I just saved $32 on my home phone bill!
So, I'm slowly trying to knock down my expenses so that I can lead the fabulous life with less stress.
First is my AMEX bill. A few late payments (not good for the credit report, I know) had bumped my interest rate up to 33.2 percent.
Yeah, you read correctly. 33.2 pecent.
I promptly called the good people at AMEX and asked them to lower my interest rate. They did. The new rate?
11.2 percent - the regular rate for the card.
(Insert Happy Dance here)
Alright, so then, it's my house phone. I debated cancelling the line all together. I may eventually do that, but the desk always calls me at home, so I'll see how I do with this lower bill. With my new flat ulimited local calling plan, I can call anywhere in Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts for $20 a month. I was paying close to $60 to get unlimited long distance.
Couple that with my $60 cell phone bill and staying in touch was getting out of control.
So, I'm on my way to saving money. Plus, since I just marked my one year anniversary at the paper (happy MLK day to me!) I got a raise. A modest one, but a raise nonetheless.
Who's going to be rolling in dough? T-Dot's going to be rolling in dough!
*Does the snake off stage*
Friday, January 26, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Pass the tissues.
I'm sick. Here's a list of random things I've learned and/or done while I've been under the weather.
- I felt I was getting sick so, on Monday, I cleaned my house – just in case I needed to take a sick day later in the week.
- On Wednesday, when the fever hit, I was glad I had.
- Being sick sucks monkey balls.
- Hard.
- If I see, smell, taste or touch another thing resembling soup, I may scream.
- I called my doctor at 8 a.m. looking for an appointment. I walked down the street to his office (it's less than a block away). After he'd examined me, I bemoaned that he couldn't give me antibiotics because it was a virus. He said “I didn’t give you your sickness, I just diagnosed it.”
- My doctor’s kind of a jerk. It’s oddly comforting and makes me trust him. I think that’s why I keep going back to him.
- I went to the store to pick up some medicine and soup. Halfway through my trip, I started getting dizzy.
- Did I mention being sick sucks?
- I got home, took a dose of 'Tussin and went to sleep.
- For the last week, I've been eating soup.
- If I see, smell, taste, or touch another thing resembling soup, I may scream.
- Loudly.
- After I ate my 10th bowl of soup this week, I had a craving for brownies. So I made some.
- Halfway through the process, I rationonalized I might be too tired to cut the brownies once they were done.
- So I made brownie muffins.
- But I'm a bad baker, so I burnt the edges.
- The smell of burnt brownies never really leaves your house.
- And the smell of it can be quite nauseating when you're sick.
- But the brownies were still good.
- Mmmm, chocolate chunk.
- Taking a shower when you’re sick makes you feel better.
- For a while.
- Bad TV is addictive when you're sick.
- I wasted two hours of my life watching American Idol auditions.
- This morning, I went on an interview for a story I'm doing. I'd set it up sweeks ago and couldn't let the opportunity pass me by.
- So I pumped myself up full of drugs and interviewed my subjects for three hours.
- It was a good interview. But afterwards, I was tired.
- Working while you're sick - on a sick day - sucks pretty hard.
- I called my boss to tell her about my interview - she said half the office is showing the same symptoms I have. I got my virus from another one of my coworkers.
- I came home and dropped into the bed. I woke up four hours later, in time for Thursday night TV.
- Living alone when you're sick is pretty boring.
- I wish I could hear a bedtime story before I go to sleep when I'm sick.
- I'm going to work tomorrow.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Broken Doors, Shattered Security
I love my old neighborhood as much as anyone can love their home, but sometimes it's like, what's the point?
I'm from Flint, Mich. as most of you know. Despite what you may think of me, I didn't grow up in the suburbs. I grew up in the ghetto.
Smack. Dab. In the middle of it.
When I was younger it wasn't that bad. Everyone knew everyone else. People didn't mess with you because they knew you. There was a certain level of respect there.
Not so much any more.
Last night, my mother's home was burglarized. The home she's lived in for 33 years. The home she raised my sister, brother and myself in. The home she furnished year by year, bit by bit when she got extra money from working overtime at The Shop.
And someone had the audacity to just walk in and destroy it?
How could someone pry open the cast iron front door to our home and yet no one sees anything? What motivates someone to invade someone else's home, set up shop and spend so long thumbing through every drawer that they need to turn the heat on? What makes someone think that just because they can get away with something, means they have a right to?
The television my sister and I bought my mother last Christmas? Gone. Along with the DVD player. The digital camera still loaded with shots from the last family gathering? Stolen. They would've gotten our computer if my mom didn't have 50 million things hooked up to it. And my mom had hidden her jewelry so they didn't make off with that either.
We'd been on a pretty good run these last few years so, unfortunately, I guess it was just a matter of time. The last burglarization I remember at my house happened when I was in high school. That time, my sister found a lot of our stuff at a local pawn shop nearby. We filed our police report, and our insurance claim. They cut us a small check. We slowly began putting our lives back together.
But, really, what's the point?
Everytime you build yourself up, someone just comes along to bring you back down. And you wonder - what do the burglars get out of it? What? Maybe a couple hundred dollars? Some bags of weed or crack? A new pair of Jordans?
But what about the people you ripped off?
My mother had to pay $600 today to fix our front door. That's a debt that will eventually trickle down to me, in some way, shape or form. She now has to deal with the stress of this, along with a number of other pressures of life. My sister and I are brainstorming ways to get my mother to give up her home and move to a safer neighborhood, or at least one closer to my sister in Detroit. The settlement from the insurance company will never be enough to replace all of the things we lost - let alone our security.
I used to love my neighborhood. But now, when I go back to visit, I just see the depravity that once resided on the edges slowly seeping to the little piece of Earth I call home.
I'm from Flint, Mich. as most of you know. Despite what you may think of me, I didn't grow up in the suburbs. I grew up in the ghetto.
Smack. Dab. In the middle of it.
When I was younger it wasn't that bad. Everyone knew everyone else. People didn't mess with you because they knew you. There was a certain level of respect there.
Not so much any more.
Last night, my mother's home was burglarized. The home she's lived in for 33 years. The home she raised my sister, brother and myself in. The home she furnished year by year, bit by bit when she got extra money from working overtime at The Shop.
And someone had the audacity to just walk in and destroy it?
How could someone pry open the cast iron front door to our home and yet no one sees anything? What motivates someone to invade someone else's home, set up shop and spend so long thumbing through every drawer that they need to turn the heat on? What makes someone think that just because they can get away with something, means they have a right to?
The television my sister and I bought my mother last Christmas? Gone. Along with the DVD player. The digital camera still loaded with shots from the last family gathering? Stolen. They would've gotten our computer if my mom didn't have 50 million things hooked up to it. And my mom had hidden her jewelry so they didn't make off with that either.
We'd been on a pretty good run these last few years so, unfortunately, I guess it was just a matter of time. The last burglarization I remember at my house happened when I was in high school. That time, my sister found a lot of our stuff at a local pawn shop nearby. We filed our police report, and our insurance claim. They cut us a small check. We slowly began putting our lives back together.
But, really, what's the point?
Everytime you build yourself up, someone just comes along to bring you back down. And you wonder - what do the burglars get out of it? What? Maybe a couple hundred dollars? Some bags of weed or crack? A new pair of Jordans?
But what about the people you ripped off?
My mother had to pay $600 today to fix our front door. That's a debt that will eventually trickle down to me, in some way, shape or form. She now has to deal with the stress of this, along with a number of other pressures of life. My sister and I are brainstorming ways to get my mother to give up her home and move to a safer neighborhood, or at least one closer to my sister in Detroit. The settlement from the insurance company will never be enough to replace all of the things we lost - let alone our security.
I used to love my neighborhood. But now, when I go back to visit, I just see the depravity that once resided on the edges slowly seeping to the little piece of Earth I call home.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Twenty-four is coming...
In honor of the best show on Earth returning for it's 6th season, here are a few facts about the best counter terrorism agent on Earth, Jack Bauer. Click here for the entire list. The two night season premier airs at 8 p.m. on January 14 and 15 on Fox.
Recognize.
JACK BAUER FACTS
Jack Bauer doesn't eat honey, he chews bees.
If everyone on "24" followed Jack Bauer's instructions, it would be called "12".
Jack Bauer's calender goes from March 31st to April 2nd, no one fools Jack Bauer.
Life doesn't give Jack Bauer lemons. Life asks him which fruit he wants.
Jack Bauer once won a game of Connect 4 in 3 moves.
Jack Bauer was never addicted to heroin. Heroin was addicted to Jack Bauer.
Jack Bauer's favorite color is severe terror alert red. His second favorite color is violet, but just because it sounds like violent.
Jack Bauer doesn't speak any foreign languages, but he can make any foreigner speak English in a matter of minutes.
If Jack Bauer misspells a word, your dictionary is wrong.
When you open a can of whoop-ass, Jack Bauer jumps out.
In high school Jack Bauer was voted "Most Likely to Kill the Foreign Kid"... and "Best Eyes."
Jack Bauer can get McDonald's breakfast after 10:30.
Jack Bauer tells Bob Barker when the price is right.
In the 18 months where Jack Bauer was presumed dead, Tony Almeida was put in a coma, Michelle and David Palmer were killed, a major hurricane ravaged the Gulf Coast, and Rob Schneider made another movie. See what happens when Bauer isn't around?
All men are created equal. They are all vastly inferior to Jack Bauer.
Recognize.
JACK BAUER FACTS
Jack Bauer doesn't eat honey, he chews bees.
If everyone on "24" followed Jack Bauer's instructions, it would be called "12".
Jack Bauer's calender goes from March 31st to April 2nd, no one fools Jack Bauer.
Life doesn't give Jack Bauer lemons. Life asks him which fruit he wants.
Jack Bauer once won a game of Connect 4 in 3 moves.
Jack Bauer was never addicted to heroin. Heroin was addicted to Jack Bauer.
Jack Bauer's favorite color is severe terror alert red. His second favorite color is violet, but just because it sounds like violent.
Jack Bauer doesn't speak any foreign languages, but he can make any foreigner speak English in a matter of minutes.
If Jack Bauer misspells a word, your dictionary is wrong.
When you open a can of whoop-ass, Jack Bauer jumps out.
In high school Jack Bauer was voted "Most Likely to Kill the Foreign Kid"... and "Best Eyes."
Jack Bauer can get McDonald's breakfast after 10:30.
Jack Bauer tells Bob Barker when the price is right.
In the 18 months where Jack Bauer was presumed dead, Tony Almeida was put in a coma, Michelle and David Palmer were killed, a major hurricane ravaged the Gulf Coast, and Rob Schneider made another movie. See what happens when Bauer isn't around?
All men are created equal. They are all vastly inferior to Jack Bauer.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Operation: Motherland
I need stamps.
No, I'm not mailing a letter, my passport just needs to be broken in.
It's no secret I'm itching to travel internationally. I got my passport last year and I need travel stamps. Badly. I thumbed through my sister's passport last time I was in NYC - she has tons of them. For no reason. Tons.
I need stamps.
So, a few months ago, my friend Jessie and I had the fabulous idea to go to Tanzania. Tanza- who, you say? Tanzania. In East Africa. From the Tanzanian National Parks official Web site:
"Tanzania is among the few countries in the world endowed with such a vast range of tourist attractions. Tanzania has 13 national parks, 29 game reserves, 40 controlled conservation areas and marine parks that are located in the Northern and Southern parts of the country. More than 25 per cent of Tanzania’s land area of about one million square kilometers is covered with magnificent game reserves and national parks. Tanzania is also a home to Mt. Kilimanjaro commonly referred to as the Roof of Africa. The breath taking natural beauty of this second highest mountain in the world inspired the legendary author Ernest Hemingway to camp at its slopes and wrote one of his famous novels “Snows of Mt. Kilimanjaro.” The miles long silver sand beaches and the rich historical site of the spicy islands of Zanzibar are yet another attraction that Tanzania is blessed with. "
Out of all the places I could go - Jamaica, Spain, Australia - I chose Tanzania. Random huh? Not so much.
See, one of my friends from the Poynter program I went to a few years ago is Tanzanian. He told us that he wanted to go live in Tanzania, to learn about his family and try something new. That's just the kind of guy he is. Anyway, Jessie and I said that if he went, we'd go visit.
Well, as you read this, he's in the Motherland. So that means, we're going to Africa.
Along the way, our boy John, who used to work in Africa, hoped on board the Motherland train. Here's what we know so far:
*we're planning on visiting in November or late fall
*we'll stay with Daudi, my friend who lives there
*we'll need travel visas and yellow fever shots
*flights to Dar es Saalam are expensive
We've decided to start planning the trip on St. Patrick's Day. I don't know why we picked that day, we just did. Jessie, being the overachiever she is, found the following excerpts on the state government site for international visitors to Tanzania:
"Carjackings have occurred in both rural and urban areas. Visitors are advised to drive with doors locked and windows rolled up.
"U.S. citizens should be aware of the risk of indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in public places, including tourist sites and other places where Westerners are known to congregate."
Cholera is prevalent in many areas of Tanzania, and several strains of malaria are endemic." followed by: "Medical facilities are limited and medicines are sometimes unavailable, even in Dar es Salaam. There are hospitals on Zanzibar that can treat minor ailments."
John replies with some thing about keeping malaria medicine on hand the entire time we're there and popping them like tic tacs in "mosquitoey" areas.
This does not put me at ease.
The only time I've been out of the country is to visit Toronto with my 6th grade class. And going to a rough place where I could possibly die from the bite of an insect scares the crap out of me. But I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can. I can do this.
Right?
No, I'm not mailing a letter, my passport just needs to be broken in.
It's no secret I'm itching to travel internationally. I got my passport last year and I need travel stamps. Badly. I thumbed through my sister's passport last time I was in NYC - she has tons of them. For no reason. Tons.
I need stamps.
So, a few months ago, my friend Jessie and I had the fabulous idea to go to Tanzania. Tanza- who, you say? Tanzania. In East Africa. From the Tanzanian National Parks official Web site:
"Tanzania is among the few countries in the world endowed with such a vast range of tourist attractions. Tanzania has 13 national parks, 29 game reserves, 40 controlled conservation areas and marine parks that are located in the Northern and Southern parts of the country. More than 25 per cent of Tanzania’s land area of about one million square kilometers is covered with magnificent game reserves and national parks. Tanzania is also a home to Mt. Kilimanjaro commonly referred to as the Roof of Africa. The breath taking natural beauty of this second highest mountain in the world inspired the legendary author Ernest Hemingway to camp at its slopes and wrote one of his famous novels “Snows of Mt. Kilimanjaro.” The miles long silver sand beaches and the rich historical site of the spicy islands of Zanzibar are yet another attraction that Tanzania is blessed with. "
Out of all the places I could go - Jamaica, Spain, Australia - I chose Tanzania. Random huh? Not so much.
See, one of my friends from the Poynter program I went to a few years ago is Tanzanian. He told us that he wanted to go live in Tanzania, to learn about his family and try something new. That's just the kind of guy he is. Anyway, Jessie and I said that if he went, we'd go visit.
Well, as you read this, he's in the Motherland. So that means, we're going to Africa.
Along the way, our boy John, who used to work in Africa, hoped on board the Motherland train. Here's what we know so far:
*we're planning on visiting in November or late fall
*we'll stay with Daudi, my friend who lives there
*we'll need travel visas and yellow fever shots
*flights to Dar es Saalam are expensive
We've decided to start planning the trip on St. Patrick's Day. I don't know why we picked that day, we just did. Jessie, being the overachiever she is, found the following excerpts on the state government site for international visitors to Tanzania:
"Carjackings have occurred in both rural and urban areas. Visitors are advised to drive with doors locked and windows rolled up.
"U.S. citizens should be aware of the risk of indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in public places, including tourist sites and other places where Westerners are known to congregate."
Cholera is prevalent in many areas of Tanzania, and several strains of malaria are endemic." followed by: "Medical facilities are limited and medicines are sometimes unavailable, even in Dar es Salaam. There are hospitals on Zanzibar that can treat minor ailments."
John replies with some thing about keeping malaria medicine on hand the entire time we're there and popping them like tic tacs in "mosquitoey" areas.
This does not put me at ease.
The only time I've been out of the country is to visit Toronto with my 6th grade class. And going to a rough place where I could possibly die from the bite of an insect scares the crap out of me. But I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can. I can do this.
Right?
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
A Season
I could feel myself snapping as I fervently typed the IM response, but I'd had enough.
A blast from my past at HU had popped up after standing me up during my Thanksgiving jaunt to New Jersey. After some small talk, he'd asked a question I never would have thought he'd ask in a million years: to fly up to Providence to spend spring break with me.
I was speechless. But not in the good way.
Me and said ex haven't had the best of relationships. We'd gotten over some serious issues that ended our relationship and managed to become friends in the year and a half since I graduated from HU (he's a senior there this year - yes, I was robbing the cradle). In that time, we'd had some great conversations, shared some laughs, and what have you.
So, when I found I'd be visiting New Jersey (his homestate) for Thanksgiving, I let him know, hoping we'd get a chance to see one another. Everything was set and then, as I drove the NJ turnpike, I started getting calls that eventually ended with him standing me up. I went on to visit Jarrod and said bump the whole thing because I was just tired of dealing with it all. That weekend I vowed not to call again.
I didn't hear from him again until today.
The IM started simple enough - small talk and updates on our lives. Then he asked about spring break. I had no clue what to say, so I just started saying what was on my mind.
The thought vomit went something like this: "so, you just want to come up to Providence to visit? I have to work, so you'd be stuck at home for most of the day. And I also don't want you to get the wrong idea that by coming to Providence, something is going to pop off. because it won't. If you want to come up and just kick it, with the full understanding that I have a job that can have me in the office late, and with the understanding that we are just friends and that there is not much in Providence to experience (though I'd show you around) and that if you stay through Sunday, you'd be in church with me, I would seriously consider letting you come. but I'd want to hear your thoughts, first."
silence.
Then, he sulks off, basically saying he'll be fine with just AIM conversations from now on. And that's when it hit me. Before, I would have been apologizing for being so upfront and for being so blunt and trying to cajole him. But sometime since I've been in Rhode Island, that old me was shaken off. I didn't want that chile coming up here thinking one thing when it was clearly going to be another. And really, I don't know if I wanted him in my house period because of the way he's been in the past.
So I didn't apologize. And I'm fine with that. Actually, I'm great with that. Because I didn't bend to fit what he expected me to do and I didn't compromise myself to accomodate him. The pain, the apprehension, the uncomfortableness, and having to stifle my feelings just wasn't worth having him visit. I know we would have had a great time, but that price was just too much to pay. So that's that.
It really is true that people are put in your lifes for reasons, seasons and lifetimes. My ex taught me a lot about life and love and I thank him for that. And we had a great friendship while it lasted. But, looking back on that IM conversation, it seems that season is over. And if it is, and if he stumbles across this blog, I wish him all the best in his future endeavors. But the season of me dealing with unnecessary drama and bull is over.
A blast from my past at HU had popped up after standing me up during my Thanksgiving jaunt to New Jersey. After some small talk, he'd asked a question I never would have thought he'd ask in a million years: to fly up to Providence to spend spring break with me.
I was speechless. But not in the good way.
Me and said ex haven't had the best of relationships. We'd gotten over some serious issues that ended our relationship and managed to become friends in the year and a half since I graduated from HU (he's a senior there this year - yes, I was robbing the cradle). In that time, we'd had some great conversations, shared some laughs, and what have you.
So, when I found I'd be visiting New Jersey (his homestate) for Thanksgiving, I let him know, hoping we'd get a chance to see one another. Everything was set and then, as I drove the NJ turnpike, I started getting calls that eventually ended with him standing me up. I went on to visit Jarrod and said bump the whole thing because I was just tired of dealing with it all. That weekend I vowed not to call again.
I didn't hear from him again until today.
The IM started simple enough - small talk and updates on our lives. Then he asked about spring break. I had no clue what to say, so I just started saying what was on my mind.
The thought vomit went something like this: "so, you just want to come up to Providence to visit? I have to work, so you'd be stuck at home for most of the day. And I also don't want you to get the wrong idea that by coming to Providence, something is going to pop off. because it won't. If you want to come up and just kick it, with the full understanding that I have a job that can have me in the office late, and with the understanding that we are just friends and that there is not much in Providence to experience (though I'd show you around) and that if you stay through Sunday, you'd be in church with me, I would seriously consider letting you come. but I'd want to hear your thoughts, first."
silence.
Then, he sulks off, basically saying he'll be fine with just AIM conversations from now on. And that's when it hit me. Before, I would have been apologizing for being so upfront and for being so blunt and trying to cajole him. But sometime since I've been in Rhode Island, that old me was shaken off. I didn't want that chile coming up here thinking one thing when it was clearly going to be another. And really, I don't know if I wanted him in my house period because of the way he's been in the past.
So I didn't apologize. And I'm fine with that. Actually, I'm great with that. Because I didn't bend to fit what he expected me to do and I didn't compromise myself to accomodate him. The pain, the apprehension, the uncomfortableness, and having to stifle my feelings just wasn't worth having him visit. I know we would have had a great time, but that price was just too much to pay. So that's that.
It really is true that people are put in your lifes for reasons, seasons and lifetimes. My ex taught me a lot about life and love and I thank him for that. And we had a great friendship while it lasted. But, looking back on that IM conversation, it seems that season is over. And if it is, and if he stumbles across this blog, I wish him all the best in his future endeavors. But the season of me dealing with unnecessary drama and bull is over.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Two Things:
a) I'm looking for a new blog URL - the current one is a little too accessible. I need something a little more incognegro. Any suggestions?
b) I saw this on Jarrod's page and wanted to see who reads my blog. So, if you please, make yo'self known!
1. Who are you?
2. Are we friends?
3. When and how did we meet?
4. Do /Did you have a crush on me?
5. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
6. Describe me in one word.
7. What was your first impression of me when you met me?
8. Do you still think that way about me now?
9. What reminds you of me?
10. If you could give me anything what would it be?
11. How well do you know me?
12. When's the last time you saw me?
13. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
14. Are you going to tell me?
b) I saw this on Jarrod's page and wanted to see who reads my blog. So, if you please, make yo'self known!
1. Who are you?
2. Are we friends?
3. When and how did we meet?
4. Do /Did you have a crush on me?
5. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
6. Describe me in one word.
7. What was your first impression of me when you met me?
8. Do you still think that way about me now?
9. What reminds you of me?
10. If you could give me anything what would it be?
11. How well do you know me?
12. When's the last time you saw me?
13. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
14. Are you going to tell me?
2007 - Show me whatchu got!
So 2007 is the year of me, more importantly, becoming the best me I can be.
I'm taking a nod from my church this year and making my personal theme for 2007 "Building Myself Up."
So what does this mean? I'll tell you.
*becoming fluent in Spanish
*travelling the world to expand my horizons
*getting outside of my comfort zone when it comes to recreational activities
*writing to my level - always - regardless of what I could get through the editors at the paper
*building my faith up through prayer
*volunteering so that I can give back to a world that has given so much to me
*Read good books - classics, contemporaries and others
*Getting my financial house in order so that I can get out of debt and live the way I deserve to
*surround myself with friends and loved ones who care about me and my well-being
*Read more great writing and really work at getting great at my craft instead of being complacent
*finish my project at work and start another one
*network with people outside of my current circle of friends
*Do more cultural things - art exhibits, theatre, concerts, etc.
*Building a great wardrobe to carry me through the years
I think that by focusing on becoming the best me that I can be, I'll be able to tackle anything that 2007 throws at me.
I'm taking a nod from my church this year and making my personal theme for 2007 "Building Myself Up."
So what does this mean? I'll tell you.
*becoming fluent in Spanish
*travelling the world to expand my horizons
*getting outside of my comfort zone when it comes to recreational activities
*writing to my level - always - regardless of what I could get through the editors at the paper
*building my faith up through prayer
*volunteering so that I can give back to a world that has given so much to me
*Read good books - classics, contemporaries and others
*Getting my financial house in order so that I can get out of debt and live the way I deserve to
*surround myself with friends and loved ones who care about me and my well-being
*Read more great writing and really work at getting great at my craft instead of being complacent
*finish my project at work and start another one
*network with people outside of my current circle of friends
*Do more cultural things - art exhibits, theatre, concerts, etc.
*Building a great wardrobe to carry me through the years
I think that by focusing on becoming the best me that I can be, I'll be able to tackle anything that 2007 throws at me.
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