i don't want to do this fucking project, i can't focus on it. I don't want to return home either, I am jealous of anyone, who lives in area, like Nashville or Atlanta.

Why can't I come home to that,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I am not looking forward to not having a car, not being able to go to shows, just being bored out of my fucking mind, in area where the people can be so stuck in their way, I hate the DC area sometimes


If  I had a car and way to escape I would like it more, and thing are just being better here, and I have to go  home, finally when I have free time and some money to burn.

No one is fucking accountable, they are all off in their worlds and lives, I am left with very little freedom

Curse my absent laptop and all its missing logins. I had to put in my two cents on Slashdot anonymously. Can you imagine?!

I got in from work to find we've got a lodger:



A baby sparrow is currently living in a bucket, lined with tissue, in our kitchen :s

My dad found it in his vegetable patch. My parents have been feeding it grubs but I really can't see it lasting the night :( If it does its going straight to the nearest animal shelter (wherever that is) first thing

Can anyone tell me how Kalyani bras fit compared to, say, Panache, or Freya? I thinking of buying this bra, but I'm not sure what size to order. (Not that there's a tremendous amount of choice... *g*) Thanks!

Just finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which was pretty awesome. I'd been avoiding it because of the hype (which is something I should learn to do less) and only picked it up because I'd read and liked The Omnivore's Dilemma and I was in the mood for more. It's gotten me to think a LOT about food lately, given me some well thought out versions of the reasons why I am not a veg*n and it also convinced me that I really need to read some of Barbara Kingsolver's fiction.
Which reminds me that I have to get up earlyish tomorrow, despite it being my day off, because I am excited to hit the very first day of the season for the Lonsdale Farmer's Market! I've also got some other plans which include finding housing for a shitload of rice (Stocking up you know. And plus, Anthony's got it on sale.) and washing the last of our dishes post-move.
Also some laundry.
Also maybe hanging out with Lea (who I haven't seen in a long long time) and giving her my leftover boxes for her own upcoming move.
Also going to go see Iron Man.
I'm working (bookshop) on Sunday, but might be up to doing some more interesting things in the evening as I'll be home alone.

Today and yesterday's lunch featured slightly spicy quinoa with orange peppers.

P.S.
Did you know that you can grow potatoes in a barrel? I am so doing this.

Ah, memories of Emeril Lagasse. :)

Right when I got home, I bought the plane ticket to Las Vegas (via Richmond), booked the rental car, and booked a comped room at Bally's Las Vegas. The $242 plane ticket will be paid off by the end of August, the rental car won't cost me more then $60, and I just need to pre-reg for Anime Vegas which is $50. I think I'm good to go.

I snapped this just a few minutes ago- it's the first goldfinch I've seen in my yard so far :)



( +3 more species )

See Birds Below...

Poll #1185360 What stinkin' bird is it!!?? ;)
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

My bird is a...

On this day, Daniel M. Laenker spewed forth:

• 18:15 Should I try for being a Disney queen this summer? It's money and experience but I hate Disney. #
• 18:39 O #
• 19:04 But for the grace of God go I / Into the great unknown / Things are gonna change / In our favor.... #

Here's a Lawrence's Goldfinch found on Google Images:



And here's mine:



The weird thing about it is that they are not common around here at all. I looked in both my Washington State field guides and couldn't find it at all. I wish it was there, because I want to read up on it. I'll have to look at trika's link for now. Good goin' trika! :) I have a blind friend who is a bird listener and she says the Lawrence's Goldfinch is on a CD she has of Western birds. Fun, fun! That makes 43 birds seen from or in my backyard.

I believe my attention span regarding David Lynch's (oft-regarded masterpiece) Twin Peaks has slipped, and I've become a microcosm for those watching back in 1990. Funny how the show's final episode occurred on the same day as my tenth birthday.

*clicks on tape recorder*

Diane, make a note of all strange happenings on and around June 10th, 1991. I could be on to something here.

*click*

Anyways, the show seems to have seriously derailed in the second season. Five episodes into it, Matthew and I couldn't stay seated. I was trying to make cookies int he kitchen and he was... well, we has being Matthew. I decided that instead of submitting myself to the remainder of the season (an estimated 18 more episodes), I'd just read about what happened on wikipedia.

The ending sounds pretty cool.

Finally, I've sent back the two discs (one half-unwatched) and decided to go about my daily life.

Next up: Monk! And Tideland still needs to be watched.

*AHEM*

...my last batch of photos - the wild birds in the open areas:

Starting with a Murder:
Carrion Crows, probably attracted by all the ground-nesting birds...


( Clickety )

And that's it from the London Wetlands Centre!

The machines in my apartment complex NEVER work. I imagine it a combination of the lack of maintenance from the landlord and the stupidity of the majority of the tenants. But still... these cheap-as-shit Speed Queen fuckers eat quarters and don't wash/dry anything! Hate!

( What is *THIS*? )

Any help would be appreciated. :)

( Read more... )

Futzing around airtran.com, I discovered a round-trip ticket from RIC (Richmond) to Las Vegas for Labor Day weekend. If I flew from Newport News, the ticket would normally be worth $468.50. But today, if I flew out of RIC, it could be mine for only...

$267.

And this is before I apply the $25 coupon I got from AirTran yesterday.

Both the deal and the coupon expire on May 11.... so should I book that ticket? :)

UPDATE: I bought the ticket just now. With the coupon, the round trip from RIC to LAS cost me only $242. And hmm, what's this, Anime Vegas is that same weekend! Oho! :)

He REALLY, REALLY didn't want to give up the feeder, LOL!

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/archives/2008/05/one-mans-review-of-suze-ormans-women-and-money-book.html

Initially, I had intended this to be review of Suze Orman’s newest book Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny to be done by my wife. However, she expresses no interest in doing so. So I read it myself, and found out that her reaction was actually a bit ironic. Here is my review of this book both from the perspective of a male and the husband of a smart, capable woman who doesn’t like dealing with money.

The first half of this book deals primarily with the question of Women can handle money as well as any man… So why don’t they? It’s tough to deal with this subject obviously, because not all women are the same and you don’t want to be accused of stereotyping. But at the same time I’m glad that Suze tried. Here are a few ideas.

Women feel like coveting money is wrong. For some reason, it is okay to be proud to have a good job and a good family, but it’s wrong to openly admit you want lots of money. It could be that women tend to be more nurturing and taking care of others versus themselves. They don’t want to be considered selfish.

But at the same time that they try not to focus on money, they still worry about being broke. The book quotes a study that showed 90% of women describing themselves as feeling insecure when it came to their finances. In the same survey, nearly half the respondents said that the prospect of ending up a bag lady has crossed their minds.

Women are more team-oriented, as opposed to individually oriented. When a man thinks about money, they are at war - it’s a competitive battle. Me, me, me. When a woman thinks about money, she wants to make sure the whole team is treated fairly, and wants everyone to get along without hurting anyone else’s feelings.

An example of this is during salary negotiations. The book states that research has shown that women are 2.5 times more likely to say they feel “a great deal of apprehension” about negotiating. In one study, men used the metaphor of “winning a ballgame” to describe negotiating, while women picked the metaphor of “going to the dentist.”

I have personally experienced this with my wife. Although her performance reviews are always great, she has always been very passive when it comes to salary negotiations. Despite my suggestions, she has never asked for an higher raise than offered, and never put in a counter-offer when accepting a new job. Suze puts it this way - “You are not on sale. Do not undervalue yourself.”

Save Yourself Plan
The second half of the book is a condensed version of all her personal finance tips, broken down into 5 steps. The idea is that a woman should finish one manageable step per month. The advice is solid and straightforward, if a bit one-size-fits-all. Here’s a brief summary of each step:

1. Checking and savings accounts. Get organized, get a free checking account, open up a higher-yield savings account, etc.
2. Credit cards and FICO scores. Check your credit score, build up your credit if you don’t have any, pay down bills, pay less fees, etc.
3. Retirement Investing. Start putting something away, invest in 401ks and Roth IRAs, buy low-cost index funds, etc.
4. Must-Have Documents. Wills, living revocable trusts, advanced directives, etc.
5. Protecting Your Family and Home. Life insurance, renters or homeowner’s insurance, personal liability insurance, etc.

Overall Review
I would read this book if you (or someone important you know) feels like they should learn more about money, but for whatever reason haven’t been able to do so. This books tries to find the right buttons to push, and if it works then it will be worth it. It’s pretty popular so I’m sure most libraries have a copy. The advice at the end is good enough as starter material.

As for me, this book has caused me to want to involve my wife more in the day-to-day activities, if only to get her more familiar with things. I will continue to encourage my wife to read this book, and will probably include it in my Financial Will. Any thoughts from the women who’ve read this book?

after the poll two days ago, the two top names for deciding my new artist name/persona were marti v and sugar star. first, i want to thank everyone for their input! i really appreciate your opinions, comments and i luv you ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

i was already thinking of using the name sugar star studios for a collaborative online digital art portfolio (yes, that was very long just now) if it doesn't work out, i can always use sugar star for a non-portfolio art webpage. i kind of want to keep kawaiimarti for that <3. anyway, i think marti v will be a good name for me as a designer. it sounds cool and it's starting to grow on me just a bit.

i'm gonna be working on a lot of designs and artwork over the summer. i have a lot of plans to get into motion. i'll be busy over the summer... but i'll always be available for hanging outs and trips to BG!

...And YES, I actually do carry diapers in my purse!

MOTHERS and MOMS
If you send this to just one person, it should make
it all the way around the world by Mother's Day.

This is for the mothers who have sat up
all night with sick toddlers in their arms,
wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer
wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying,
'It's okay honey, Mommy's here.'

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end
soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at
work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains
on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and
make cookies and sew Halloween costumes.
And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to
babies they'll never see. And the mothers
who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art
collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns
on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead
of watching from the warmth of their cars.
And that when their kids asked, 'Did you see me, Mom?'
they could say, 'Of course, I wouldn't
have missed it for the world,' and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids
in the grocery store and swat them in despair when
they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner.
And for all the mothers who count to ten instead,
but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with
their children and explained all about making
babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who
wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go
hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read 'Goodnight,
Moon' twice a night for a year. And then
read it again, 'Just one more time.'

This is for all the mothers who taught
their children to tie their shoelaces before
they started school. And for all the mothers
who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons
to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns
automatically when a little voice calls 'Mom?'
in a crowd, even though they know their
own offspring are at home -- or even away
at college -- or have their own families.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids
to school with stomach aches, assuring them
they'd be just FINE once they got there, only
to get calls from the school nurse an hour later
asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone
astray, who can't find the words to reach them.
For all the mothers who bite their lips until they
bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of
recent school shootings, and the mothers
of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors,
and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs
in horror, hugging their child
who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their
children to be peaceful, and now pray
they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good mother anyway?
Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips?
The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and
sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Or is it in her heart?
Is it the ache she feels when she
watches her son or daughter disappear
down the street, walking to school alone
for the very first time?
The jolt that takes her from sleep to
dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put
her hand on the back of a sleeping baby?
The panic, years later, that comes again
at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear
their key in the door and know they
are safe again in her home?
Or the need to flee from wherever she is
and hug her child when she hears news
of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?
The emotions of motherhood are
universal and so our thoughts are for
young mothers stumbling through diaper
changes and sleep deprivation....

And for mature mothers learning to let go.
For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.
Single mothers and married mothers.
Mothers with money, mothers without.
This is for you all. For all of us...
Hang in there. In the end we can
only do the best we can. Tell them
every day that we love them. And pray
and never stop being a mother....