"I've got ₤50 000 in my pyjamas..."
The trip to Columbus is coming together...all we need is a rental car. This would be much less anxiety-promoting if I hadn't sworn off credit cards. Car rental co's are a bit harsher on those of us who operate with debit/credits.
Today I went to the Mall of America on a girls' day out with my mother, my sister, my niece, and two of my niece's cousins from her father's side of the family. It was niece K's request for her birthday, to go to the American Girl store. It was a nice, leisurely day, we made it to the American Girl store, Build-A-Bear (where niece K and cousin J got bears), Basin, Lush, the Farm Toys store, and Harry and David. All I spent was lunch money, and I'm OK with that. On the way home stopped at Stuff Mart so sis could get dog food. I picked up a couple of Sharpies for work (for dating casestocks).
I'm endeavoring toward better fiscal responsibility and stewardship this year. That is my new year's resolution, to get a better handle on my spending and to be more careful with my money. My biggest problem is being lazy about preparing on-the-road food for myself. It is hard to prepare two meals per day to take on the road. Storage isn't a problem since both my campus and my workplace have refrigerators. It's simply not wanting to eat the same sandwich all week long, twice per day. Another challenge is eating healthy (and organic if possible) on a budget.
Allie the Wonder Pointer is not a good bed partner. She's a solidly built dog and has a tendency to want to lie down as close to her pal as possible. Right now she's behind me on the futon, lying so that her bum is up against mine. This gets interesting when she has a dream in which she ends up shaking, quaking, whining and woofing. Last night we slept in my parents' bed (the parents went to a late holiday party and then just stayed overnight at the hotel) and she slept right next to me, and would not move for anything. I slept little. She slept like the clichéd rock.
Poor Pumbaa the piggy sleeps with me in the basement, and the other morning when it was -31F outside, it ended up to be 52F in our room. I had to take her out of her cage, wrap her up in a warmed towel, and cuddle with her. She's survived the experience, but being that she's now an adult edging toward elderly, I watch her carefully. Cavies are used to more temperate South American weather and like other small pets are susceptible to drafts.
Today I went to the Mall of America on a girls' day out with my mother, my sister, my niece, and two of my niece's cousins from her father's side of the family. It was niece K's request for her birthday, to go to the American Girl store. It was a nice, leisurely day, we made it to the American Girl store, Build-A-Bear (where niece K and cousin J got bears), Basin, Lush, the Farm Toys store, and Harry and David. All I spent was lunch money, and I'm OK with that. On the way home stopped at Stuff Mart so sis could get dog food. I picked up a couple of Sharpies for work (for dating casestocks).
I'm endeavoring toward better fiscal responsibility and stewardship this year. That is my new year's resolution, to get a better handle on my spending and to be more careful with my money. My biggest problem is being lazy about preparing on-the-road food for myself. It is hard to prepare two meals per day to take on the road. Storage isn't a problem since both my campus and my workplace have refrigerators. It's simply not wanting to eat the same sandwich all week long, twice per day. Another challenge is eating healthy (and organic if possible) on a budget.
Allie the Wonder Pointer is not a good bed partner. She's a solidly built dog and has a tendency to want to lie down as close to her pal as possible. Right now she's behind me on the futon, lying so that her bum is up against mine. This gets interesting when she has a dream in which she ends up shaking, quaking, whining and woofing. Last night we slept in my parents' bed (the parents went to a late holiday party and then just stayed overnight at the hotel) and she slept right next to me, and would not move for anything. I slept little. She slept like the clichéd rock.
Poor Pumbaa the piggy sleeps with me in the basement, and the other morning when it was -31F outside, it ended up to be 52F in our room. I had to take her out of her cage, wrap her up in a warmed towel, and cuddle with her. She's survived the experience, but being that she's now an adult edging toward elderly, I watch her carefully. Cavies are used to more temperate South American weather and like other small pets are susceptible to drafts.