European countries are well known for their efficient train networks, which zip you from point to point comfortably and easily. Everything about the process, from buying tickets to finding your track to getting your seat is designed to be a breeze.
Except, apparently, in Spain. Today, after making my fourth attempt at purchasing train tickets, I gave up.
I tried twice to buy using my Visa card and received errors each time. Interestingly, the errors were different. Unhelpfully, the errors were in Spanish, and error text somehow never came up in any of my Spanish classes.
I tried again using B's American Express card. This time, I didn't receive an error--after I clicked Comprar (the "English" version of the site throws in the occasional Spanish, just in case you forget and think you are buying tickets for, say, Germany), I simply returned to their home page. No confirmation, no email--I assumed the transaction didn't go through. B called AmEx, which said it probably didn't, but maybe check back tomorrow.
Eh-heh.
Today I called the train company in Spain and used legitimate Spanish (Buenos dias--se habla ingles?), only to find out that I had called the customer assistance line, which could not sell me tickets. They did say that American-based credit cards simply don't work, and I might have to buy the tickets from the station when I get to Spain.
Did I mention that there are discounts if you buy early? There are 3 classes of fares--web, which comes in at 44 euros/person; estrella, which is 65 euros; and standard, which is well over 100 euros per person. If I waited till we arrived in Spain, all of the discount fares would be gone, and we'd be paying nearly $300 to take a three-hour train ride.
In fact, since the tickets for our travel date went on sale (just this week, the date of my first attempt), the web fares were gone. So even if I were able to successfully buy tickets, we'd be paying 130 euros, which is around $170--and that's a lot of money.
It's an especially large amount when you consider how cheap budget airlines are. On a whim, I checked the prices for our date, and we could both fly for under 70 euros--and a plane ride is 1/3 the time of a train ride.
I love the romantic idea of a train ride through the Spanish countryside, but not at those outrageous prices, and not for the hassle that comes with them. Today I booked us on a plane instead.
I am slightly concerned about the baggage allowance, but I booked on the airline that is part of the Star Alliance, so we should be given some sort of extra allowance thanks to B's status. And anyway, knowing that we are under a weight constraint should inspire us to pack (and shop) lightly.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
So not a guitar heroine
After no one bought him his favorite toy for Christmas, B took matters into his own hands and bought Guitar Hero himself.
We were nearly the oldest people in the video game store at the local mall the evening we picked it up. Being there brought back memories from my childhood, when I would spend ages agonizing over the next Nintendo game to ask for for my birthday or Christmas.
Not that I was any good at Nintendo games, or any video games, really. My natural athletic grace (har, har) just doesn't translate into the video game world--except for Tetris.
I'm awesome at Tetris. I can play for hours--at a single game. I love the idea of fitting all of the pieces together nicely with no gaps. It's how life would be, if I were the architect of life...
But I'm not the architect of life, and therefore, I am bad at Mario Bros. and their newer counterparts, whoever they might be. I didn't know how I'd be at Guitar Hero, but I had a pretty good idea.
I did not disappoint. Or rather, I did, but in delivering a disappointing performance, I lived up to my expectations. After one round of Michael Jackson's Beat It, I realized that I would never rise up in the ranks of Guitar Hero, and I'm ok with that. I'll add it to the list of life accomplishments that will never be achieved, along with appreciating anime, hugging trees, and saving the princess.
Get with it, princess--get off your throne and plan your own escape.
We were nearly the oldest people in the video game store at the local mall the evening we picked it up. Being there brought back memories from my childhood, when I would spend ages agonizing over the next Nintendo game to ask for for my birthday or Christmas.
Not that I was any good at Nintendo games, or any video games, really. My natural athletic grace (har, har) just doesn't translate into the video game world--except for Tetris.
I'm awesome at Tetris. I can play for hours--at a single game. I love the idea of fitting all of the pieces together nicely with no gaps. It's how life would be, if I were the architect of life...
But I'm not the architect of life, and therefore, I am bad at Mario Bros. and their newer counterparts, whoever they might be. I didn't know how I'd be at Guitar Hero, but I had a pretty good idea.
I did not disappoint. Or rather, I did, but in delivering a disappointing performance, I lived up to my expectations. After one round of Michael Jackson's Beat It, I realized that I would never rise up in the ranks of Guitar Hero, and I'm ok with that. I'll add it to the list of life accomplishments that will never be achieved, along with appreciating anime, hugging trees, and saving the princess.
Get with it, princess--get off your throne and plan your own escape.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
The weekend without any football
All the boys cried tears of sadness today.
While ladies were happier than since fall.
Pigskins rested for no team would be bested.
Twas the weekend without any football.
Men looked for a football replacement.
They tried to make due watching basketball.
It wasn’t the same; it just wouldn’t do.
Twas the weekend without any football.
They tried looking ahead to the next weekend.
The Super Bowl would end this long, hard haul.
But then, nothing, it would all be over!
Twas the weekend without any football.
Ladies look forward to new adventures.
Day trips to the museum, the park, the mall.
Men think of Sundays outside fitting rooms.
Twas the weekend without any football.
While ladies were happier than since fall.
Pigskins rested for no team would be bested.
Twas the weekend without any football.
Men looked for a football replacement.
They tried to make due watching basketball.
It wasn’t the same; it just wouldn’t do.
Twas the weekend without any football.
They tried looking ahead to the next weekend.
The Super Bowl would end this long, hard haul.
But then, nothing, it would all be over!
Twas the weekend without any football.
Ladies look forward to new adventures.
Day trips to the museum, the park, the mall.
Men think of Sundays outside fitting rooms.
Twas the weekend without any football.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Another step closer to plastic free
It's possible that I'm paranoid about certain health matters.
For instance, take plastic. I've read lots of reports lately about how certain types of plastic are potentially bad for you--really bad. If you heat some plastics to high temperatures (a side effect of microwaving them or putting them in the dishwasher), they leach chemicals into your food.
Last year, I replaced my plastic water bottle with a metal bottle. I don't feel any healthier, but maybe I am.
There was still plastic in my life, though, in the form of easily disposable lightweight food containers. They're cheap and convenient, and when your leftovers have been sitting in the fridge for several weeks and you're terrified of cleaning them out, you can just throw them away and move on.
Every time I pop one of those containers into the microwave at work, I worry about what else I'm eating with my leftovers. I decided it was time for a change.
Today, we bought glass containers, which we will use for storing all of our food going forward. They have plastic tops, but I think we'll be ok as long as we don't microwave them or put them in the dishwasher. We're going to either recycle or donate our plastic containers. There's a part of me that feels bad about donating potentially dangerous plastic containers, but they're safe enough as long as they're not used for storing food.
We rewarded ourselves for our healthy decision with a dinner at, of all places, Burger King. The only other options were seafood restaurants--and BK beats fish any day.
For instance, take plastic. I've read lots of reports lately about how certain types of plastic are potentially bad for you--really bad. If you heat some plastics to high temperatures (a side effect of microwaving them or putting them in the dishwasher), they leach chemicals into your food.
Last year, I replaced my plastic water bottle with a metal bottle. I don't feel any healthier, but maybe I am.
There was still plastic in my life, though, in the form of easily disposable lightweight food containers. They're cheap and convenient, and when your leftovers have been sitting in the fridge for several weeks and you're terrified of cleaning them out, you can just throw them away and move on.
Every time I pop one of those containers into the microwave at work, I worry about what else I'm eating with my leftovers. I decided it was time for a change.
Today, we bought glass containers, which we will use for storing all of our food going forward. They have plastic tops, but I think we'll be ok as long as we don't microwave them or put them in the dishwasher. We're going to either recycle or donate our plastic containers. There's a part of me that feels bad about donating potentially dangerous plastic containers, but they're safe enough as long as they're not used for storing food.
We rewarded ourselves for our healthy decision with a dinner at, of all places, Burger King. The only other options were seafood restaurants--and BK beats fish any day.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Imelda Marcos, eat your heart out
Some women really like handbags. Others get down with shoes. As for me, I go ga-ga over coats.
Long coats, short coats, warm coats, stylish coats--I love them all. During nearly every movie we watch, I notice a stylish number and lean over to B and whisper, "I like that coat!" Some movies feature multiple gold strikes. For instance, next time you watch The Holiday, be sure you pay attention to Cameron Diaz's coat collection--divine.
My coat collection, while not quite as fabulous as Cameron's, is perfect for my needs, and I think it might be time to branch out into other accessories--namely, shoes.
You might recall that last year I vowed to buy only clothing that I love, and my resolution has been a resounding success--for my clothing. My feet are somewhat less well attired.
My shoe collection is ok, but it could use some improvement. For instance, why do I still own plastic flip flops... And those black patent-leather kitten heels that I scratched the first time I wore them (casualties of a company holiday party)--even if an occasion involves a darkened room in which people are less likely to notice the damage, scratched shoes do not belong on my feet. I have higher standards than that. Or ought to, anyway.
It's time to cull the shoe herd and start buying shoes that I love. Maybe in the other order, though--it'd be a shame to throw out shoes and have nothing to wear. Wearing damaged goods is better than going barefoot.
I started improving my shoe collection last week when I had a shoe emergency. I needed shoes to go with a navy dress for--you guessed it--a company party. The winner, a pair of reddish/purplish (depending on the light) 2" patent-leather pumps, comfortable and unlike any shoe I've ever owned, came home with me.
And so did a pair of knee-high black suede/patent leather boots that called out to me from the clearance rack. I spent a week in Germany watching stylish European women walk around with their knee-high boots on the outside of their skinny jeans--I had to get in on that trend. I skipped the skinny jeans, of course--heroin chic isn't a great look on me.
Long coats, short coats, warm coats, stylish coats--I love them all. During nearly every movie we watch, I notice a stylish number and lean over to B and whisper, "I like that coat!" Some movies feature multiple gold strikes. For instance, next time you watch The Holiday, be sure you pay attention to Cameron Diaz's coat collection--divine.
My coat collection, while not quite as fabulous as Cameron's, is perfect for my needs, and I think it might be time to branch out into other accessories--namely, shoes.
You might recall that last year I vowed to buy only clothing that I love, and my resolution has been a resounding success--for my clothing. My feet are somewhat less well attired.
My shoe collection is ok, but it could use some improvement. For instance, why do I still own plastic flip flops... And those black patent-leather kitten heels that I scratched the first time I wore them (casualties of a company holiday party)--even if an occasion involves a darkened room in which people are less likely to notice the damage, scratched shoes do not belong on my feet. I have higher standards than that. Or ought to, anyway.
It's time to cull the shoe herd and start buying shoes that I love. Maybe in the other order, though--it'd be a shame to throw out shoes and have nothing to wear. Wearing damaged goods is better than going barefoot.
I started improving my shoe collection last week when I had a shoe emergency. I needed shoes to go with a navy dress for--you guessed it--a company party. The winner, a pair of reddish/purplish (depending on the light) 2" patent-leather pumps, comfortable and unlike any shoe I've ever owned, came home with me.
And so did a pair of knee-high black suede/patent leather boots that called out to me from the clearance rack. I spent a week in Germany watching stylish European women walk around with their knee-high boots on the outside of their skinny jeans--I had to get in on that trend. I skipped the skinny jeans, of course--heroin chic isn't a great look on me.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
To a mouse...
What's on my mind lately? The economy. Rather, the recession. Each day the news gets worse--today, it was from Microsoft, and they're planning their first-ever layoff. The software industry might be more insulated than others but we're not completely protected. Companies everywhere are freezing budgets and salaries.
B and I are both still employed, which is more than one can say for 7.2% of the country. That number is probably higher now. The rate for our state is lower than the national rate but not significantly so--we're all in this one together.
B and I are as prepared as we thought was reasonable. Our financial planner recommended building an emergency fund that covers 6 months of expenses. Until last September, it felt a little wasteful to have that capital sitting in a bank account earning a piddly 2.5%. Now I'd gladly take a 2.5% return on my 401k. I'd settle for breaking even...
We have an emergency fund in case we both lose our jobs, but we're protected as long as one of us is employed. Before we bought our condo, we planned our expenses carefully. We could have extended ourselves by buying more, bigger, better--a house, maybe, or a condo that is a little closer to our jobs. Instead, we found a mortgage that, when combined with all of our other expenses, we can manage with one of our salaries.
I hope you're prepared for this storm and whatever it brings. If you don't have an emergency fund, it's never too late to start one, and even small contributions make you feel prepared. Meet with a financial planner, even if you think there isn't any flexibility in your budget. If you want a local recommendation, let me know.
I can also say from experience that paying the correct amount in taxes is also key to maintaining a balanced budget. I feel a Robert Burns moment coming over me...let's hope that the rest of the best laid schemes of this mouse don't go agley.
B and I are both still employed, which is more than one can say for 7.2% of the country. That number is probably higher now. The rate for our state is lower than the national rate but not significantly so--we're all in this one together.
B and I are as prepared as we thought was reasonable. Our financial planner recommended building an emergency fund that covers 6 months of expenses. Until last September, it felt a little wasteful to have that capital sitting in a bank account earning a piddly 2.5%. Now I'd gladly take a 2.5% return on my 401k. I'd settle for breaking even...
We have an emergency fund in case we both lose our jobs, but we're protected as long as one of us is employed. Before we bought our condo, we planned our expenses carefully. We could have extended ourselves by buying more, bigger, better--a house, maybe, or a condo that is a little closer to our jobs. Instead, we found a mortgage that, when combined with all of our other expenses, we can manage with one of our salaries.
I hope you're prepared for this storm and whatever it brings. If you don't have an emergency fund, it's never too late to start one, and even small contributions make you feel prepared. Meet with a financial planner, even if you think there isn't any flexibility in your budget. If you want a local recommendation, let me know.
I can also say from experience that paying the correct amount in taxes is also key to maintaining a balanced budget. I feel a Robert Burns moment coming over me...let's hope that the rest of the best laid schemes of this mouse don't go agley.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez
Our trip to Spain is not for a couple months, but we're already looking ahead to our next trip.
I was--and still am--considering London and Dublin. Visiting countries that speak English would be a nice break (even though non-English speakers speaking English are frequently easier for me to understand than English people speaking English).
There are other considerations. B and I were wondering if we ought instead to spend our tourist dollars in the US. It's a difficult situation--the United States is in a recession, but much of the rest of the world isn't in better shape, and some countries are in worse shape. Also to be considered is that we don't leave behind too many of our dollars while on vacation, so our ability to impact the economies of the places that we visit is questionable.
But assuming that spending our dollars stateside could do some good, we've identified a couple of destinations that we might want to visit.
First off is Washington, D.C. We considered going a few years ago but instead ended up going to Quebec and Montreal. I've actually been to DC twice, but both times were for work, and I didn't have much time for sightseeing (and one time brought no shoes other than heels, not ideal for trekking through the Smithsonian). Watching the inauguration today made me want to reconsider my decision to postpone the DC vacation indefinitely, especially since it's relatively close to us. It's cheap to fly to and easy to drive to--definitely a vacation to consider.
Next on the list is New Orleans. New Orleans needs tourist dollars more than most cities in the US to continue with its recovery. A New Orleans vacation would also allow us to continue an interesting vacation trend--we visited Montreal and Quebec in 2005 and France in 2007, and another French-speaking area in 2009 might make for a fun tradition.
No decisions yet, I keep reminding myself, but the list of options continues to grow.
I was--and still am--considering London and Dublin. Visiting countries that speak English would be a nice break (even though non-English speakers speaking English are frequently easier for me to understand than English people speaking English).
There are other considerations. B and I were wondering if we ought instead to spend our tourist dollars in the US. It's a difficult situation--the United States is in a recession, but much of the rest of the world isn't in better shape, and some countries are in worse shape. Also to be considered is that we don't leave behind too many of our dollars while on vacation, so our ability to impact the economies of the places that we visit is questionable.
But assuming that spending our dollars stateside could do some good, we've identified a couple of destinations that we might want to visit.
First off is Washington, D.C. We considered going a few years ago but instead ended up going to Quebec and Montreal. I've actually been to DC twice, but both times were for work, and I didn't have much time for sightseeing (and one time brought no shoes other than heels, not ideal for trekking through the Smithsonian). Watching the inauguration today made me want to reconsider my decision to postpone the DC vacation indefinitely, especially since it's relatively close to us. It's cheap to fly to and easy to drive to--definitely a vacation to consider.
Next on the list is New Orleans. New Orleans needs tourist dollars more than most cities in the US to continue with its recovery. A New Orleans vacation would also allow us to continue an interesting vacation trend--we visited Montreal and Quebec in 2005 and France in 2007, and another French-speaking area in 2009 might make for a fun tradition.
No decisions yet, I keep reminding myself, but the list of options continues to grow.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Wait a minute...I'm on Facebook...?
I recently found myself an accidental member of the Facebook community, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
The hosts on the Cosmo Radio morning show are always talking about their Facebook page, so I was interested in seeing it. I had to type my name and email address to see it on the Facebook site but didn't think it was a big deal.
As it turned out, the Cosmo Radio page was nothing to write home about, so I closed it soon and moved on and forgot about Facebook.
But then a week or so later, I got an email from Facebook saying that someone had asked to "friend" me. Heh? Apparently when I entered my name and email address, I created an account and a page and allowed people to search for me.
And then I had a friend in the Facebook world.
The situation worsened a week later when someone else discovered me and friended me. All of a sudden, I was on Facebook, and I had multiple friends!
I decided that since the secret was out, I might as well commit to Facebook. So many of my friends have pages that it's sort of ridiculous that I don't. And you can lock down your page so that only your "friends" can see you, so there is a measure of privacy.
So I'm on Facebook now, and my friend count is pitiful, so if you want to find me and make me feel like less of a recluse, feel free to friend me, and I will do my best to put something worthwhile on my page.
Though I do have to say that maintaining a Facebook world seems like a high-maintenance commitment, and I'm not sure if I'm prepared for it, so please keep your expectations low.
The hosts on the Cosmo Radio morning show are always talking about their Facebook page, so I was interested in seeing it. I had to type my name and email address to see it on the Facebook site but didn't think it was a big deal.
As it turned out, the Cosmo Radio page was nothing to write home about, so I closed it soon and moved on and forgot about Facebook.
But then a week or so later, I got an email from Facebook saying that someone had asked to "friend" me. Heh? Apparently when I entered my name and email address, I created an account and a page and allowed people to search for me.
And then I had a friend in the Facebook world.
The situation worsened a week later when someone else discovered me and friended me. All of a sudden, I was on Facebook, and I had multiple friends!
I decided that since the secret was out, I might as well commit to Facebook. So many of my friends have pages that it's sort of ridiculous that I don't. And you can lock down your page so that only your "friends" can see you, so there is a measure of privacy.
So I'm on Facebook now, and my friend count is pitiful, so if you want to find me and make me feel like less of a recluse, feel free to friend me, and I will do my best to put something worthwhile on my page.
Though I do have to say that maintaining a Facebook world seems like a high-maintenance commitment, and I'm not sure if I'm prepared for it, so please keep your expectations low.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Our 2008 taxes; or, Life on the high hog has ended
Filing my taxes has always been stressful, but it's an acceptable stress because I have always received a net refund when my state and federal taxes are combined.
Last year's filing was a near bacchanalia, and the refund allowed us to open Roth IRAs and feel like responsible adults who were planning for the future. Filing our 2007 taxes convinced me that I was a tax pro and that multiple hours of unpleasantness were worth the fine reward.
The start of 2008 brought about some changes in our tax situation, though. We changed our filing statuses from single to married and started claiming 1 instead of 0 exemptions, and the federal taxes that were withheld from our paychecks went down--way down. I made token research attempts with the payroll person at my company but quickly moved on. We liked our inflated paychecks--why would we do anything that would reduce them? We trusted that our companies were deducting the correct amounts and focussed on more challenging efforts, such as creating our budget.
Because we had such a positive experience last year, I was actually looking forward to filing this year. We haven't received all of our tax forms yet, but we have our W-2s and can accurately estimate the amounts on our remaining forms, so we started filling in numbers in our online tax software. And that's when the piper (or, more accurately, Uncle Sam) came a-knocking.
I entered my numbers, and we were ahead in both state and federal--nice. Then I entered B's numbers, and the situation changed drastically, to the tune of many thousands of dollars that we owed.
"What's going on?" I exclaimed as a nervous feeling grew in my stomach. "This isn't at all like last year!"
B said to calm down and try entering our numbers for mortgage interest. They and our charitable contributions helped reduce the amount, but we still owed--a lot.
Just for kicks, I tried deleting my numbers to see what the refund would be like if we just used B's numbers. Sure enough, with his numbers alone, we'd have a refund.
Clearly our companies calculated correctly for our individual deductions, but apparently our combined situations call for higher payments. B suggested that we both file individually as single, but I pointed out that tax fraud is not an acceptable way to solve problems like this.
B wondered if we had fallen victim to the dreaded AMT (alternative minimum tax), so we started resesarching. We didn't find any research to indicate that we fell into the AMT bucket, but every tax calculator told us that we hadn't paid enough taxes for our combined incomes. It was only our mortgage interest that had saved us from owing what would have been an astronomic tax bill.
Still disbelieving that we could possibly owe more than we had paid, we ran our 2007 numbers against our 2008 numbers and realized that we paid significantly less in taxes between the two years, even though our income went up. A few more calculations confirmed our worst fears--the amount that our tax software was telling us was accurate. We owe Uncle Sam, and not in a trivial way, either.
The time of living on the high hog is over, boys and girls. The year of 2008 will henceforth be known as the Year of Decadence, and 2009 shall be the year of prudence, smart living, and claiming 0 on our W-4s.
I'm not giving up my balsalmic vinegar or my fancy cheese, though.
Last year's filing was a near bacchanalia, and the refund allowed us to open Roth IRAs and feel like responsible adults who were planning for the future. Filing our 2007 taxes convinced me that I was a tax pro and that multiple hours of unpleasantness were worth the fine reward.
The start of 2008 brought about some changes in our tax situation, though. We changed our filing statuses from single to married and started claiming 1 instead of 0 exemptions, and the federal taxes that were withheld from our paychecks went down--way down. I made token research attempts with the payroll person at my company but quickly moved on. We liked our inflated paychecks--why would we do anything that would reduce them? We trusted that our companies were deducting the correct amounts and focussed on more challenging efforts, such as creating our budget.
Because we had such a positive experience last year, I was actually looking forward to filing this year. We haven't received all of our tax forms yet, but we have our W-2s and can accurately estimate the amounts on our remaining forms, so we started filling in numbers in our online tax software. And that's when the piper (or, more accurately, Uncle Sam) came a-knocking.
I entered my numbers, and we were ahead in both state and federal--nice. Then I entered B's numbers, and the situation changed drastically, to the tune of many thousands of dollars that we owed.
"What's going on?" I exclaimed as a nervous feeling grew in my stomach. "This isn't at all like last year!"
B said to calm down and try entering our numbers for mortgage interest. They and our charitable contributions helped reduce the amount, but we still owed--a lot.
Just for kicks, I tried deleting my numbers to see what the refund would be like if we just used B's numbers. Sure enough, with his numbers alone, we'd have a refund.
Clearly our companies calculated correctly for our individual deductions, but apparently our combined situations call for higher payments. B suggested that we both file individually as single, but I pointed out that tax fraud is not an acceptable way to solve problems like this.
B wondered if we had fallen victim to the dreaded AMT (alternative minimum tax), so we started resesarching. We didn't find any research to indicate that we fell into the AMT bucket, but every tax calculator told us that we hadn't paid enough taxes for our combined incomes. It was only our mortgage interest that had saved us from owing what would have been an astronomic tax bill.
Still disbelieving that we could possibly owe more than we had paid, we ran our 2007 numbers against our 2008 numbers and realized that we paid significantly less in taxes between the two years, even though our income went up. A few more calculations confirmed our worst fears--the amount that our tax software was telling us was accurate. We owe Uncle Sam, and not in a trivial way, either.
The time of living on the high hog is over, boys and girls. The year of 2008 will henceforth be known as the Year of Decadence, and 2009 shall be the year of prudence, smart living, and claiming 0 on our W-4s.
I'm not giving up my balsalmic vinegar or my fancy cheese, though.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Expensive tastes
I've never thought of myself as someone with expensive tastes in food, but I'm starting to reconsider.
I always thought that food was food and that the difference between the $3 product and the $6 product was in labeling, packaging, and advertising. Brands that you know are more expensive than the store brands but are frequently no higher in quality.
But there are exceptions, as I am learning. I'm no longer on a shoestring budget when it comes to food, so sometimes I splurge a little in the grocery store, and I've been known to pop into higher-end food stores from time to time and pick up an item that I never would have considered five years ago.
Take, for instance, balsalmic vinegar. You can purchase a bottle at the grocery store for an acceptable price, especially considering how long a big bottle lasts. It tastes ok when combined with other foods but is a little more bitter than you want it to be.
On the other hand, if you want to upgrade your experience, you can spend (literally) hundreds of dollars on a small bottle of aged balsalmic vineagar that you can practically drink on its own. This balsalmic vinegar is nirvana when combined with a fresh heirloom tomato and buffalo mozzarella.
A few months ago, we bought a mid-range bottle of aged balsalmic vinegar, and I'm not sure if I can ever go back to the version in the grocery store. There is a significant difference between the grocery store version and the hoity toity version, and upgrading is worth the cost.
Tonight, we tried another upgraded item--cheddar cheese. While grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, we saw a block of Cabot private stock cheese, and at a few dollars more than the generic cheddar block, it was worth a try. And what a difference! I'm no cheese expert and don't particularly like the smell or taste of most gourmet cheeses (especially if there is mold involved), but even I could taste a difference. How can I ever go back to generic cheese?
In general, I believe in maintaining a lifestyle with streamlined costs, but we might need to increase our food budget for 2009.
I always thought that food was food and that the difference between the $3 product and the $6 product was in labeling, packaging, and advertising. Brands that you know are more expensive than the store brands but are frequently no higher in quality.
But there are exceptions, as I am learning. I'm no longer on a shoestring budget when it comes to food, so sometimes I splurge a little in the grocery store, and I've been known to pop into higher-end food stores from time to time and pick up an item that I never would have considered five years ago.
Take, for instance, balsalmic vinegar. You can purchase a bottle at the grocery store for an acceptable price, especially considering how long a big bottle lasts. It tastes ok when combined with other foods but is a little more bitter than you want it to be.
On the other hand, if you want to upgrade your experience, you can spend (literally) hundreds of dollars on a small bottle of aged balsalmic vineagar that you can practically drink on its own. This balsalmic vinegar is nirvana when combined with a fresh heirloom tomato and buffalo mozzarella.
A few months ago, we bought a mid-range bottle of aged balsalmic vinegar, and I'm not sure if I can ever go back to the version in the grocery store. There is a significant difference between the grocery store version and the hoity toity version, and upgrading is worth the cost.
Tonight, we tried another upgraded item--cheddar cheese. While grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, we saw a block of Cabot private stock cheese, and at a few dollars more than the generic cheddar block, it was worth a try. And what a difference! I'm no cheese expert and don't particularly like the smell or taste of most gourmet cheeses (especially if there is mold involved), but even I could taste a difference. How can I ever go back to generic cheese?
In general, I believe in maintaining a lifestyle with streamlined costs, but we might need to increase our food budget for 2009.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
I guess I am still that angry
A few years ago when B and I were vacationing in Montreal, we popped into a Starbuck's for his coffee and noticed the acoustic version of Alanis Morrisette's Jagged Little Pill CD. I believe she released it only in Starbuck's stores, back when they were trying to diversify into the music biz.
B saw me looking at it and asked if I wanted to get it. I declared, "I'm just not that angry anymore," and left without it.
I didn't think Alanis spoke to me anymore, not the way she did when I was 16 and would come home from school and wait for hours for one of her songs to play on the radio. Eventually I figured out that if I bought the CD, I could listen to it whenever I wanted. It was the first CD that I remember buying, and I listened to it for hours on end.
I even went to see her on tour, back when she visited my college. I remember dressing in black--it seemed appropriate--and wishing that her stage presence were...angrier. Regardless, I continued to enjoy her music. My early college years were also a somewhat angry period.
But then life got better, and I stopped listening to her CD as frequently, and her second CD, while a member of my collection, received less airplay. I thought I had moved on.
Until tonight. Ever have one of those irrationally angry days where nothing that anyone does is ever the right thing to do? Yeah, it was one of those. There was only one person would could make me feel better, and her name was Alanis.
I popped the CD into the player in my bathroom. As the opening strains of "All I Really Want" came through the air, I felt a wave of calm come over me. It was soon replaced by frustration when the CD started skipping.
Apparently, I wore the CD out back in the day; either that, or its shelf life has expired. I was able to listen to the other songs on the CD, though my favorites featured the most skipping. It was annoying but I continued listening--when you need a dose of "Hand in My Pocket," nothing else will do.
B saw me looking at it and asked if I wanted to get it. I declared, "I'm just not that angry anymore," and left without it.
I didn't think Alanis spoke to me anymore, not the way she did when I was 16 and would come home from school and wait for hours for one of her songs to play on the radio. Eventually I figured out that if I bought the CD, I could listen to it whenever I wanted. It was the first CD that I remember buying, and I listened to it for hours on end.
I even went to see her on tour, back when she visited my college. I remember dressing in black--it seemed appropriate--and wishing that her stage presence were...angrier. Regardless, I continued to enjoy her music. My early college years were also a somewhat angry period.
But then life got better, and I stopped listening to her CD as frequently, and her second CD, while a member of my collection, received less airplay. I thought I had moved on.
Until tonight. Ever have one of those irrationally angry days where nothing that anyone does is ever the right thing to do? Yeah, it was one of those. There was only one person would could make me feel better, and her name was Alanis.
I popped the CD into the player in my bathroom. As the opening strains of "All I Really Want" came through the air, I felt a wave of calm come over me. It was soon replaced by frustration when the CD started skipping.
Apparently, I wore the CD out back in the day; either that, or its shelf life has expired. I was able to listen to the other songs on the CD, though my favorites featured the most skipping. It was annoying but I continued listening--when you need a dose of "Hand in My Pocket," nothing else will do.
Monday, January 12, 2009
More! Bigger! Better!
Although I believe in resolutions, whether in honor of a new year or for no specific occasion, I have not yet scripted my own for 2009, no doubt due to a mix of procrastination and a resistance to change. Change is good but not always easy.
Regardless--one resolution comes to mind, and writing it down and publishing it for the world seems like the right thing to do. Perhaps "world" is an overstatement. More accurately, publish it for a cross-section of humanity, those who happen upon my little corner while searching for ways to avoid being served with court papers or looking for inspiration for putting sticks in vases for their weddings (two of the biggest searches that lead to AOBTD).
Here's a recommendation for a new year's resolution: Don't looks for ways to avoid being served court papers. But do make your wedding centerpieces--or any centerpieces--using sticks.
Anyway. Off my soapbox, back to my own life. My first resolution for 2009 is to blog more. And because goals have to be realistic, specific, and attainable, I resolve to post at least 150 posts in 2009, a 50% increase over 2007 and 2008. According to my useful computer calculator, I need to produce 12.5 posts per month to achieve my goal. Past months have seen me fall way short of my goal, except for both Julys, which seem to be prolific months for blogging (maybe all of that daylight?).
Blogging is important to me because I believe that creating a written account of one's life is necessary. However, my blog is not my only written account of my life--B and I keep a journal-type of book in which we write each night before going to bed. The book is less a place to record our Deepest Darkest Secrets and more of a play-by-play of our lives--what we did each day, what we cooked for dinner, what's going on in the world, and what's going through our heads. There's no pressure to write inspiring prose--I write a few sentences and then pass the book to B, and it's finished in 10 minutes or less. We started last April and have found that it's a great way to end the day. And it's fun to look back and read what we wrote.
We also keep a journal while we're vacationing. We record everything that we do each day so that we can relive our vacation memories any time we want. It's time consuming while we're doing it but so worth it when we come home.
And so one more resolution--does it count as a resolution if it's simply to continue doing what you're doing?--is to keep writing in our journals, while we're home and away.
Regardless--one resolution comes to mind, and writing it down and publishing it for the world seems like the right thing to do. Perhaps "world" is an overstatement. More accurately, publish it for a cross-section of humanity, those who happen upon my little corner while searching for ways to avoid being served with court papers or looking for inspiration for putting sticks in vases for their weddings (two of the biggest searches that lead to AOBTD).
Here's a recommendation for a new year's resolution: Don't looks for ways to avoid being served court papers. But do make your wedding centerpieces--or any centerpieces--using sticks.
Anyway. Off my soapbox, back to my own life. My first resolution for 2009 is to blog more. And because goals have to be realistic, specific, and attainable, I resolve to post at least 150 posts in 2009, a 50% increase over 2007 and 2008. According to my useful computer calculator, I need to produce 12.5 posts per month to achieve my goal. Past months have seen me fall way short of my goal, except for both Julys, which seem to be prolific months for blogging (maybe all of that daylight?).
Blogging is important to me because I believe that creating a written account of one's life is necessary. However, my blog is not my only written account of my life--B and I keep a journal-type of book in which we write each night before going to bed. The book is less a place to record our Deepest Darkest Secrets and more of a play-by-play of our lives--what we did each day, what we cooked for dinner, what's going on in the world, and what's going through our heads. There's no pressure to write inspiring prose--I write a few sentences and then pass the book to B, and it's finished in 10 minutes or less. We started last April and have found that it's a great way to end the day. And it's fun to look back and read what we wrote.
We also keep a journal while we're vacationing. We record everything that we do each day so that we can relive our vacation memories any time we want. It's time consuming while we're doing it but so worth it when we come home.
And so one more resolution--does it count as a resolution if it's simply to continue doing what you're doing?--is to keep writing in our journals, while we're home and away.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Our new cuckoo clock (with video!)
Our cuckoo clock has arrived!
We received a notice about it last Saturday, but we didn't want it sitting outside in the cold in the mailbox, and neither of us is ever home by 4:30, when the post office closes, so we had to wait until their Saturday hours to pick it up. (Even though they close at the inconveniently early noon hour, at least they open.)
One of the carved leaves on the bottom broke off during shipment--I suspect when our post office lady slammed it down on the counter in front of us--but a little super glue will make it good as new. We did pay for insurance, but it seems silly to mail it all the way back to Germany for a broken leaf.
We learned that lying the clock on its back after you've taken down the chains is a bad thing and will require a trip to a clockmaker to repair the damage that occurs. Who knew that cuckoo clocks were so delicate?
We created a YouTube video--I know, I know, I'm so hip I almost can't stand it myself--of our clock chiming 12, in case you can't wait to see it in person.
We received a notice about it last Saturday, but we didn't want it sitting outside in the cold in the mailbox, and neither of us is ever home by 4:30, when the post office closes, so we had to wait until their Saturday hours to pick it up. (Even though they close at the inconveniently early noon hour, at least they open.)
One of the carved leaves on the bottom broke off during shipment--I suspect when our post office lady slammed it down on the counter in front of us--but a little super glue will make it good as new. We did pay for insurance, but it seems silly to mail it all the way back to Germany for a broken leaf.
We learned that lying the clock on its back after you've taken down the chains is a bad thing and will require a trip to a clockmaker to repair the damage that occurs. Who knew that cuckoo clocks were so delicate?
We created a YouTube video--I know, I know, I'm so hip I almost can't stand it myself--of our clock chiming 12, in case you can't wait to see it in person.
Let down by AAA
Every single car that B has owned has stranded him by the side of the road, on at least one occasion. Thursday night, the Subie lived up to its expectations and refused to start at the local commuter rail station after he rode the train home from work.
He called AAA while I rode over to wait with him. Back in 2007, I upgraded to the AAA gold plan after the Dec 13 storm (worst day ever), so we could have the car towed the local dealership at no cost to us.
AAA told us that they couldn't get a tow truck out to us for 2 hours, and would we mind returning home and coming back. Not a problem--if the truck showed up on time, we'd still get home from the dealership at a reasonable hour. Two hours later, when we hadn't heard from them, we called back. They told us to meet the tow truck driver at the lot in 30 minutes--at 9:30.
We drove over and waited. And waited. And waited. A little before 10, we called to inquire about our tow truck. They put us on hold and investigated and promised a call back from the dispatcher in 5 minutes. Twenty-five minutes later--with no phone call--we called back to ask again about our tow truck. By this time, we had been sitting and idling in the parking lot for an hour and were tired and wishing we could just go to sleep.
The woman that I reached said that the dispatcher should have called to say that the truck would arrive at 10:40 PM. I explained to her that we had already been promised a truck (that didn't show up) and a phone call (that never came), and how were we to know that this truck would actually show up? She told me I could call back if the truck didn't show--what a consolation.
At 10:50--no truck in sight--B's cell phone rang. It was AAA, checking to see whether the truck had arrived. B told them it hadn't, asked for a manager, and handed the phone to me. I have a knack for working up righteous indignation when I feel that I have been wronged, and I had nothing but disappointment for the way that AAA had handled this situation. The manager was apologetic--though what good is an apology when you've been waiting for nearly five hours for a tow truck--and put me on hold to investigate further. While I was waiting, the tow truck finally arrived, a little after 11 PM. It was a cold night--26 degrees--so I stayed in the car while he did his thing.
He hauled the Subie up onto the flatbed and we headed off to the dealership, where he deposited the car directly in front, and B dropped the keys into the box. We got home a little after midnight, exhausted.
The next day, the dealership explained that cars had been towed in all week, and they weren't sure when they'd look at it, but they'd let us know when it was ready. They left us a voicemail this morning--the Subie was ready and the cause was so simple that we're kicking ourselves for not trying to just jump the car. The battery was dead and needed to be replaced. Luckily, the repair was covered by our warrantee, so the cost to us was in time only.
As for AAA? I intend to send them a letter of complaint. I'm already working up my righteous indignation.
He called AAA while I rode over to wait with him. Back in 2007, I upgraded to the AAA gold plan after the Dec 13 storm (worst day ever), so we could have the car towed the local dealership at no cost to us.
AAA told us that they couldn't get a tow truck out to us for 2 hours, and would we mind returning home and coming back. Not a problem--if the truck showed up on time, we'd still get home from the dealership at a reasonable hour. Two hours later, when we hadn't heard from them, we called back. They told us to meet the tow truck driver at the lot in 30 minutes--at 9:30.
We drove over and waited. And waited. And waited. A little before 10, we called to inquire about our tow truck. They put us on hold and investigated and promised a call back from the dispatcher in 5 minutes. Twenty-five minutes later--with no phone call--we called back to ask again about our tow truck. By this time, we had been sitting and idling in the parking lot for an hour and were tired and wishing we could just go to sleep.
The woman that I reached said that the dispatcher should have called to say that the truck would arrive at 10:40 PM. I explained to her that we had already been promised a truck (that didn't show up) and a phone call (that never came), and how were we to know that this truck would actually show up? She told me I could call back if the truck didn't show--what a consolation.
At 10:50--no truck in sight--B's cell phone rang. It was AAA, checking to see whether the truck had arrived. B told them it hadn't, asked for a manager, and handed the phone to me. I have a knack for working up righteous indignation when I feel that I have been wronged, and I had nothing but disappointment for the way that AAA had handled this situation. The manager was apologetic--though what good is an apology when you've been waiting for nearly five hours for a tow truck--and put me on hold to investigate further. While I was waiting, the tow truck finally arrived, a little after 11 PM. It was a cold night--26 degrees--so I stayed in the car while he did his thing.
He hauled the Subie up onto the flatbed and we headed off to the dealership, where he deposited the car directly in front, and B dropped the keys into the box. We got home a little after midnight, exhausted.
The next day, the dealership explained that cars had been towed in all week, and they weren't sure when they'd look at it, but they'd let us know when it was ready. They left us a voicemail this morning--the Subie was ready and the cause was so simple that we're kicking ourselves for not trying to just jump the car. The battery was dead and needed to be replaced. Luckily, the repair was covered by our warrantee, so the cost to us was in time only.
As for AAA? I intend to send them a letter of complaint. I'm already working up my righteous indignation.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Bargain season for shoppers
Today we scored big time, in a supreme planning-ahead-for-the-foreseeable-future kind of way. The Hallmark store near us had a 75% sale on all Christmas items, and we picked up probably 10 boxes, with between 12 and 18 cards per box. We don't send that many Christmas cards each year, but they were so cheap--how could we resist? This supply should last several years.
We also picked up a few ornaments from Pier 1 because I love ornaments that come in their own decorative and functional packaging. It makes storage so much easier. Their 75% off sale made the purchases easier on the budget.
It's been a week of sales shopping. Anthropologie's sale allowed me to buy some Merry-Christmas-to-me gifts, and Lucy's 50% off all sales items stretched a holiday gift card to the limits (more clothes for Spain!).
The sales extend to travel, too. Fly open jaw, to Dublin and from London, in August, for under $700? Shocking, but true. I resisted buying; I'm holding out for a better deal (and carefully watching exchange rates).
It's bargain season--I don't know if we'll see any 75% off travel sale, but you can bet that I'm on the lookout.
We also picked up a few ornaments from Pier 1 because I love ornaments that come in their own decorative and functional packaging. It makes storage so much easier. Their 75% off sale made the purchases easier on the budget.
It's been a week of sales shopping. Anthropologie's sale allowed me to buy some Merry-Christmas-to-me gifts, and Lucy's 50% off all sales items stretched a holiday gift card to the limits (more clothes for Spain!).
The sales extend to travel, too. Fly open jaw, to Dublin and from London, in August, for under $700? Shocking, but true. I resisted buying; I'm holding out for a better deal (and carefully watching exchange rates).
It's bargain season--I don't know if we'll see any 75% off travel sale, but you can bet that I'm on the lookout.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Making up for lost (and gained) time
Some lucky people aren't affected by jet lag. I'm not one of the lucky ones, however, as our recent trip to Germany reminded me. I always sleep well the first night, no doubt due to my lack of sleep on the plane. But for days afterward, I either am unable to fall asleep at bedtime or awake in the middle of the night and cannot fall back to sleep for hours.
I never really adjusted to the local time in Germany and had difficulty sleeping up until our last night there--6 nights into the trip. "This is unacceptable," I told myself. I had to try something else for Spain, and sleeping pills seemed to be the way to go.
Rick swears by taking 1/4 Ambien when he travels, and I was willing to give it a try. But then B kindly reminded me of the side effects of some of these prescription drugs--sleep walking, sleep driving, and sleep eating, to name a few.
Which would be worse? Wandering around a hotel in a foreign country in my sleep, or eating the entire contents of the extremely expensive mini-fridge in the hotel room, also in my sleep? That's a question that I hope I'll never have to answer. Perhaps I ought to try some non-prescription options before moving on to anything that comes with a lengthy list of warnings.
The first "natural" option is the Ant-Jet-Lag Diet. Three days before you leave, you start a feast/fast routine. Say you leave on Monday. Friday is a feast day; Saturday is a fast day; Sunday is a feast day; and Monday (departure day) is a fast day. On feast days, you eat a lot of high-protein food for breakfast and lunch and carbs for dinner. On fast days, you eat smaller, high-protein meals. You can drink coffee only between 3 PM and 5 PM each day. And then somehow, magically, you have no jet lag when you arrive. I'm not sure if I'm convinced, but it can't hurt to try. You might want to steer clear of me during the fast days, however--I'm not that much fun to be around when I'm hungry.
Another option, which my pharmacist recommended, sort of, was melatonin. Research indicates that it may be useful for some people for fighting jet lag (or rather, for helping you sleep when you can't, which is how jet lag rears its ugly head for me). I am highly skeptical of vitamins and supplements, which are not regulated by any government agency and frequently do not contain what they advertise. However, given the risks associated with sleeping pills, I think melatonin is the better of two risky options. I'll ask my pharmacist for a recommendation of the best brand to get.
The plot is slightly thicker--of course. Yesterday I realized that Daylight Savings Time, which starts three weeks earlier in the US than in most of the rest of the world, will have started in the US but not in Spain when we leave--that means that Spain will be only 5 hours ahead of us when we arrive (I think). A five-hour time difference should be easier to adapt to, in theory. And then Daylight Savings Time will begin in Spain while we're there, and the difference between the time zones will be 6 hours, as expected. It'll be nice to have more light at night, though the idea of "losing" an hour on our vacation is a little sad. Maybe I can call the airline and ask to extend our trip by a day, to make up for our lost time...
I never really adjusted to the local time in Germany and had difficulty sleeping up until our last night there--6 nights into the trip. "This is unacceptable," I told myself. I had to try something else for Spain, and sleeping pills seemed to be the way to go.
Rick swears by taking 1/4 Ambien when he travels, and I was willing to give it a try. But then B kindly reminded me of the side effects of some of these prescription drugs--sleep walking, sleep driving, and sleep eating, to name a few.
Which would be worse? Wandering around a hotel in a foreign country in my sleep, or eating the entire contents of the extremely expensive mini-fridge in the hotel room, also in my sleep? That's a question that I hope I'll never have to answer. Perhaps I ought to try some non-prescription options before moving on to anything that comes with a lengthy list of warnings.
The first "natural" option is the Ant-Jet-Lag Diet. Three days before you leave, you start a feast/fast routine. Say you leave on Monday. Friday is a feast day; Saturday is a fast day; Sunday is a feast day; and Monday (departure day) is a fast day. On feast days, you eat a lot of high-protein food for breakfast and lunch and carbs for dinner. On fast days, you eat smaller, high-protein meals. You can drink coffee only between 3 PM and 5 PM each day. And then somehow, magically, you have no jet lag when you arrive. I'm not sure if I'm convinced, but it can't hurt to try. You might want to steer clear of me during the fast days, however--I'm not that much fun to be around when I'm hungry.
Another option, which my pharmacist recommended, sort of, was melatonin. Research indicates that it may be useful for some people for fighting jet lag (or rather, for helping you sleep when you can't, which is how jet lag rears its ugly head for me). I am highly skeptical of vitamins and supplements, which are not regulated by any government agency and frequently do not contain what they advertise. However, given the risks associated with sleeping pills, I think melatonin is the better of two risky options. I'll ask my pharmacist for a recommendation of the best brand to get.
The plot is slightly thicker--of course. Yesterday I realized that Daylight Savings Time, which starts three weeks earlier in the US than in most of the rest of the world, will have started in the US but not in Spain when we leave--that means that Spain will be only 5 hours ahead of us when we arrive (I think). A five-hour time difference should be easier to adapt to, in theory. And then Daylight Savings Time will begin in Spain while we're there, and the difference between the time zones will be 6 hours, as expected. It'll be nice to have more light at night, though the idea of "losing" an hour on our vacation is a little sad. Maybe I can call the airline and ask to extend our trip by a day, to make up for our lost time...
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