85 posts tagged “2007”

Oh! I forgot about The Mayfly Project until I saw the post on Stretts' blog! Let's see, how to sum up the year in 24 words? I did it for 2006 so surely I can do it again. How's about this one:

Travel: Yosemite, Corvallis, Ashland, Big Sur, Portland, Toronto, Rhode Island. Activity: dancing, hiking. Many houseguests. Competent at work! Lunch group. Much fun. Still single.

Well, I'm back in my lovely quiet apartment, all by myself for the first time in ten days, after a week in RI and a weekend of a house guest. There were a few indignities, some successfully great food, lots of laughs, a genuwine grade-A miracle, and good times all around.

First, the indignities, because of COURSE you want to know:

• Delta separated me from my bags BOTH directions. They were delivered within 12 hours or so of my arrival each time, but still, and really!
• I'd carefully packed a lovely framed picture, which was a gift for my mom. Word of advice: don't ever pack a sheet of glass in the same suitcase that has your clothes in it. 'nuff said? It was a big mess, and I had to replace both the sheet of glass AND all four pictures it had been covering, as they were all shredded by glassy bits. 
• The idiot TSA woman took twenty minutes rooting around in my suitcase to find the bottle of coffee syrup (coffee milk is Rhode Island's state drink!),
  
• I burned my fingers repeatedly when cooking our Fabulous Christmas Eve Dinner

This brings me to the "great food" part of the event. I'd asked for menu suggestions for beef stew, because for the annual siblings-cook-the-Eve-feast meal, we'd planned on Boeuf Bourguignon (aka fancy beef stew). We wound up having a green salad with sauteed apples & pears, hazelnuts, and blue cheese; warm salad of fingerling potatoes; a mixed green vegetables stir-fry; and an amazing chocolate roulade (pics of that later).
 

The miracle happened earlier this year, and entailed my older brother moving into a group home. It's so amazing and lovely to see him happy and out of my parent's house. They've done a great job helping him build a varied life, but he has been ready to move out since about the time I did, and finally, nearly twenty years later, he has.

So, wow, 2007 I scarcely new ye, but onward and upward to 2008. I'm looking forward to good times, more great meals, and I'd take another miracle or two, for sure. But enough with the indignities!

I got the table. I didn't have to rearrange at all, after all - slid the couch forward a couple of inches, and moved the rocking chair into the Conversational Grouping Area, but there's still plenty of space. T kindly helped me get it home, and we only scratched it up a little bit (dang it.. I knew that if S were here she'd have made me take the time to be careful with the table) and it fits beautifully. I'm sitting at it now! AND doing laundry... I'm such a good multi-tasker.

Here's the pictures. Yep, I know I've got to do something with that big blank wall - I've got pictures on the way that I will frame, and hopefully that will help a LOT.

I might be getting a dining room table tonight... which of course means that much rearranging and before & after photos will ensue.

The timing is BAD, as this weekend is mainly filled with holiday party prep, holiday party, and holiday party recovery, then I work a few days, leave town for a week, come back to a houseguest, then it's new year's, then January... but, exciting!!!! nonetheless.The price is good, and the condition looks excellent. Of course I only have four mismatched chairs and it seats ten, but that can be a later project.

Here are pics of it in its current setting:

If you were making a fancy dinner and at this stage in your planning, the main course was going to be an upscale version of beef stew, what on earth would you also serve? Or would you scrap the plan and start over with a different main course?

I was recently wondering what to do with some fun money - I thought it might be about $150. Not only is the fun money I anticipated more than that, but I also just got a totally unexpected check from my beloved Oregon - in years that the tax receipts are more than 2% over the projected amount they expected to receive, they refund it, and my last year there, 2006, was one such year! I got back 18% of the taxes I paid (they said.. no, I didn't calculate it). Let's just say that my fun money is a lot more than I anticipated!

I had already considered donating some, so I just did it. Since I'm so grateful for nutritious, home-made food every day, and because the rate of hunger in this country is unconscionably high, I donated money to two food banks: the Oregon Food Bank and the Alameda County Community Food Bank. And I'll still have a lot more fun money than I expected. I'm going to save it toward travel - at this point I really don't need anything else, so may as well use it to seed a new account.

Merry Christmas indeed!

I finally got around to updating my usage information with my car insurance company. I used to drive 20 miles each way, five days a week; now I drive 3 miles each way, 2 days a week (I walk/shuttle or carpool the rest of the time), and figure I drive 4000 miles per year.

The savings? just over ten bucks per month - nothing huge, but better than not having it. Too bad I didn't do that 18 months ago when I moved here - $180 bucks would've got me that much closer to paying the car off altogether!

Next up? As soon as I'm off-plan with my cell phone company (March, I think), I'm totally switching to a pay-as-you-go plan. I talk very little, and text a bit, so I'll save as much as 25 bucks a month when I make that change. I'd love to nix the landline, but I need it to buzz people into my apartment. No way I'm running up and down all the stairs when people come over. I don't have cable, and my electric bill is ~12 per month, so I think this is the last of the economizing I'll be able to do on my regular bills.

One crazy-busy trip down! My four days in Portland were a whirl of activity. I got to see almost everyone I wanted to see, we had a very good turnout at the 12th Annual Cookie Party:

Heading to Portland for the weekend. This time I'm staying four days (Friday mid-day through Monday evening) as I was WAY rushed last time. The scribbled list:

Friday meet R for lunch, possibly at my former favorite neighborhood spot, Grand Central (though I'm open to suggestion); drive her to nearly-done workplace, then go visit my FPOW. Then get some dinner, possibly solo, but that's okay.

Saturday hit the Saturday Market and try to replace my (lost!) favorite earrings. Then visit at least one set of friends, possibly two, before heading back to the location for the annual get-together. In the evening, another annual party tradition, where I get to hang with my library school people.

Sunday a potluck brunch, followed by a hike in Forest Park, followed by a decadent dinner at Lisa's.

Monday is MUCH more wide open, with the only current item on the agenda is a 1pm appointment with my favorite hair person at her shiny new salon. She's coming in on her day off to see me, and I've told her she can do anything she wants - ANYthing - so long as my lazy attitude toward maintenance won't be a hindrance. I admit I was inspired to do this by slytherinlibrarian's shiny new profile photo. I want fun and interesting and pretty hair! So we'll see what I come home with. You can be SURE there will be a lot of after pics.

Ever make a resolution, say around New Year's?
Did you ever say to yourself, "Self, I have GOT to start reading more!"?

Join the BAM Challenge: devillibrarian's Book a Month plan. She'll post a theme, and fellow readers will read a book in that theme, then post a review.

It's the coolness! And I like that it leaves room for reading outside the box.