Tuesday, February 26, 2008

A spider in my orange. (And other fairly twisted tales)

I found a spider in my orange today. Not a large one. Just a tiny, little thing, who's life was cut short by my fingers when I squished it (Hey, it was in MY damn orange, I will squish it if I want to.) Although it does beg the question, how the hell did it get in there in the first place? I prefer not to think about that, and just enjoy the fruit (And again. Yes I did, in fact, eat the orange after disposing of said intruder.)
The thing is, that tiny spider makes me think about what I eat every day. Am I putting the "best" into my body?
Honestly, we are a fruit/veggie/multi/whole grain kinda household (well, except for The Man, who is a meat and potato kind of guy. But, when he is at home, he is a fruit/veggie/multi/whole grain kind of guy LOL) My children eat their vegetables FIRST, before anything else on their plates ~ entirely by choice. They like beans in many forms. And they will devour just about any kind of veggie/fruit. We don't eat a lot of meat. No pork whatsoever, very little beef, chicken, and turkey. And only a little bit of fish (no shellfish.) We do eat cheese, eggs, and drink milk (recently we cut out butter.)
Sounds like a pretty decent diet, right?
I think so.
My issue is that we live in the MidWest. Fresh produce is not readily available year round here (I just paid almost $3.00 per pound for some serously SAD looking tomatoes ~ I understand that this is less than most of you would be paying, but we also live in a lower per capita income area. So for us, that is, like WHOA ~ way HIGH!) The fresh stuff that we shell out the cash for in the Off Growing Season is often not very good quality or oddly colored (ie. Strawberries that have half white tops and berry red bottoms ?????) And even if you drive to another market (for us, another market is 25 min away) there is no guarantee that the produce will be any better (in fact, it might really be much worse.)
Now, we will still buy the fresh stuff. We always have, we always will. But is it really the "best" we can offer ourselves?
Compared to the alternatives, I think that it is. Some is better than none in my opinion (although the hormones, genetic alterations, etc. used in the growing of mass distributed produce offer another position of contention.) And for us, it is not an option to grow ourselves, visit local Farmer's Markets (great in the Summer, non-existant in Winter), or purchase everything organic (which is another Soapbox topic for me altogether.)
Right now, we do the best with what we have. And I am guessing that will just have to be enough. LOL

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Me. With a Blackberry? I think *NOT*!

So, after dropping my cell phone on the tile floor for the 100,000th time, I decided to take my Supremely Sick bootie to the Freakin' Cell Phone Store and pick out a brand spankin' new phone today. I had completed my research on the various options, made my list of what I *definently could NOT live without*, and drove 45 min. (one way) to the Freakin' Cell Phone Store to pick out a new piece of junk, knowing full well that I would have to pay full retail price for whatever I purchased 'cuz our contract is *FAR* from up. (I did ask about adding an additional line to possibly get a discount on the purchase price, and was informed that if I did that I would have to add an additional rate plan to compensate for the phone itself.)
I was greeted upon arrival by a fairly nice salesperson (bonus point #1) and I informed her of what I was there to accomplish (phone with a camera, phone with an extensive scheduling system, phone with text, picture, video messaging, phone with fully functioning QWERTY keyboard, etc.) I was very clear. She asked my why I wanted all this stuff specifically? To which I answered "Because if I am going to shell out the money for a phone, I am going to make certain that it does all the things that I need it to do." (Is it really any of her business *WHY* I want to shell out hundreds of dollars for a phone that has more bells and whistles that most people would know what to do with? I think not.)
She presented me with several options that contained all the available features necessary (there were 3 total 'cuz I really didn't like the "look" of the Palm Treo.) She hauled them all out of their boxes so that I could actually handle the phones to help with my decision (all in all, she was not helpful at all. And when I asked her what the difference was between the Blackberry World edition and the Pearl, she told me "Nothing, the Pearl is just smaller and it doesn't have the keyboard.")
So, in the end, I chose the Blackberry World phone. This decision was prompted by the fact that I had spent 2 hours in the store attempting to figure out what features each of the individual phones offered mostly on my own ~ 'cuz, I am just guessing here, it was apparently too difficult for her to answer my questions (seriously, I asked her which one *she* would choose based on the technology available in each one and her reply was "They are all pretty much the same. It is just the difference in the way that they look.") After I had made my choice, I thought to ask about the "return rate" of the different phones ~ and she informed me that one of the particular brands of phone that she had offered me *actually* had a pretty high return rate due to problems with the technology (and I thought to myself ~ Why would you attempt to sell it to me then?)
Financial "stuff" was discussed, how the new phone would change my rate plan was discussed (and the answer was "None, you just won't be able to access the internet on the Blackberry 'cuz the set up is different." Fine, I have internet at home, I don't *need* it on my phone ~ although it would have been nice) All things possible were discussed (especially how much of my old phone stuff that I could not use with this phone. That was fine as well.)
So, I take my Shiny *NEW* Blackberry, and begin calling everyone I know. Fast forward to the car, where I attempted to charge the phone using the car charger that I had to purchase as well (in addition to a tiny little memory card that she *swore* I would need, a weird looking earpiece that I *had to have* as well, and some other items that I am sure were just *absolutely necessary* to the existance of this phone) and the CHARGER DOES NOT WORK. Since I hadn't left the parking lot yet, I took the damn thing back inside and told them it didn't work. The guy I spoke to said that it was because she SOLD ME THE WRONG charger! After I had specifically ASKED her if it was the right one! (It turned out that it *was* the right one, it was just *defective*. Charger replaced, off on my merry way.)
Driving home (back the 45 min.) the woman calls me on my phone and informs me that there will be an additional monthly charge in order for me to have that particular phone, her exact words were "Blackberry requires you to pay a fee for the right to carry their product." To which I thought to myself "I already paid for the damn phone, and asked you all about this crap while I was there, and you are just *NOW* telling me this." So I said "Fine. Do what you have to do." Then it hit me, I HAD TO HAVE A *PLAN* TO OWN THIS PHONE!! (This means that I could have, should have, (but didn't) receive a discount on the purchase price of this phone. BEEEYYYYYAAAATTTTCCCCHHH!!!)
I made it all the way home before I realized that (can you hear the drumroll here) THE DAMN THING DIDN'T HAVE A FREAKIN' CAMARA!!! Seriously, did I not *specifically request* that the phone come with a camara?!?!?! I truely believe that I did, in fact, state just that. I thought that maybe I had just missed the little lens thing on the back, but most assuredly I did not ~ 'cuz it doesn't exist. (The camara thing was just the tip of the iceburg with that phone. There were other issues, but that was the straw that broke the camel's back.)
She had told me that I had 30 days to exchange it if I found that I didn't like it (yeah, like that wasn't intentional LOL) and so I did! At a different store, with a different salesperson, in a different town. And I am *very* happy with what I exchanged it for (and I was *refunded* a decent amount as well.)
Note to self -- When you overhear the SalesPerson *plainly* state to a co-worker that "I don't know. This is only the second Blackberry I've ever sold." You should probably pick up your purse, and half sleeping child, and *run* as fast as you can in the opposite direction.
SO, at the end of a very long day, I was the not so proud owner of a Blackberry for about 5 hours or so. I have probably confused the hell out of the billing dept of my cell service provider. I now have a phone that meets all my needs. And MOST IMPORTANTLY *of course* it is PRETTY! LOL

Sunday, February 17, 2008

My children are Spider Monkeys!

I swear that they are. The little carrier "monkeys" collect every single available germ known to man, and then disperse them amonst their loving friends and family at random. I am convinced that they do not do it on purpose, it is just their calling in life to infect the whole of the free world with illness. They can't help it, it is in their nature. LOL
I am sick, AGAIN!!! And, as usual, the children in my life have gifted me with a viral load that is hanging on for the foreseeable future. They, on the other hand, are feeling just *SUPER*, and driving me crazy while I attempt to sleep the day away on the couch. (All the while popping in videos to "entertain" them and plodding into the kitchen to make sandwiches when the cries of "We're STARVING" are just too much for my ears to take ~ NAUGHTY MOMMY, I know.)
I am going to bed, I have errands to run tomorrow (on a Holiday no less.) And I have to go to the fabric store (GASP!!!! During the Stash Game!!?!?!??) I am going to stay strong and NOT purchase the *lovely* fabric that I am ever so obsessed with. It will be difficult in my current state of sleep deprivation, but I am confident that I will emerge VICTORIOUS!! Besides, I can't afford the NEGATIVE points from purchasing. LOL

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Busy Busy Busy!!!

So I have been busy busy with this Stash Game, and I am currently up to 101 points. YIPPEE!!! And there is *still* 3 and a half weeks left to go!
Anyway, here are some pics of what I have made thus far...

Japanese Hedgehogs


Picnic Toile


Summertime Blues


Sweet Strawberries


Chocolate and Roses


Tween Style

So cute!

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Blah, blah, blah...

That is how my week has went. The bright shining star of the week has been the beginning of the aforementioned Stash Game!!! YIPPEE!!! Bring on the sewing!! And I promise that I will post photos of the items as I get them finished for ALL to see.

Anyway, off to bed all. Have a great rest of the weekend!