Tea is one of my most sustaining moments of any day. It connects me to so many moments from my past, and I know it connects me to my future.
I remember my Dad every morning drinking a cup of Lipton tea out of his personal mug. I'd know he was awake by the sound of the kettle whistling; bleary-eyed I'd walk out of my room down the hallway and into the kitchen. My slippers would make little swish-swish sounds on the linoleum. By the time I reached the dining table, I could hear the news on quietly in the background. Without looking up from his newspaper, he'd slide the comics over to me, and I'd sit down in the chair next to him reading my comics and "sneaking" sips off his tea. Now that my father's gone, I spend many mornings still drinking Lipton out of his mug; it's still the first thing I reach for.
Everyone I knew in my family drank tea; my great-grandmother told my mother she was going to be renicarnated as a tea bag.
I never minded being home sick from school. I'd curl up on Great Aunt Sophie's antique sofa, put some classical music on, drink some tea, and watch the rain fall in Sacramento with a good book on my lap.
Right now, it's a beautiful day in Portland and I'm drinking a cup of Jasmine Green tea out of an Em Le's Restaurant mug. It's a comforting and simple way to connect myself to those I miss, and to ground myself now.
How do you sustain yourself?
Today I feel ____________ Towards Money.
I saw this at Budgets are Sexy, and he saw it at My Pretty Pennies. Let's see if we can make it around the blogosphere today. :)
1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on a vet bill for the dog. ($114)
When we lived in Vegas there weren't fleas or ticks so we didn't have to worry about it. So now my pup gets one flea bite and ends up with a massive allergic reaction and infection. This week's vet bill was to confirm his clean bill of health.
2. Today I feel ambivalent towards money.
At the end of the month I may be unemployed. Well, I know I won't have my current contract job, but I do have several possibilities on the horizon. It makes me want to not spend, and not need money, but at the same time I understand that money is a necessary tool.
3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free/inexpensive thing I did last week that made me happy was the hot dog eating contest.
My husband's work sponsored a hot dog eating contest for charity. Afterwards, we sat outside, enjoyed some gourmet hot dogs at $2 each, and I mean GOURMET! We had the Bacon Bleu Cheese Dog, the Chicago Dog, the Chili Verde Dog, and the Chili Cheese Dog made with in house chili and a cheddar cheese fondue, delish!
4. I will consider this week a success if I can focus on what I want to do and create a solid plan.
I have a fledgling business, and I write this blog, and I've been having difficulty narrowing my focus into a workable plan. If I can create a decent plan that I can follow-through on, I'll be excited.
5. My first job was babysitting my next door neighbor for $1.25 an hour.
I remember going to babysitting classes at the local parks and rec to learn infant CPR, emergency procedures, and the whole nine yards. It was fun. But boy I even undercharged then!
1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on a vet bill for the dog. ($114)
When we lived in Vegas there weren't fleas or ticks so we didn't have to worry about it. So now my pup gets one flea bite and ends up with a massive allergic reaction and infection. This week's vet bill was to confirm his clean bill of health.
2. Today I feel ambivalent towards money.
At the end of the month I may be unemployed. Well, I know I won't have my current contract job, but I do have several possibilities on the horizon. It makes me want to not spend, and not need money, but at the same time I understand that money is a necessary tool.
3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free/inexpensive thing I did last week that made me happy was the hot dog eating contest.
My husband's work sponsored a hot dog eating contest for charity. Afterwards, we sat outside, enjoyed some gourmet hot dogs at $2 each, and I mean GOURMET! We had the Bacon Bleu Cheese Dog, the Chicago Dog, the Chili Verde Dog, and the Chili Cheese Dog made with in house chili and a cheddar cheese fondue, delish!
4. I will consider this week a success if I can focus on what I want to do and create a solid plan.
I have a fledgling business, and I write this blog, and I've been having difficulty narrowing my focus into a workable plan. If I can create a decent plan that I can follow-through on, I'll be excited.
5. My first job was babysitting my next door neighbor for $1.25 an hour.
I remember going to babysitting classes at the local parks and rec to learn infant CPR, emergency procedures, and the whole nine yards. It was fun. But boy I even undercharged then!
Is Debt Greater Than Love?
The way debt and relationships intertwine is something that continues to plague, concern, or confuse us all. Some people believe the situation would always be black and white, while others always see grey. Today, Moolanomy posted an article I wrote titled: "Is Your Debt a Relationship Killer?" It explores the deeper issues that collapse a relationship under the guise of debt.
Why does life kick you in the groin when you spend money?
So I was pretty proud of the decisions we've made recently. We bought our bed and the mini camcorder. My friend who's a tech junkie is still trying to figure out how I managed to get such a deal on the Bloggie. We even decided to take a vacation. In five years of marriage we've never taken more than a weekend getaway. I had a flight credit, we found a deal that will allow us to stay at a luxury resort for $35/night for half our trip, and we're pretty excited.
I took my husband to work, came home and discovered the dog had chewed a hole in his tush. Apparently he's having systemic allergies that commonly occur about a year after they enter a new environment. (Thanks for the heads up.) So what started as a small allergy quickly tsunamied into a systemic skin irritation, ear infection, and overall misery in the world.
The poor baby needed a shot, antibiotics, special shampoo, a diet change, and I think he's trying to remove his own skin. All this means that we're caring for him round the clock (he can't be left alone 'cause he'll chew) and everyone's favorite nemesis, vet bills. The initial bill was under $200, but I can quickly see these long term care issues adding up. The dollars wouldn't sting if it had happened a different month, but it never fails, when you dare to spend money, an emergency happens. Sheesh!
Hopefully we can get the irritation down; that's half the battle cause he'll stop chewing his own skin. I'm throwing out any bedding that can't be washed, and bleaching all his bedding and toys. I'm using a natural shampoo called Kelco Ultra MD to help his skin, and upgrading his food to one that had previously done very well for his skin and coat. When he seems to get really bad, we're giving him a bit of Benadryl as the vet noted. Does anyone else have any ideas for keeping him comfortable?
Thank you!
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