William Shatner is a Great Man.

I'm so glad this happened:



Also a great man: Whoever put this classic together. The people of the world owe you much.



Oh man, now I can't stop listening to this song (thanks a lot, Trevie...).

Priceline Negotiator!

Fidel Saves the Day!

The rules for cats outside are as follows: 1) Fidel can go outside whenever he wants because he can take care of himself. 2) Julius can go outside when he's not being a wuss (so very rarely). 3) Tiberius is not allowed outside without adult supervision because he is too clumsy and can't see that well and would probably get lost immediately. Does this look like an outdoor cat to you? He's too sweet and fluffy.
But I am a bad cat mother and broke rule #3 Thursday night. The heater doesn't work in our new apartment which means we had a space heater provided by maintenance which means we had to keep out bedroom door open for warmth which means cats were bugging us which means I kicked Julius and Fidel outside. Tiberius is allowed to sleep with us because he doesn't cause trouble. And he sometimes lies across my neck like a kitten scarf. He's so cute.

Anyway, Tiberius ran out the front door with the other boys that night and I was half-asleep and I wasn't dressed and I didn't really want to run out after him. So I figured "He'll probably be okay," and went back to bed. And then spent a very distraught next 24 hrs where he was nowhere to be found. (Julius and Fidel were waiting dutifully by the door when I woke up the next morning, of course).

And it rained most of the morning and I knew my little Tiberius was out there cold and wet and scared (he's scared of everything) and the rain would probably make it harder for him to smell his way back home. I was worried.

However, last night around 2am, I woke up to scratches on the back door. "Oh, Fidel wants in," I mumbled to myself as I got out of bed. And there Fidel was looking up at me expectantly and he had his brother with him! We know that Fidel found him and brought him back, because I'm positive Tiberius didn't even know about the back door.

Tiberius was happy to be home, but didn't cuddle until he had cleaned off all the mud and debris from his fur because he's polite like that. And then he slept on my pillow next to my face and we were happy.

And Fidel gets medals. And a parade. He is such a good boy.

Handsome Man in Handsome Glasses

After a lifetime of blindness, this husband of mine can see ("Holy cow, I can read everything...look, way down the street: 'Big Five'!"). He picked out the frames himself and I must say I'm impressed ("I could tell these looked good because the girls in the store got all excited when I put them on.")

For some reason my employer will give us a vision plan but offers no health plan.

As a side note: the picture is taken facing Tylor's room...I would never approve of the longboard against the wall or the psychedelic poster above the bed.

Don't Stand So Close To Me

I like walking by myself because then I can sing to myself. I'm sure the people along my bus-stop-to-work route think I'm mad. I don't care. I don't need to attract friends or lovers; I do need to let the music out of my soul....or, you know, keep myself mildly entertained (the old-fashioned way!).

Standards in my repertoire: "In Love With A View" by Mojave 3, "Five Foot Two" that 20s classic, "Idaho" by Josh Ritter, "Superstar" by the Carpenters (I know it was originally by someone else, but since my voice sounds exactly like Karen Carpenter's...oh wait.), "Something's Coming" from West Side Story, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston (the one I struggle the most with hitting the notes for, but also the one I sing with the most enthusiasm).

No Cable...Plenty of TV

When I tell people I don't have cable, I often get the reactions: "Good for you!", "I don't think I have the willpower for that.", etc.

I let it go and let people think that I'm a saint, but in reality...I watch tons of TV. I don't understand why more people haven't realized this yet but...everything you ever want on TV is available on the internet. Much of it is even legal. And then whatever program you want is available whenever you want...I'm not constrained by the time restraints of some network. It's even better than TiVo because you can watch virtually anything. Want to see the first season of How I Met Your Mother? Yes, it originally aired five years ago, but the internet has the answer.

Each week that there is a new episode, I will watch: Project Runway, Gossip Girl, America's Next Top Model, 30 Rock, Family Guy, and The Office (mylifetime.com, cwtv.com, hulu.com). I watch The Daily Show probably a couple episodes a week. And this is just new programming...let's also mention that over the last three weeks I've watched all three past seasons of Mad Men. Oh, and I watch probably around two documentaries on Netflix a week. This adds up to lots of hours of my life staring at a screen.

So no, I am not a good person for not having cable. I waste as much or more time as you do in front of worthless programming. I've just sacrificed good picture quality for money. That is all.

Note: Don't judge me for any of the programming I admit to watching here. I realize many of these shows are past their prime and perhaps one or two never even had a prime; I will continue on. I will also defend the value of Gossip Girl to society until the day I die.

Dear Mother Nature,

Do we really need more snow? I am not amused.

Thank you,


Andrea

First Quarter Report 2010

One of my goals for 2010 was to keep closer track of how I spend money. As the first business quarter of the year came to a close this week, we now present to the stockholders:

Report

• Revenue was lower this quarter than perhaps any since the company was founded (Jan 12th, 2008), as Trevor has been unemployed since mid-November. However, several measures to cut basic costs (including canceling cable television, a gym membership, and trading the truck for a bus pass), have allowed us to nearly break even without our quality of life suffering dramatically. Total losses for the quarter amount to $334.08.
• Sources of revenue:
1. Paychecks (91.3%)
2. Sold Items - truck, cell phone, speakers, ect. (7.7%)
   
3. Gigs (1%)
   
• Biggest expenses:
1. Rent (40%)
2. Bills - electric, gas, water, cell phone, internet/cable (24.3%)
3. Food (12.7%) (eating out - 5.5%; eating in - 7.2%)
4. Entertainment (includes Star Trek memorabilia) (7.1%)
   
5. Bank fees (6.0%)
   

Projections

• We anticipate our value to increase significantly throughout the rest of 2010. Our revenue from paychecks is expected to nearly double shortly, as Trevor has some very promising job opportunities and we fully expect him to be employed by the end of the month, while I expect to retain my employment. Other revenue will likely remain the same or lower, but clearly paychecks are where we need to put our major efforts.
  
• We are moving to a less expensive apartment in a couple weeks, we anticipate rent costs to be reduced by a full 31%. While rent will still likely be our largest expense, the reduction in cost should be a major factor in our anticipated profitability next quarter.
  
• Expenses that will increase as the year goes on include taxes (as we apparently owe the IRS $700 this year) and debt payoff (for overpayment of SSI and a couple smaller, older debts), which we have been ignoring during these belt-tightening times.
• We may find dramatic increases in transportation and/or education expenses (this quarter: 0.4% and 0.7% respectively), as we may decide to buy a car and/or go to school in the next while, though this will depend on our profitability in other sectors.
• If our revenue increases as anticipated, bank fees should go down dramatically, as the majority of the cost there is related to overdraft fees, which are fairly avoidable when profits are up.

Jim Cramer says "Buy". Thank you.