veggie-hiding manual...

I need to try some of these. Seems to be a Jessica Seinfield sort of veggie-hiding thing. I have honestly considered buying her book for myself. Wonder if I would like Spinach brownies?

The Carb Lover's Survival Guide - Page 1 - MSN Health & Fitness - Weight Loss

A grown up veggie-hiding manual...

I need to try some of these. Seems to be a Jessica Seinfield sort of veggie-hiding thing. I have honestly considered buying her book for myself. Wonder if I would like Spinach brownies?

The Carb Lover's Survival Guide - Page 1 - MSN Health & Fitness - Weight Loss

More reading stuff..

I just finished reading High Noon by Nora Roberts. It was formulatic and a little boring. In some ways, it is almost like the author is trying too hard to make her heroine smart and competent and capable. It did not seem organic, it was not real. And, a pet peeve of mine... I hate it when an author who is probably in their 50's tries to use slang of today. First of all, it always sounds hokey. Secondly, there is no way that it will hold up in a manner that is respectable in 5 or 10 years. Sort of gives me the gicks.

I'm listening to I am Legend while walking on the treadmill. I have yet to see anyone who resembles Will Smith appear, but I am really enjoying the story. Only thing that would make it better would be to have zombies instead of vampires. I do love me some zombies.

Next up, I'm going to give Wicked another shot. I tried starting it before Christmas but just couldn't get in to it. I do like that my paperback version has lovely green pages instead of the normal tannish color. Adds a little panache.

Happy Smurfday...

I just loved the Smurfs when I was little. It makes me happy to know that there is a possible resurgence. Little things in life to keep you going, huh?

Smurftastic! Belgian-created Smurfs turn 50 - Arts, books, more- msnbc.com

This post is brought to you by the color dreary and the letter sad...

I often think of those commercials ... "Where does depression hurt?" after visiting them. It hurts me to be around them. As if somehow, they are taking my light and sucking it in to that vortex that is their sadness. I wish I could somehow make it all better, but I can't. No one can until they decide to change on their own. I often drive home feeling near tears myself. So sad, almost hopeless. I can't even seem to get them engaged at this point. Tv, books, comfy chairs...those are now their lives. I do not accept this as a normal part of aging. You don't need to become immobile and solitary simply because you have had your 60th birthday.

I don't like teachers...

I attended an in-service with all the other teachers from our area. They are just so self-important. I had forgotten how it can be after being away from academia for so many years. They use words like rubric, realia and pedagogy. Why can't you just use language like the rest of the world? Do you really think it makes you less in the eyes of your esteemed colleagues if you just say graph, example or teaching? Jeez...I know the words, can even spell them, but would I consider using them in every day life? Not so much. Maybe that is why I blog instead of engage in writing the great American novel. Pretension just really pisses me off.

In other news, the Seahawks are getting SPANKED by Green Bay. That's kind of a bummer.

Blogger's spell-check does not recognize realia. Does that mean that all those blow-hard instructors are smarter than the computer? Hopefully, they don't find out. Their heads would swell to ginormous sizes.

GED Report..

Second night of class went well. It was hectic-lots of new people to get started. But it was good. Moment to remember-that squooshy feeling when one of my Hispanic ladies called me "Teacher" for the first time. Smiles.

I'm pooped. Those days going non-stop from 8 am to 9:30 or 10 pm are long. But the rewards are going to go beyond financial, I think.

I'm a reader...

I have decided to try to keep track of my reading for the year. I have read four books so far in 2008. That week of vacation really helped me out.

1. The Pact Jodi Picoult
2. The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
3. Holes Louis Sachar
4. Water for Elephants: A Novel Sara Gruen

Next up is High Noon by Nora Roberts. I am also looking for a good audio book for the treadmill.

I'm a teacher, huh?

I started teaching GED tonight. I'm not sure how I did. I do know that I was terrified before starting. I think it went ok. Mostly paperwork and testing for the first night. I don't think any of them realized exactly how little I know. Guess I'll just fake it till I make it.

I'm working to develop lessons for the students. I think I know of some areas to persue. I think I will do better by making my own path instead of following the ones set before me. I have my own style, just need to use it.

One of the students made me uncomfortable by sitting way too close. I think I made another uncomfortable by doing the same. I need to be aware of body space a little more. Caution is important there.

Treadmill, baby...

Ok, I did it. I bought myself a treadmill. I am pretty darn out of shape, so it was a workout to use it for 15 minutes at 2% incline. I'm sweating and my legs are a bit rubbery, but I do feel accomplished. Per my weight (and the clever calculations on my new toy) I used almost 200 calories. And that doesn't even count the sweat and exertion I used putting the damn thing together. Not bad for my first day.

Gold's Gym 450 Treadmill - Wal-Mart

Candidate Finder...

Guess I'm an Obama girl...

Presidential Candidate Selection Quiz

1. Theoretical Ideal Candidate (100%)
2. Barack Obama (74%)
3. Dennis Kucinich (71%)
4. Christopher Dodd (withdrawn) (66%)
5. Michael Bloomberg (says he will not run) (66%)
6. Al Gore (not announced) (65%)
7. Alan Augustson (campaign suspended) (65%)
8. Hillary Clinton (65%)
9. Joseph Biden (withdrawn) (65%)
10. John Edwards (64%)

I also really liked THIS side-by-side comparison. I think an election of Huckabee would be about the worst thing ever. Or maybe just the second coming of George W.