Randomness

Wow, I've had this blog since October, and already I've posted 68 (including this one) entries! I wonder how many I'll post by this October (the one year anniversary, eight months from now)? I look forward to that. Hopefully I'll be posting from wherever my roommate and I are living at the time.

I'm hoping that I get my dad's check (for Feb.) on Monday or even tomorrow or Saturday. (I think it may have gone out Tuesday.) I'm planning to take it right to Chase Bank and opening a checking and a savings account with most of it, and keeping something like $50. I'm also expecting my check for March on the 28th or so, and I'll be doing the exact same thing (and using it to set up direct deposit so it won't  get lost in the mail again... the first time this has happened!

Hey, I just thought of something! It would be awesome if my roomie and I each got north of $1,000/month in disability. That way we could afford to pay more for a nicer house! I'd like to be able to get a really nice place. (Or at least a fixer-upper that doesn't need much fixing...) My roomie has been looking at 2, 3, and 4 bdrm houses, which would be good. (Possibly we could have guests if we got a 4 bdrm? We'd like one to use as an office. Keep our computers, files, etc. in there.)

I'm not sure how she'd feel about a two-story house. It would be fun for the dogs to be able to run up and down stairs, and I could also use the exercise, lol. I need to lose some of this gut! (BTW, I found some workout clothes on Amazon, along with a Total Gym. I already have a Total Gym, although I don't know if I'm going to take it with me. I may donate it to the building and see if anyone here would want to set it up and use it. If not, I can sell it.)

I also have to work on finding out how much land goes for in OK. I inherited about 5 acres (I think) from my grandmother, and since I don't plan on ever living up there again, I'd rather have the money than the property. My brother is willing to buy it from me if I can find out how much to ask for it. If I can get my cousin David's phone number, I could call him and find out.

............

Just messaged my aunt on Facebook and asked her if she knew how to get in touch with him. Hope she gets back in touch with me. I don't know if the property is in my name or not (probably not; I never signed any papers or anything that I remember... although I was so upset at the time, I may have forgotten. I don't even know what happened to all the stuff that was in the house... I do know that I've never gotten anything.) I don't know why I'm writing all this. It's been a little over six years since she passed, and while I think about her all the time (and it still makes me sad that I won't see her again for a long time (God willing), I'm talking about what I can get from her estate?!?! Does that make me sound like a greedy biotch? I hope not. I remember what my aunt said at her funeral, because it was the same thing I was thinking. Grandma had three children of her own, but she had ten kids. Me and my three brothers, her brother's four sons, plus her own. She was a remarkable woman with a huge heart, and I can't say enough about her. What I wouldn't give to be able to see and talk to her again. I'll miss her always.

I have Kindle Cloud on my computer now!

I've also added some classic novels onto it (that I got free from Amazon! How cool is that?!) When I get some birthday money, I may buy some of the other books I want.

If there's anyone who has a Kindle/Kindle Fire, is there any way I can "synch" it to my Cloud and download all the books I have on my laptop to my Kindle (when I get one)? (Like you synch an iPod?)

A couple of the books I have are French/English dialogue and a French/English dictionary. (I think I have a Spanish phrase book too.) So I can practice my foreign language skills a little bit. I'm glad about that! (I'm going to try to get a Kindle for my birthday if I can. They're good to have. I can carry an entire library around with me, and read several books at the same time. Again, thank God for a good memory, lol!)

Added lots more stuff to my Amazon want list...

Among them are some Spanish and French language courses. There's a lady who comments on Jameson Parker's blog fairly frequently who's French, and I would love to learn her language. I've done pretty well in the past picking up various words and phrases in foreign languages (thank God for a good memory!), and now that I'm getting older, I think it would be a good idea for me to continue giving my brain a good workout by trying to learn new things. Yeah, it'll be hard since I won't have anyone to practice with (except for "talking" to Anita on JP's blog), but still... And since I do live in Texas, it will be good for me to learn some more Spanish, too. (My housekeeper speaks it, as do some of the residents in my building.) I think it'll be fun.

I've also put some of my other favorite books and CDs and DVDs on my want list. Hopefully I can order some of them for my birthday. I should have close to $1,000 by then, and even spending $250 of it on a new (used) computer, I'll have enough left to have a nice birthday.

I've been a little bit upset this past week. I haven't gotten my check from my dad's retirement from the airport yet, and I'm really hurting for money. I need to buy groceries soon, and I don't know what to do. I tried to call the lady in charge of the retirement accounts at the airport, but she hasn't been in the office and hasn't gotten back to me. I hope she does soon so I can find out where my check is. I'm hoping it will be here next week.  I'm also trying to get my dad's social security number so I'll have it when I go back to apply for my DAC benefits.

I'm hoping that we'll find a house soon, too. I'm being as patient as I can, but if you know me, you know that's not easy! lol

Merry Christmas to all!

Well, Donna's sciatica was acting up all day yesterday, so I didn't get to go over to her house last night after all. Too bad. But Jeff is coming to get me after breakfast today (probably around 10 or so?), so I'll spend the day with them at least. I'm so excited to see them!

I'm still disappointed that I have no money to spend this week, but I should be getting my pension from my dad's retirement this weekend, so that's good. At least I'll be able to go out for New Year's Eve if I want to. (I just have to be sure not to spend all the money! I do need groceries next week. And I also need to put a little bit back for savings.)

I'm still hoping that I can save up enough from my SSI to get a new laptop this coming year. I also still have everything on my Amazon wish lists that I want to buy (I categorized stuff into CDs/DVDs, books, and everything else). I'm hoping I can get some of it for Christmas next year if not during the year. Two of the things I want soon are an iPod and a stereo with a disc changer and an iPod dock. Then I can get all the other stuff. (My laptop and printer, as I've said before, will be bought during the back-to-school sales in July or August.) I also want to get a new digital camera. The one I have now is only 3X zoom, and I'd like a 5X or better. (That way if I'm way off in Bumf***, Egypt, when I see Styx next time, I'll still be able to get some good pictures of them. When I saw them in Wabash in '08, I was in the 17th frickin' row, and the pix I took were really crappy.) I don't want that to happen next time.

I'm listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra right now (Christmas Eve and Other Stories). I really want to get some more of their CDs. I first became a fan of theirs around Christmas of '91 or so (around the time this album came out), and the song I'm listening to now -- "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo (12/24)" was the first song of theirs I'd heard (I think it was the first song of theirs that was played). I love their mix of rock and classical music, which I'd never heard before. (I wish some of the "old masters" of classical music could be updated to have a more rock feel. Is it some sort of blasphemy for me to feel that way? lmao) Don't get me wrong, I can handle classical music in small doses, but I just like rock a whole lot better. Maybe I should add some classical music to my musical want list. I have almost every other genre on there. My dad, who was born in 1933, got me interested in big band/swing music, so I put some of that on my want list in memory of him. I also listed some country bands and artists that I grew up listening to, as well as some blues music. I need to get some jazz artists, too (Dixieland is my favorite). Maybe some light jazz, like Kenny G.

Speaking of jazz musicians, I want to take a trip to New Orleans sometime (go to some jazz clubs on Bourbon Street). Maybe during Mardi Gras (although not this coming year... maybe I'll go to the Mardi Gras celebration at the West End when they have it. I've never been, and I'm wondering how it is since the influx of Katrina evacuees in 2005. Did they influence it in any way? If anyone would know how to throw a good Mardi Gras celebration, I think they would.). Or maybe I'll find out when the Southern Decadence celebration is this next year and go to that. I'm not even sure what Southern Decadence is all about; I'll have to research it, but it sounds fun.

Well, it's 2:50 a.m. here, and I need to go to bed if I'm gonna be coherent later on today. Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a 2013!

Happy, happy!

I learned earlier today that I have enough money saved up to have a pretty nice Christmas after all. I need to figure out what to buy my friend Donna for having me over for the holiday. Cookies are nice, but I want to buy her something else, too. Maybe a nice candle? A holiday figurine? I'll figure something out.

I'll also have enough to buy Season 9 of NCIS. Maybe I can even get the first season of NCIS: L.A. I've been wanting to start a collection of those DVDs too. I can order them from Amazon and save around $30 probably.

And I'll get some of the CDs I've been wanting. Some Christmas music, and some heavy metal. (Ozzy Osbourne, Tesla, Rob Zombie, etc. I've never really been a metalhead, but I can start.) I borrowed some of my downstairs neighbors CDs and put them in my iTunes library (now have more than 1400 songs in there!), but can always put more in. I've also got some contemporary Christian (well, if you consider the 80s "contemporary", lol) artists that I really like on my Amazon want list, so I can order a few of their albums, too.

Um, lemme see... I think that's all I can really get with the amount of money I have. I'll have to save up for stuff like my iPod, Kindle, and other things. I'm still planning to get a Dell laptop; I have that on my want list too.  And an iPad. (I've said this in previous posts. You know you seriously have nothing to talk about when you just keep repeating stuff from earlier posts. lol)

I bought a new planner at Target when I took Alaska in for her grooming on Saturday. I also have a new paper journal (my favorite color... purple ftw!) I still have a couple of pages left to write in my old one, but when I finish it, I'll be using my new one.

I do need to save up to see Styx this coming year. I really wanted to go this year and have a big 40th birthday blowout, but yeah, didn't happen. :-( So maybe next year. Ugh, and moving. I have no idea when that's going to happen. I just have to keep that open-ended, and that's so not my style.

Chapter 5 completed/And other stuff

Now I just have to concentrate on Chapter 6 and later. Team Gibbs, Mike Franks, and Nicole are meeting at NCIS  headquarters the next day (at the beginning of Chapter 6) to figure out where to go with the investigation. Nicole will also be meeting with Dr. /Rachel Cranston (Kate's sister -- Kate was the first female agent on the series, replaced by Ziva in season 3 after Ziva's brother Ari killed her). Anyway, since Nicole is also a psychologist, Dr. Rachel is gonna have fun getting her to open up about what happened (especially since Nicole has been ordered (by Aguilar) not to tell anyone, or her teammates in San Diego will suffer for it). lol Well, I hope I can get it written in a shorter time frame than I got Chapter 5 done.

My friend and I are trying to arrange a time for us to get together, maybe do some house-hunting, and just hang out. We need to get reacquainted with each other before we move in together. I just hope that we can be friends like we were in high school... I've changed a little bit, and so has she, but it's been more than 20 years, so who's surprised? :-)

I need to start saving up money to move. I'll have to rent a truck, get somebody to drive it, get someone to help me pack (I know what I have, a bedroom full of stuff, and a few household items -- a few pots/pans, a coffee maker, and a toaster. I have no idea what she has. We may have to go to Goodwill or someplace to get furniture and stuff, unless we can get something donated. I'll have to talk to my landlord and see if he can get us anything.)

I'm not sure when I'll be able to save up the money to get all the stuff I want off my Amazon wishlist. I just have to try to save up. The one thing we will need when we move is cable/internet/home phone service. We both have cell phones, of course, but it'll be nice to have a landline, too. Still want a TV and DVD player, as well as an iPod and a stereo. I'm tired of listening to music on my computer. My speakers aren't loud enough. I also need, need, NEED  a new computer. I'm still planning to get one during the back-to-school sales, maybe at OfficeMax if there's one close to where we end up living. I hope there will be some stores close by. We are going to be on a bus line, since neither of us drive. So that will be good.

Well, Thanksgiving is over and it's now time to start thinking about Christmas. I'm so looking forward to spending Christmas day (and a couple of nights) with Jeff and Donna and the boys. I just need to find someone to take care of my baby while I'm away. I've never been gone for more than a few hours, certainly not a day and two nights. I'm afraid the poor thing will think I've abandoned her. :-(

My neighbor Pam is going to take us to the groomer's next week so she can have a bath. She really needs one, and it only costs about $15.  Plus $15 for gas, and that's a pretty good deal.

I'm not sure how much money I've saved up for Christmas. I'm thinking of withdrawing all of it shortly before Christmas and seeing how much I can spend. I need to buy something for Jeff and Donna for hosting me. She suggested cookies or something (I was thinking about a bottle of wine, but she told me Jeff doesn't drink much, although she'll probably have a bottle or two for dinner). Everyone likes desserts, though. lol

I've about decided to save up as much money as I can by July/August so I can get a new laptop and printer during the before-school sales. I also want an iPod and a stereo with an iPod dock.  Then for Christmas I can get a tv and DVD player. I'm thinking of buying a Dell laptop this time (my current one is a Toshiba, but I think Dells are better). I'm not sure what kind of printer to get... I think I have a Canon on my Amazon wish list. And then of course I'll need to buy ink. (Lots of ink. I do lots of printing, lol.)

I still haven't found anyone willing to help me out with the fanfic I'm working on. I'm about ready to give up on it. :-( I've been working on it for over a year now! God, why won't anyone help me?! I'm not a bad writer; I'm just stuck. I don't expect anyone to write it for me, I just need some idea of where to go with it. Sighs Oh, well. Maybe I can find someone to help. I'll just have to keep trying, I guess.

Money, money, money...

I'm saving it like crazy so I can have a nice birthday/Christmas... next year. lol Unfortunately, I had to pay off a loan with the money I was saving for Christmas this year (I still have a little bit, just not as much as I was planning on to buy myself something really nice). I've been adding stuff to my Amazon wish list (some of it I can get at brick-and-mortar stores, but it's always nice to have a list of what I want), and it's like a few thousand dollars, all told.

I'm really hoping that I can find a place to move to (I'll really have to do some thinking and praying and talking to my friend about moving in with her... there's a big reason she needs to move out of her current house and wants me to be her roomie. Let's say personal safety issues.)  So, yeah, I have to save money for when/if I move, but why not save up to get some nice stuff, too? I really need a new laptop... the one I have now is like four or five years old, and I have so much stuff on it that it freezes/crashes (I may have a virus, too... really need to get Norton reinstalled!!!), so a new one would be nice.

Some of the "big ticket" stuff I'd like are the laptop, an iPod and iPad, a Kindle Fire, a printer... luxuries, but things I'll use. The other stuff I want is CDs/DVDs, books, things like that. (Although why buy "real" books if I also have a Kindle... hmmm... ;-))

Well, as of right now, all this is just harmless fantasizing (but fantasizing never hurt anyone, right?), although I'm beginning to save every penny (dime, nickel, quarter) I can. Hopefully I can make some of those fantasies reality over the course of the new year...