More Snow Photos

On December 20, 2008 · 5 Comments · In winter season

Last night, it continued to snow. And snow. And snow.

When Michael came home from work, he actually couldn’t even get down our street. The plow had finally come, and he was working on getting the street cleaned up. In the process, however, he was making huge snow piles that no car could possibly drive over. So he (and some of our neighbors) had to wait at the end of our street until the snow was cleared. Annoying.

While Michael was waiting at the end of the street, I took Tess out for the second time of the day. She was not happy. The snow was now as tall as she was, and I had to clear a spot for her to pee. Then, she immediately wanted to go back inside. She was obviously freezing; poor thing was shaking.

We were happy to retreat back inside, where it was decidedly warm and cozy. Before dinner, we heard a second, bigger plow come around. Michael decided to take the camera outside and snap a few more photos.

Later, Tessa munched on a dropped ice cube.

And played with her toys.

Then we settled into the couch and snuggled.

Good snow day, for sure. Only thing that would have made it better would have been if I didn’t have to go out in it at all!
 

Snow Day!

On December 19, 2008 · 6 Comments · In winter season

Last night, they were forecasting a snowstorm for today. We woke up this morning and everything looked the same as it has the last few days. No new snow to speak of.

As I was walking into work, little flakes started to come down. By 9:00 a.m., it was really coming down. Rumors started circulating at work that we were going to be sent home early.

Sure enough, at 10:30, we received an e-mail saying that my company would be closing at noon. Very exciting.

When noon hit, everyone rushed out to their cars to start wiping them off. The snow was already a few inches deep and it was quite the production. Once in my car, I was off… and I couldn’t believe how crappy the roads were. It was as if nothing had even been plowed.

Not sure if these pics accurately display the crappy weather, but they hopefully give an idea. (I was at a red light, people. I wouldn’t take pictures while driving in this stuff!)

Once home, I was pissed to find out that our neighborhood had not been plowed, either. Umm, hello, homeowner’s association. What exactly are we paying you for?

I actually got stuck trying to get into the garage. I gave it a couple of attempts but it was clear I was not going to get in without getting out and doing some work. I had to run into the house to get the snow shovel out of our front hallway. Meanwhile, my shoes were now filled with snow, my socks were wet, and I was freezing. Perhaps I should have had the foresight to wear boots today?

Anyway, I was able to push enough of the snow out of the way to fight my way into the garage.

I went inside and grabbed Tessa to take her outside. She was not happy. She peed right in the middle of the sidewalk (in one of my footprints, to be exact), and it was clear she wanted to go back inside immediately. Who can blame her? Look, her stomach drags in the snow. Poor baby.

The only way I could get pics of her was to pick her up and take some self portraits. I was pissed the flash went off, but it actually turned out kind of cool because it reflected off of the falling flakes.

And then one without the flash… haha, look at Tessa’s head. Awww.

So now I am snowed in! I was so happy to put my pajamas back on, with some warm fuzzy socks and a sweatshirt. I watched Made of Honor (sooo bad), and got dinner into the crockpot. Now I’m just waiting for Michael to get home. I’ve been sitting here listening to people getting stuck in the middle of the street (still no plows!), and I’m worried he’ll get stuck, too. Should be fun.

At least we know we’ll have a white Christmas!

 

Pumped

On December 19, 2008 · 5 Comments · In Uncategorized

OK, so I spent yesterday’s blog post bitching and moaning about taxes.

A few hours later, I took a trip to a local gas station and couldn’t help but become a bit giddy. So I thought–My post today can counteract the bitterness of my post yesterday.

Because this?


That right there is a thing of beauty.

$25 to fill up my gas tank? Hallelujah!

I bought my car in July 2004, and I specifically remember that the very first time I filled up the tank, it cost me $1.99/gallon. And I remember thinking, it surely can’t go up much further than this!

Oh, how little I knew. But when I started driving in 1998, on occasion, gas could still be had for $0.99/gallon. So $2.00? That seemed like a lot. But now? I’ll be giddy over $1.84.

Just a few short months ago, Michael and I didn’t even bat an eye at the $4.40ish gas prices when we were in Hawaii. Why? Well, because it wasn’t much more than we were paying at home. We were routinely paying $4.15ish here. It was costing us $50+ to fill my gas tank.

Then, the unexpected. Prices started falling. I remember being relieved when they crept back under $4.

An all-out celebration when they fell under $3.

Now, under $2?? I am beside myself. And the truth is that we’re still paying well above the national average. And I’m OK with that.

And so I pray to the gas gods. Please do not take this away.

 

Taxed

On December 18, 2008 · 8 Comments · In in the news, politics

It looks like I’ll be drinking less Diet Coke. (I absolutely refuse to give up wine.) And I’ll be listening to less music.

Or you know… maybe we’ll just move. Let’s get the hell out of New York.

We are already the second most taxed state in America, and now Governor Paterson wants to raise the ante. And all I can say is…

Go to hell.

We pay ridiculous amounts of property taxes, school taxes, etc. We have an 8% sales tax. I’ve always been a little bitter about all of this, but fellow New Yorkers have repeatedly pointed out that compared to other states, we get a lot more for our tax money. So I’ve continuously sucked it up.

But seriously? Higher taxes on soda, beer, wine, iTunes, taxis, movies, sports games, and cable? I’m well aware that these things aren’t necessities, but holy hell. Way to suck the fun out of just about everything.

The State has gotten themselves into this mess with our broken welfare system, general overspending, and pouring money into the wrong programs. So you know what? They should get themselves out. They’re already bleeding us dry and now they want more.

I know, I know. I’m a democrat complaining about taxes. But come on. The shittiest thing is that we’re going to be paying all these extra taxes, and funds for education, healthcare, social programs, etc. are STILL being cut. Jobs are STILL being lost. If more taxes were going to improve something, I’d likely have an easier time with the hikes. But what are we getting for the extra taxes? Looks like a big ol’ NOTHING.

I know the economy sucks and everyone is hurting, including the government. But for the love of all that is good in life, how does it help to put us all further in the hole? We’re going to be paying more for all of the stuff that helps us forget about how much things suck.

Thanks, New York. Thanks a lot.

 

Questions & Answers

On December 17, 2008 · 4 Comments · In home improvement, other blogs, work

Last week, I posted about having a little bit of writer’s block. I offered to answer questions any of you may have, just to give me something to write about. Then I ended up having things to blog about day after day after day. Which was good.

Today? I’m not so inspired today.

So I’m going back to find your questions, and answer them. This probably won’t be too terribly exciting, but here we go…

From Anonymous, and also Gia: What are some of your favorite blogs?

I have actually posted about this before, but not really all in one spot. I mention them here and there. I read a lot of blogs, but my favorites are probably Matt, Liz, and Madeline; Mama’s on a Playdate; Boobs, Injuries, and Dr. Pepper; More Than a Minivan Mom; and Cake Wrecks.

For baked goods, I really like Good Things Catered. Her meals are a little too “upscale” for me. :) I just don’t cook that type of food! But Katie has never led me astray with a dessert. Everything I’ve tried has been really, really good.

From Vanessa: I have a question – how do you fit it all in? Are you very organised with journals etc? How far in advance do you plan everything to get it done? And do you feel your responsibilities/hobbies have changed since getting married?

To be honest, Vanessa, I’m not really sure what you mean when you say “fit it all in.” The truth is that life is pretty busy. But compared to other times in my life, I do think it’s a good kind of busy. Most of the things that I do, I enjoy doing. I love having lazy weeks or even just a lazy night or two per week, but for the most part, I do like to stay busy.

Lately, I’ve been filling my free time with aerobics–step and kickboxing–twice a week, and then lots of baking. In the past, I did a ton of paper projects (especially for the wedding), or I took the cake decorating classes. Oh, and I do watch a pretty decent amount of television! I can’t help it; I like TV. There is usually at least one show per night that I like to watch.

I don’t keep journals (aside from the blog), and I don’t really plan each day in advance. So in that way, I guess you can say I’m not very organized. I just kind of go with the flow. If I feel like cooking or baking, I will. If I don’t, I won’t.

I don’t think my responsibilities have changed at all since getting married. We lived together for three years prior to the wedding, so marriage hasn’t really changed our lives that much at all. We’re just a little more “grown up” now, I guess. Everyone’s getting married and having babies!

My hobbies have changed, definitely. But that’s just because I spent a year doing so much for the wedding. So many projects. Once that was all over, I had to channel my energy into something else.

From Laura: you seem to thoroughly research things before making a decision (i.e. buying your tv). have you bought a car recently? if so, what did you do as far as researching?

I’m surprised that this character trait has come through in my blog, but I guess that it has. I am an obsessive researcher. Not for every purchase, of course, but for bigger ones (i.e. TV, car, house, appliances, computers, cameras, etc… even vacations!), I do a lot of research. I usually get it done pretty quickly, because once we decide to get something, I’m usually excited to get it now. So for the TV, it was a bunch of research over a couple of weeks. I usually stick to the info I can find online. Reviews, comparisons, etc.

I purchased my car in 2004, so I’m not sure if that’s recent enough for you. But at that time, I had a 1991 Honda Civic that had treated me really well, so I was certain that I wanted another Honda. So while I did a lot of research and reading to inform myself, I didn’t really do the kind of comparison shopping that you might find other people do. And, for what it’s worth, I ended up buying a Honda CR-V.

Our next “big” purchase will likely be a new washer and dryer. Our dryer has been on the fritz; it takes like two hours to dry a load and it is annoying. We’re trying to hold out a bit longer, but I realllllly want one of those nice front-loading sets. I still have a lot of research to do on those. We’ll see what happens.

Vanessa and another Anonymous poster touched on questions regarding my job.

Honestly, I try to stay away from blogging about my job. First of all, there’s not usually anything terribly exciting to blog about. I’m in marketing and I do a lot of writing for a living, so I feel like… why would I want to continue writing about that in my free time? Besides, I don’t think there are a lot of people who would find it interesting! As far as further education or exciting things that may happen/were expected to happen, I’ll just say that there is really nothing new to share. If I made some big life change, it would be hard not to blog about it, so I’m sure you’ll all know if and when there is. :)

From Mrs.B.: Are there any home projects that you are doing/want to do? Do you still take orders for the aisle runners and banners? Do you have any great crafty tips?

Well, this year, we already did the big floor project, as well as the new sliding glass door and the addition of the pantry cabinet (all related to the floor project).

In 2009, we’re thinking about more floors! We’re definitely planning to replace our bathroom floor, and we’ll also be looking into new carpeting. And of course, with us, we always go big or go home. We figure… if we’re going to have the carpet ripped up anyway, we may as well take the opportunity to repaint. So if all that happens, that will be a very big project. After that, I don’t think there’s anything else we could possibly want to do before we eventually sell (a couple of years down the road). But who knows… as homeowners, there always seem to be more projects!

And no, I do not take orders for the aisle runners and banners. As soon as our wedding passed, I pretty much immediately felt as if I had “gotten over” all things wedding. It’s weird how quickly things can change.

I can’t think of any crafty tips that I haven’t already shared!

Well, there are all of the Q&As so far. If you want to leave other questions, feel free to do so in the comments and I’ll answer them with another post in the future.

Oh, and one other thing. That whole “secrecy” thing I posted about before? Some of you were speculating, and I hate to disappoint, but….

I am so not pregnant.

In all honesty, it just has to do with Christmas presents. There are a couple of gifts I want to share, but don’t want to for fear of spoiling them. They’re cool, but not THAT exciting!