Archive for January, 2009
January 16th, 2009 - Sith’s a dip
Read all about it at Maggie’s blog: Well I’ll be dipped. (Our pets are so not frugal or simple. But the pictures of Sith are hilarious.)
January 14th, 2009 - Electric/gas bill
I gasped a bit at our bill for the past month. It’s the first in quite some time over $200 ($229 to more precise). I’m so glad they have a little spot on the bottom that compares this year to last year: It was 21% colder this year! And the bill is just about 20% bigger than last year’s for the same month. That’s pretty decent considering gas price increases. For unknown reasons, our electric usage is lower, which may have helped. I can’t view the older bill online so can’t compare the cost breakdown between gas and electricity, just the usage.
Since I was home for two weeks over the holidays and never turned the heat down–including keeping it up higher some nights–I wouldn’t have been surprised by an even higher bill. Nice to know that some of our work at controlling costs has helped.
January 12th, 2009 - Taking the bus
We’re proud of being a one-car family, but I’ll admit we often drive more in order to share the car. But today, I’m not! I’m taking the bus! Wish it were a nice, sunny, spring or summer day however (then I’d ride my bike). I have a lunchtime appointment downtown. And right around then, the forecast is for snow to start. And the high today is about 22 (16 at noon). At least the -25 windchill won’t be until overnight.
I can catch a bus here on campus and transfer to one that will drop me off right where I need to go. And it’s free. It would cost me at least $2 to use the car–as I’d keep it here on campus afterwards, not to mention the gas to drive here, drive back home to drop off Eric and MJ, and then drive there. But it would be faster and warmer….
January 9th, 2009 - I’m obviously having a slow start in 2009
I’m obviously haven’t trouble starting 2009 because here it is the 9th of January, and I haven’t even bought TurboTax much less already entered my estimated 2008 tax return. (Estimated because my pay stubs list SS and Medicare, or whatever the two things are, as one item instead of separate ones which your tax returns requires. I have to get my W2 to know it for sure.)
Sometimes I’ve done this before the previous year has even ended.
How will I ever catch up?
January 8th, 2009 - Walked to work!
Due to over 2″ of snow yesterday (light snow ALL day long), I was able to walk to work this morning. It was lovely to get back to that and I only slipped once (no fall, thank goodness for YakTrax).
Speaking of YakTrax, Maggie is big on noting things that we adults do and stating that when she gets bigger she will do the same thing. When she sees me put on my YakTrak, she announces, “When I get bigger, I’m going to have YakTrak just like you. Princess YakTrax!” Unfortunately for her, they only come in adult sizes, and only in black. (I’m pretty sure she believes princess stuff only is pink or purple.)
Another good one: Yesterday, she was talking to me about how she’ll go to work when she gets bigger. She wondered where she would work, and I said it all depended on where she found a job. So she let me know that her Dad and I would help her find her way to her job when she was an adult. She has such confidence in us…and that she’ll still be living with us when she’s an adult. LOL
January 7th, 2009 - I know, I’m such a lame blogger.
Okay, so I was under the weather for most of the last three weeks but still….. Yeah, well, you know, when you don’t write for weeks you feel like you have to write about everything that happened which is overwhelming since you are so behind on everything else as well so it just doesn’t happen. So, I’m committing to a quick summary:
Surgery went fine. I’m horrible at coming out of anesthesia however, and was still asleep several hours after the outpatient ward closed. IE, I spend the night in the hospital. So glad this was covered by insurance–what would we have done if it wasn’t? Probably have come home earlier than was safe.
I didn’t bounce back as quickly as they claimed I would. Still doing partial days at work despite them saying I’d be fine full time in one week. Yeah, right!
I’m happy I had the surgery but I hope I never have to have surgery again. I’m not good at being sick (something I’ve known for a long time, but I’d never actually had surgery before so couldn’t say it would be like being sick). It hasn’t helped that our weather has been icky–tons of ice due to melting during the day and freezing at night. So Eric and Maggie have been getting up early to bring me to work. I’m glad I haven’t had to even walk to/from the bus–it’s that bad!
I’ve gained two pounds due to eating and no exercise. Trying to get back in the saddle again, but it’s tough with all the holiday treats still around and recovering from surgery making me hungry every 2 hours. Trying to make appropriate choices and not just eat cookies at this point. Gradually getting back to exercise; doing cardio this week and increasing each of 3 machines by a minute a day, getting back to 10 on each by the end of the week. Then, will focus on getting back up to the same intensity. May start some, very low weights next week depending on how I feel. I want to lose these two pounds and then 5 more.