Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Coming this Spring.....
HA! Talk about having too much time on my hands :)
I guess I should really start on that job hunt...
p.s. - please don't judge my technically-savvy-video-making-skills...I made it in 20 min.'s flat, for pure enjoyment while waiting for Ross to stop playing NHL hockey on his ps3 so that we can play mario together on the Wii :)
p.s.s. - don't ya just love b. spears singing up my special day?! Yup, we're THAT close, I can call her b. spears. Ross is especially fond of my music choice to represent our d-day :)
Friday, January 15, 2010
Things are looking up...
Things are already looking up compared to how I was feeling last night. No, sorry, no luck in the job search department (for me OR Ross), but I have an exciting weekend to look forward to. Tonight I get to hang out w/ the siblings and play some games, and tomorrow I unexpectedly get to hang out with my best friend, Ang, & her boyfriend, Mike, who decided to come home on a whim (from Bethesda, MD, where they reside).
Also, on to other great news (maybe?!), I am, for the first time, an Obama supporter *eek!!* Let me explain.....since I lost my job (of 3 years) on monday, me & Ross officially will not have any health coverage come the end of February, so we were looking at the option of buying COBRA through my work, and fretting about how much this was going to cost! Just another one of my stresses for the week. Anyways, to make a long story short..... we would've had to pay $1,144/month!!! PER MONTH!!! $1,144!! Are you kidding me?!?! Well, thanks to Obama and whatever health-care bill he just passed (sorry for not keeping up on the latest politics!), since I was laid off, we only have to pay $400/month! What a difference. THANK YOU mr. president :)
And to make things better...I finally got my car back today, that was wrecked a few weeks ago, talked about in this post. I was responsible to pay $500 (my deductible) to get it fixed (overall damage: $3,300!! I guess it was more of a fender-bender than I originally thought!), but when I went to pick it up from the auto body shop, he told me to only pay him $250, since we are longtime customers, with my grandpa always getting service done there, and my dad knowing him well too :) :) :) THANK YOU! I told him we really appreciate it, but he probably doesn't know JUST HOW MUCH we appreciate it.
All in all...I guess things are looking up. We're getting a few breaks I would've never imagined. I never thought I would say this...but it sucks to be jobless, I really miss the people I worked with, and I actually miss the job (one of the few I've enjoyed), but things are looking up. I have a meeting with the school I graduated from, on Monday, that provides lifetime job placement, so we'll see what they can conjure up on the job-front. Now if only Ross' school provided the same service, we'd be all set!
Also, on to other great news (maybe?!), I am, for the first time, an Obama supporter *eek!!* Let me explain.....since I lost my job (of 3 years) on monday, me & Ross officially will not have any health coverage come the end of February, so we were looking at the option of buying COBRA through my work, and fretting about how much this was going to cost! Just another one of my stresses for the week. Anyways, to make a long story short..... we would've had to pay $1,144/month!!! PER MONTH!!! $1,144!! Are you kidding me?!?! Well, thanks to Obama and whatever health-care bill he just passed (sorry for not keeping up on the latest politics!), since I was laid off, we only have to pay $400/month! What a difference. THANK YOU mr. president :)
And to make things better...I finally got my car back today, that was wrecked a few weeks ago, talked about in this post. I was responsible to pay $500 (my deductible) to get it fixed (overall damage: $3,300!! I guess it was more of a fender-bender than I originally thought!), but when I went to pick it up from the auto body shop, he told me to only pay him $250, since we are longtime customers, with my grandpa always getting service done there, and my dad knowing him well too :) :) :) THANK YOU! I told him we really appreciate it, but he probably doesn't know JUST HOW MUCH we appreciate it.
All in all...I guess things are looking up. We're getting a few breaks I would've never imagined. I never thought I would say this...but it sucks to be jobless, I really miss the people I worked with, and I actually miss the job (one of the few I've enjoyed), but things are looking up. I have a meeting with the school I graduated from, on Monday, that provides lifetime job placement, so we'll see what they can conjure up on the job-front. Now if only Ross' school provided the same service, we'd be all set!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Late night venting...
I'm writing this entry at about 11:20 at night, so its safe to say that there will probably be a few things I would normally not mention or vent about. But I'm stressed, and tired. Tired of worrying, tired of waiting to see what the future might hold, tired of wishing for unattainable things. I thought I put in my dues, but apparently not. This year is already off to an awful start, to which I do not care to elaborate on, unless you've heard through my highly-gossipy-family-grapevine, and will probably test my patience more than ever in my life. I just wish I could look ahead 6 months and know that things will be okay. I hope this year at least ends on a good note, maybe our luck will turn around. Maybe. I'm usually very optimistic, always excited to what might come next. But now I'm tired, and tired of waiting, tired of hoping. Here's a toast to me & Ross.... best wishes in this new year. Sorry to throw us a pity party, but it's late at night, and right now....I'm allowing myself these few minutes to be self-centered enough to say that we deserve it....
Monday, January 11, 2010
It Hurts to Move ....
... I'm not lying. I dread when the phone at work rings today, not because I'm annoyed by it (which is most days, but beside the point!) but because when it DOES ring, it involves me having to lift my arm, which hurts. Everything hurts. But that always happens when Ross & I go snowboarding :) Even though I didn't fall as much as I usually do. I think I'm finally improving! It's just that every muscle in your body gets a workout, so come the day AFTER snowboarding, it hurts to get out of bed, but worth every second of it.
Anyways, Ross & I decided to try out Hidden Valley for the first time this past Saturday, since we usually hit up 7 Springs. The main reason we decided to try out a new place was b/c of price. We've been closely watching our money lately, so any dollar saved is greatly appreciated. Especially since it costs an arm & a leg just to go snowboarding! At 7 Springs we would spend $97 (for 2 adult night passes, and 1 snowboard rental for me, since Ross owns a snowboard), at Hidden Valley, we only spent $81...a saving of $16!! Yes Please! Hidden Valley turned out to be MUCH smaller, but I enjoyed that aspect of it, and is much better for beginner's, from a better "bunny hill" to it being less crowded, and therefore, less likely to crash into other people....although I did manage to crash into one person, but I blame him! Because I really have very little ability on where I go...I'm still learning that! haha
All in all, we had a lot of fun! We actually bailed around 7:30 p.m. (3 1/2 short hrs. after we started, although it seemed much longer!) b/c it was so cold out, and I was already exhausted. We did about 4-5 runs down the slopes, so I was excited to finally graduate from the "bunny hill" although I still have a lot to learn :) I even got some new snowboarding apparel for Christmas, so I was pretty excited to try that out as well. I love snowboarding and that it's given me & ross something for us to do together & look forward to when it gets cold out. Hopefully this season we'll get to go with a few friends and/or family members who want to learn how to snowboard/ski. It's great to have a winter activity to look forward to in the cold months, and I really recommend trying it at least once.
Anyways, Ross & I decided to try out Hidden Valley for the first time this past Saturday, since we usually hit up 7 Springs. The main reason we decided to try out a new place was b/c of price. We've been closely watching our money lately, so any dollar saved is greatly appreciated. Especially since it costs an arm & a leg just to go snowboarding! At 7 Springs we would spend $97 (for 2 adult night passes, and 1 snowboard rental for me, since Ross owns a snowboard), at Hidden Valley, we only spent $81...a saving of $16!! Yes Please! Hidden Valley turned out to be MUCH smaller, but I enjoyed that aspect of it, and is much better for beginner's, from a better "bunny hill" to it being less crowded, and therefore, less likely to crash into other people....although I did manage to crash into one person, but I blame him! Because I really have very little ability on where I go...I'm still learning that! haha
All in all, we had a lot of fun! We actually bailed around 7:30 p.m. (3 1/2 short hrs. after we started, although it seemed much longer!) b/c it was so cold out, and I was already exhausted. We did about 4-5 runs down the slopes, so I was excited to finally graduate from the "bunny hill" although I still have a lot to learn :) I even got some new snowboarding apparel for Christmas, so I was pretty excited to try that out as well. I love snowboarding and that it's given me & ross something for us to do together & look forward to when it gets cold out. Hopefully this season we'll get to go with a few friends and/or family members who want to learn how to snowboard/ski. It's great to have a winter activity to look forward to in the cold months, and I really recommend trying it at least once.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
My Favorite Books...
Just the other day, I suddenly had the yearning to watch one of my favorite movies that I had just seen for the first time, but I couldn't quite place what the movie was. I sat there, thinking, what was one of the latest movies I had just watched?? ....b/c how could I have forgotten it if I all the sudden feel like watching it again! I admit, I'm pretty much a ditz when it comes to any kind of short-term memory, WHO did I inherit this lovely trait from?!?!
Well then I realized, that what I was actually thinking of was a great book that I had read about a month ago. Maybe not my #1 all-time favorite book, but it took place in Italy, and that right there is enough to make me dream :) It had played out so vividly in my mind while I was reading it, I was actually confused into thinking it was something I had watched on film! The book was by Richard Paul Evans, "The Last Promise."
It's so funny to think that only a few years ago, I would've never even thought to pick up a book! In high school, I would laugh in my mom's face when she would suggest reading to pass time. Yup, I was THAT mature :)
Reading has become a hobby of mine when I started working full-time. It was the best way to fill my lunch hour. And I can't believe how many books I've read since then, and how many I've truly enjoyed that I can still remember all the characters names, the plot, the theme, etc. I can't even think of where to start when asked to name my favorite book, because I have so many! And often times, when the book IS turned into a movie, the movie doesn't NEARLY live up to the book's potential, and this frustrates me. BUT if you are curious, here are a few of my favorite books (in no particular order) that I can name off the top of my head, and that I can still remember the details and story behind every cover ....
Well then I realized, that what I was actually thinking of was a great book that I had read about a month ago. Maybe not my #1 all-time favorite book, but it took place in Italy, and that right there is enough to make me dream :) It had played out so vividly in my mind while I was reading it, I was actually confused into thinking it was something I had watched on film! The book was by Richard Paul Evans, "The Last Promise."
It's so funny to think that only a few years ago, I would've never even thought to pick up a book! In high school, I would laugh in my mom's face when she would suggest reading to pass time. Yup, I was THAT mature :)
Reading has become a hobby of mine when I started working full-time. It was the best way to fill my lunch hour. And I can't believe how many books I've read since then, and how many I've truly enjoyed that I can still remember all the characters names, the plot, the theme, etc. I can't even think of where to start when asked to name my favorite book, because I have so many! And often times, when the book IS turned into a movie, the movie doesn't NEARLY live up to the book's potential, and this frustrates me. BUT if you are curious, here are a few of my favorite books (in no particular order) that I can name off the top of my head, and that I can still remember the details and story behind every cover ....
- Nicholas Sparks - Dear John
- Nicholas Sparks - The Last Song (both are being made into movies, let's hope they don't dissapoint!)
- Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper (the book is much better than the film, although I do love Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin)
- Jodi Picoult - Handle w/ Care
- Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife (again, a must read! but the movie was only so-so)
- Janet Evanovich - the whole "Stephanie Plum" series
- Richard Paul Evans - The Last Promise
- Richard Paul Evans - The Sunflower
- Harlan Coben - Tell No One
- Elin Hilderbrand - Barefoot
- John Grogan - Marley & Me (for this one, the movie completely failed, I didn't even finish watching it!)
- Barbara Delinsky - Coast Road
- Cecelia Ahern - P.S. I Love You
- Jane Green - The Beach House
- Chris Jordan - Taken
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)