Oh, today was such a fun day.
By the way, this was said sarcastically. It is so hard to show dry sarcasm in blog pages, but I'll try.
Today was such a fun day. See, I was at work today; which means I was up in those big, bad skies which held such long delays for me and all the passengers. Delays that made them happy, and cheery, as called for in the holiday season.
At least no one yelled, screamed or spit on me. And yes, all three have happened.
But, yesterday was actually a fun day, so I was able to get through today from the memories. See, yesterday, I went to see the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on my overnight!!
Yes, thats right. THE Jay Leno.
And, I was in the second row, on the aisle, where I had a clear view of the guests and Jay. And, where it was that I shook Jay's hand as he entered the stage. My Big Brother taped the footage, so we'll see if I appeared to millions across the country. Or I could just wait for the phone call from an agent who saw the show, and now - of course - wants to represent me.
The guests were Scarlett Johansson, Kenneth Branagh and Staind. Most people when I told them the lineup said 'Who's Kenneth Branagh' but I was most excited about seeing him. He is THE Shakespeare guy - a Brit who played Hamlet in the non-Hollywood production of Hamlet. He appeared in all the Shakespeare movies I had to watch in high school theater, and I loved him. So dynamic, so fiery! (And, I just found out that a movie was made from another one of my fav children's books - Five Children and It, and he was a lead in that also! Keeps getting better and better.)
He lived up to my expectations. A simple, straight-forward, Mr. Nice Guy. Very humble and sweet. And I was less than twenty feet from him. Scarlett, too. She was very caring, and during one of the commercial breaks, a makeup artist touched up her powder and she made sure to say 'Thank you' before he left. In a world gone numb from manners and kindness, that says alot about her, not as a celebrity, but as a person.
Jay was funny. He did a little monologue/skit before the show began, which I think might have been funnier than the actual show. He's very good at shooting from the hip - very witty and quick.
Definetely worth the time and money to go. And maybe I'll get to go again sometime (or maybe, after publishing my first bestseller, I will actually be on the show. Oh, to dream)!
***BTW: If you saw the Leno show on the 17th, you know that Scarlet Johansson said she had a cold and her cold was of some 'value' because she caught it from Samuel L Jackson. Jay convinced her to blow into a tissue, seal it in a baggie and autograph it to be sold on EBAY, all proceeds going to charity. I checked it out today, and sure enough - the tissue is there, selling for $2250!! I saw it folks, its for real!***
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The economy, the "r" word and alot of debt thrown in for fun
I've been thinking alot lately about credit and debt and credit-to-debt ratio. It seems the recent downswing in the economy (not I don't use the "r" word!) has brought all these subjects even closer to mind. The TV media, the print media - even at parties and get-togethers conversation always seems to turn toward debt and the economy. And with a baby on the way, suffice to say - I'm getting a little scared.
When my parents were my age, credit cards were not a daily way of living. I remember my dad teaching me that fun was paid for in cash, while its ok to get a loan for your car and your home, the necessities in life. But, you never put clothes, entertainment or fun on your credit card. If you didn't have the money for these, you just didn't have them. Unfortunately, what I heard from him contradicted everything the world and my friends were doing. I did keep my credit card for 'emergency use' only for the longest time; but when you take that first step and put those concert tickets on the card, it seems there is no looking back. Oh, how I wish I would have learned and listened.
So I did something today that I have never done (although I've heard you should do it often). I went to www.annualcreditreport.com to check my credit rating. Why didn't I use www.freecreditreport.com, since I find myself singing their catchy little songs? Because, regardless of their name, they are not free. Only annualcreditreport.com - run by the government and verifed by verisafe - is free once a year.
I took a deep breath, put in my info and waited, foot tapping impatiently, to see what horrible debt my credit rating would show.
And it was scary. Very.
Not because I have alot of debt. In comparison to others, I probably don't. I have a mortgage, a car loan, a student loan and two credit cards (one shared with Hubby and one of my own). But wait, if thats all I have, what are those other 15 pages of credit card listings???
This is the scary part.
Those other 15 pages are the credit cards that I used to have and closed or still do have open, but are paid off and don't use. Such as Express, Victoria's Secret, Gap, Structure (really? I don't know if this store even exists anymore!), Banana Republic. All paid off. All with no balance for the last three-five years. But thats the scary thing with this credit report- it shows your credit history. Remember all those credit cards you opened your freshman year of college because if you opened an account, you received 10% off your purchase? They are still there lurking in your credit history like a bad ex-boyfriend.
It was also scary to see exactly how much debt I have. What I consider "good debt" (car, student loans and house) and "bad debt" (credit cards) are all thrown together in one big debt pile. When I look at that number - the whole number, without me saying 'oh, but thats my house and I have to have a place to live', etc - the number is crazy high. Like, how-am-I-ever-going-to-pay-this-off-in-my-life high.
I wouldn't recommend getting your credit history to just anyone. This is not for the faint of heart, or for those who prefer to think of these things later - after all the tags have been removed from purchases. I'm not going to shop for a year. Maybe two years. This has really got me thinking.
And you know how I hate thinking.
When my parents were my age, credit cards were not a daily way of living. I remember my dad teaching me that fun was paid for in cash, while its ok to get a loan for your car and your home, the necessities in life. But, you never put clothes, entertainment or fun on your credit card. If you didn't have the money for these, you just didn't have them. Unfortunately, what I heard from him contradicted everything the world and my friends were doing. I did keep my credit card for 'emergency use' only for the longest time; but when you take that first step and put those concert tickets on the card, it seems there is no looking back. Oh, how I wish I would have learned and listened.
So I did something today that I have never done (although I've heard you should do it often). I went to www.annualcreditreport.com to check my credit rating. Why didn't I use www.freecreditreport.com, since I find myself singing their catchy little songs? Because, regardless of their name, they are not free. Only annualcreditreport.com - run by the government and verifed by verisafe - is free once a year.
I took a deep breath, put in my info and waited, foot tapping impatiently, to see what horrible debt my credit rating would show.
And it was scary. Very.
Not because I have alot of debt. In comparison to others, I probably don't. I have a mortgage, a car loan, a student loan and two credit cards (one shared with Hubby and one of my own). But wait, if thats all I have, what are those other 15 pages of credit card listings???
This is the scary part.
Those other 15 pages are the credit cards that I used to have and closed or still do have open, but are paid off and don't use. Such as Express, Victoria's Secret, Gap, Structure (really? I don't know if this store even exists anymore!), Banana Republic. All paid off. All with no balance for the last three-five years. But thats the scary thing with this credit report- it shows your credit history. Remember all those credit cards you opened your freshman year of college because if you opened an account, you received 10% off your purchase? They are still there lurking in your credit history like a bad ex-boyfriend.
It was also scary to see exactly how much debt I have. What I consider "good debt" (car, student loans and house) and "bad debt" (credit cards) are all thrown together in one big debt pile. When I look at that number - the whole number, without me saying 'oh, but thats my house and I have to have a place to live', etc - the number is crazy high. Like, how-am-I-ever-going-to-pay-this-off-in-my-life high.
I wouldn't recommend getting your credit history to just anyone. This is not for the faint of heart, or for those who prefer to think of these things later - after all the tags have been removed from purchases. I'm not going to shop for a year. Maybe two years. This has really got me thinking.
And you know how I hate thinking.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Fat is a four letter word. Until it fits!
This morning, I became very worried about my dog. She's one of my best friends, and she's my first baby. So, when she looked to be limping and favoring her hind leg, I looked her over carefully. I massaged her hind legs, pulling and twisting to see if she whimpered or yelped at anything. Nothing.
Then I saw her standing in the middle of the room, just staring at the wall. Not sitting. Not rooting around in the trash like normal. Just standing there, staring at the wall. For almost three minutes. (Then I couldn't stand it anymore, and I called her name. Just to get her to stop. It was almost Poltergeist-like.)
I noticed she wasn't able to jump up onto the couch easily. I almost moved to give her a leg up, and then remembered that since we bought new couches last week she really wasn't supposed to be on there at all, so if I just pretended I didn't see her up there, it would be fine. But I couldn't, in all conscience, help her up.
Last but not least, I realized that she has not gone outside all day. At all. And since we have a doggie door, she is usually in and out every twenty minutes. You know, because she can. Not today. She's tried to go outside a few times, but each time turned around before she got out the doggie door. I moved a chair that may have been blocking the door. (I spend my whole days off doing something for this dog, I think!) Still didn't go outside. Hmmm. . curiouser and curiouser.
So I went outside and left her inside. To see if she even wanted to come outside. She follows me everywhere, so I figured if she wanted to be with me, she would want to be outside. She did.
And either our doggie door has gotten smaller or our dog has gotten fatter. She couldn't fit.
That doesn't account for all our issues today, but it does for at least one. She didn't go outside today because she can't. She's too fat. (Which might also be why she's having trouble jumping on the couch, and limping. Its all the extra weight.) Looks like I'm not the only one who needs to go walking more often!
She doesn't look THAT fat!!!
Then I saw her standing in the middle of the room, just staring at the wall. Not sitting. Not rooting around in the trash like normal. Just standing there, staring at the wall. For almost three minutes. (Then I couldn't stand it anymore, and I called her name. Just to get her to stop. It was almost Poltergeist-like.)
I noticed she wasn't able to jump up onto the couch easily. I almost moved to give her a leg up, and then remembered that since we bought new couches last week she really wasn't supposed to be on there at all, so if I just pretended I didn't see her up there, it would be fine. But I couldn't, in all conscience, help her up.
Last but not least, I realized that she has not gone outside all day. At all. And since we have a doggie door, she is usually in and out every twenty minutes. You know, because she can. Not today. She's tried to go outside a few times, but each time turned around before she got out the doggie door. I moved a chair that may have been blocking the door. (I spend my whole days off doing something for this dog, I think!) Still didn't go outside. Hmmm. . curiouser and curiouser.
So I went outside and left her inside. To see if she even wanted to come outside. She follows me everywhere, so I figured if she wanted to be with me, she would want to be outside. She did.
And either our doggie door has gotten smaller or our dog has gotten fatter. She couldn't fit.
That doesn't account for all our issues today, but it does for at least one. She didn't go outside today because she can't. She's too fat. (Which might also be why she's having trouble jumping on the couch, and limping. Its all the extra weight.) Looks like I'm not the only one who needs to go walking more often!
She doesn't look THAT fat!!!
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