Short Change

Biting the Bullet at Costco

2010-01-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

This month we are on a tight budget...it's after the holidays, we spent more than we should have, and oh, THIS BABY IS GOING THROUGH DIAPERS LIKE THEY ARE GOING OUT OF STYLE.

Her hat is cute, so that makes it okay, right? I digress...cute baby post coming soon, promise.

Our weather here in Indiana has been ridiculously cold. Cold enough that this do anything attitude new mom has kept Holly indoors as much as possible. I asked my husband to swing through Costco and pick up stuff from their coupon book that we actually needed. $100 later we were set. $100?!?! Here's why it works out for us:

This ring is only the size of Vermont

A 3 pack of Olay Body Wash (70 oz worth) was $9.99 with the coupon. To put that in perspective 1 bottle of Warm Vanilla Sugar shower gel from Bath and Body Works is $9.50 for 10 oz.

Yeah, I'd rather pay .14 per ounce than .95 an ounce. If the Bath and Body Works Shower Gel came in a 70 oz bottle it'd cost $66.50. So I saved myself $50. Really - I don't need to use fancy shower gel, I smell like baby all the time anyway. I would just smell like vanilla coated baby. What's the point?

My husband uses Gillette 3 Blade Ultra Grip razors. A 10 ct pack from Walmart is 6.97. He was able to get the same razors at Costco. A 52 ct pack cost him 16.37 which works out to .31 per razor over .69 at Walmart. Add that up and it's a savings of $20.

Here's my favorite savings of all: bottled water. You're thinking, wait - if you want to save money, don't buy bottled water, drink tap. I don't drink bottled water at home. A case of bottled water lasts us 2 months or so. I use them when we travel and since having Holly, I need to stay hydrated for her as well as me.

So here we go: at Target a 24 bottle case of Ice Mountain Water is "on sale" for 3.99. Which is .16 a bottle. Way ahead already if you usually just buy a bottle on the go for 1.29 at the gas station (guilty). Costco offers 35 bottles per case for $4.85 before the coupon - which is .13 a bottle. Not a huge deal but with the coupon it's $2.85 for 35 bottles of water which make each bottle now .07. I can justify having quality water I can trust for .07.

I usually freak out when I see our bill at Costco. Then I remember we're only going once a month or less than that! I also enjoy waking up and my husband having razors, I have soap, and there's no unnecessary trips to the store which usually leads me to spending more money and buying things not on the list.

I don't work for Costco, and I really do love Target. The savings that I get at Costco are really helping us get by. The $100 we just spent is going to save us $100 if not more. So thanks Costco....(and to my grandma who bought us our Costco membership as a wedding present!)

Sinking Feeling

2009-11-18T06:44:00.000-08:00

Fall is the perfect time to bust out the roasting pans for awesome roasted vegetables. I found sweet potatoes and butternut squash finally in season and decided to make them for dinner the other night.

Butternut squash is a tricky vegetable. It's hard to peel, hard to cut, and really delicious. This squash makes you work for it. Now we'll start with the peeling. I tried to do it like Giada showed me. She cuts off the ends, then again in half so she can take her knife and just cut the skin off. Massive fail because my knives need sharpened. So I busted out my peeler and got to work. Not easy, but it got the job done. The sweet potatoes were much easier. The result was awesome, and I couldn't have been happier with the meal.

After dinner I was trying to clean up and realized that peels had clogged our garbage disposal. On a side note: Patrick HATES garbage disposals. If he had a list of things he hated passionately, it'd go like this - 1. Black Eyed Peas with Fergie, 2. Dirt 3. Garbage Disposals. If we ever get to build a house, he won't put in a garbage disposal.

So since the sink was clogged I left dishes all over my counter tops to be cleaned later. We ran some errands and picked up liquid plumber and hope that it'll break up the clog and I'll be good to go. No such luck - the next morning it's still clogged. Ick. Instead of calling a plumber, I emailed my dad for help. I remembered all the times my dad was under the sink after my mom tried to put potato skins down the drain. SEE!!! I GET THIS NATURALLY. THIS IS NOT MY FAULT. Of course I get the lecture - "this is why you always put newspaper in the sink when you peel vegetables" but he said he'd stop by and fix it.

My dad fixed it in about 3 minutes. He's so great. Thanks dad, if you still read my blog.

I let the pan that I roasted the veggies in soak overnight - this morning I cleaned it. I figured anything crusted on would be soft enough that it would go right through the drain. WRONG. I clogged it again. But I really thought it was ridiculous that something so soft and small could clog the sink.

Patrick was not pleased (obviously) and it was too late in the morning for him to fix it. I walked away from the sink hoping that I wouldn't turn into the Hulk and throw the sink out the window. Later in the morning I go back over to see if the water was still standing in the sink and saw that the reason the sink wasn't draining this morning: THE STOPPER WAS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SINK. *sigh* I blame it on the infant who just learned to roll over. Next week she'll want to go to a Miley Cyrus concert.

I'm Totally That Mom

2009-11-05T08:51:00.000-08:00

I hate you already and I'm only 1 week old.

Our munchkin is almost 2 months old now. I don't remember life before her - it's a little hazy, but life is hazy in general right now. She's fantastic, funny, happy, and all around perfect. I have no problem passing her off to my family members when we're all together. It's not that I don't love her, it's that I want to share her with everyone. But I'm totally THAT Mom.

I took her to Irish Fest when she was 12 days old.
I took her to a college football tailgate when she was one month old.
I breastfed her in the middle of Starbucks.
I changed her diaper (twice!) in the middle of Starbucks. *Starbucks should put a diaper changing station in the bathroom. Maybe not in urban areas, but in suburbia it would really help me out.
I take her to lunch with my friends.
I have no problem leaving her with any of her grandparents and going to a movie.
I dressed her up like a hotdog for Halloween.
I let her cry for a few minutes before I pick her up.

This doesn't look cute, I look stupid! I can't even EAT candy!

I'm totally that mom ... the mom who believes that my life doesn't stop because I had a baby. That mud and dirt are toys. Imagination trumps video games any day. Sesame Street is better than Barney. Camping is more fun than staying in hotels. We'll go to Disney World when she's too heavy to carry, potty trained, can tell me if she's hungry, tired, hurt, or happy, when she's old enough to remember how magical it really is.

I love her more than anything in the world. I can't imagine how she experiences every day, but mine starts with her smiling and squirming when we get her out of her crib. I can't stand the thought of something ever happening to her, and I'm so lucky that she's healthy.

So I'm just like every other mom I know. I love my kid. We're figuring it out. There's no perfect system. I'm going to make mistakes, but I'm also going to do my best to raise her with a sense of humor, love, and compassion. I'm totally that mom.

I Just Realized I'm Really Married

2009-07-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

4 months ago, Patrick and I got married. We had decided that it was going to happen anyway, the baby just pushed up our timeline. At first it was so bizarre saying "my husband" all the time. I got used to it. We've been looking for a house for a month now, and soon we're going to be doing a second look at some top choices and taking my mom along for advice and or approval. Actually, she'll probably disapprove of the house we end up getting if it's not in her school district but whatever.

Patrick started a new contract this week (yay!) and asked if I could pick up groceries since we've been out of town and had no food. He left me his American Express Card. THE CARD WITH NO LIMIT. The card that gave us enough points for my KitchenAid mixer, cookbook stand, and deep fryer. It's gold colored for a reason. Instead of thinking about the shopping spree I could go on for baby and me at Target, all I could think about was buying groceries. Not at Whole Foods, either.

That's when it hit me. I'm really married. We're in this together. There's no I or me anymore. There's us. There's doing what's best for us. And all those years I scoffed at wedded bliss - I guess I just wasn't ready for a team sport. I would never give advice on marriage or "making it work." I'm usually the cheerleader, telling my friends to go for it or that their significant other is great. I've been given a good blueprint from my parents - married forever and to see them enjoy the relationship Patrick and I have is a pretty good blessing.

With all the obstacles we've been through this year (and it's only July?!?) we've grown closer. Which is more than I could have asked for. You don't know how much better life can be when you're with your best friend. Luckily, I realized I'm married to mine.

I Think I've Been Brainwashed

2009-06-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

One of the things that has been an interesting side effect of the growing basketball in my belly is my lack of desire for new clothes. I love shopping and now I'm so apathetic about it. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??? I used to be a pj's collector. My aunt gives all of her nieces pj's every Christmas. I can't walk past the pj's at Target without picking up a new pair. I probably have 2 dresser drawers full of pj's. Now I'm dipping into Patrick's drawers for flannel pants, Notre Dame (ick!) shirts, anything big and loose and not cute.

So as usual, I check the weekly reviews and updates at One Bored Mommy and there she is in cute nursing pj's!?! Sign me up. I also have a friend's baby shower that I should probably buy a cute outfit for. It just seems like a chore at this point. Who knew I would become a non shopper? Another unsung side effect of pregnancy.

I promise, It's Half Caf

2009-06-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

I finally broke down and started drinking coffee again. Now that I'm at 30 weeks and can feel the baby giving me internal organ exams frequently, I've started to relax a little. A cup of coffee isn't going to kill me. We tried out the Foldgers Half Caf Coffee and I'm pretty happy with it. I've tried Starbucks decaf. It's a compromise. Unfortunately, my teeth are not so happy.

Besides the coffee, I've taken comfort in reading a few blogs by moms who I feel I relate to. Moms who tell it like it is, but have also made me feel like I'm going to be good mom, too. I had to be really careful in finding blogs that won't freak me out and by far, one of my favorite is Courtney, mom of 4, blogger and author of One Bored Mommy. Courtney does tons of giveaways all the time. So if you're a mom, have a sister who is a mom, or a best friend you like to treat, definitely check out Courtney's blog. She does product reviews and everything is kid tested. Needless to say I'm a fan. So the cool thing over at One Bored Mommy is she does a giveaway of whatever she's reviewing! Right now there's 5 or 6 different giveaways. Who doesn't love free stuff? One of her reviews/giveaways is for a Rembrant 2 hour teeth whitening kit!

Once the baby is born, we'll be doing a set of family photos with awesome photographer Magen Peters over at Indy Images Photography. I do not want coffee teeth in these photos. Obviously the baby will be the star, but I want to look good too!

A Few Months ...

2009-05-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

It's been a few months since I've written a post for Short Change, mostly because working all day and being preggo meant that as soon as I was home, I would eat and go straight to bed. My good friend over at www.somymom.com keeps saying I need to write about my pregnancy.

All in all, it's gone pretty well. I won't go into the details because it's something that Patrick and I are truly enjoying and keeping to ourselves. I don't read too many "mommy blogs" because I want to have my own experience and not be influenced by the evil interwebs. I also don't want to add fuel to the fire of the mommy blog trend. We're just kind of doing our own thing and cruising along until September when this little person decides to join us.

Needless to say, we're so excited and can't wait. Especially me - because it'll mean that everything turned out ok and we're new parents. Wow ... parents .....ok. That's another reason I'm not blogging about this journey - I cry enough without thinking about how to convey my feelings!

Screw It

2009-03-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

I was going to write a post about a visit to Downtown Chicago last Palm Sunday for Mass at the Cathedral and Goose Island's Stoutfest. I ate breakfast at a little spot I swear to God was called Metro.

The Cathedral was closed due to it being ancient and some ceiling beams had fallen - luckily no one was hurt. Mass was held in an auditorium. Not really the Palm Sunday I was looking for, but whatever, it's only an hour and Jesus doesn't care where you worship, just as long as you say "hey Dude, thanks. I appreciate all you did and as soon as Lent is over can we go to Starbucks together and then hit up McDonald's for some Big Macs?"

So Mass ends and Patrick swears that he went to this little breakfast place and it was awesome blah blah blah. After walking around for a bit without finding his breakfast place we happened upon Metro (I think). I can't remember anything that I ate. It was bright and full of people with a family from some other country running the place. I loved it.

We took a train to Goose Island (the original one) for Stoutfest. Again, I don't remember much but that's due more to my alcohol intake than the event. It was in a room that you stepped down into and my wristband was too big. I drank a lot of stouts. One tasted like butterscotch candies at my Grandma's house. I probably sampled that one too much. On the way back to the car via the train, Patrick said some really funny stuff that made me realize he's a gabby drunk. Worse than me because I talk all the time anyway. He's quiet, so when he gets gabby it's something to experience.

Looking back, I can't believe this all happened about a year ago and now I'm in Chicago and Patrick is in New Orleans. And it was really cold that day. It's becoming clear a 7 month old could beat me at Guess Who.

But really, the reason I can't remember much is because I was digging around in the pantry and found a really big bottle of Stoli's Strawberry Vodka and have had a couple of screw drivers. I'm waiting for The City to start so the Jay bashing can continue and I can compare him to all the dopes I dated before I decided I wanted to be happy.

I Don't Want Lettuce Wraps or a Word Find

2009-03-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

I have gotten into cooking Asian influenced dishes lately and once you stock your pantry with the obligatory sesame oil, oyster sauce (which isn't made with any fish at all???), hot chili oil, peanut oil, and garlic chili paste (best condiment ever invented) it's easy to just throw stuff together. Stir fries have turned me on to veggies again. Don't freak out Dad, but I'm eating broccoli AND I LIKE IT!

After dissecting the pathetic Asian food section of our grocery store, we searched a little harder and found the best Asian supermarket a little further away, but no toll road driving, so it's still close enough for me to rationalize the trip. After figuring out that I can make pretty much anything off of P.F. Chang's menu at home, I've been looking for the recipes online.

P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps are hands down the most popular item online. There are multiple recipes for the Lettuce Wraps and the reviews are from P.F. Chang's crazy fans. Housewives are really passionate about their Lettuce Wraps. I had no idea when I stumbled across it while looking for Kung Pao Chicken or Beef.

CDKitchen.com actually had recipes for P.F. Chang's recipes besides the Lettuce Wraps. Spicy Chicken and the Garlic Noodles, Cantonese Sauce, etc. I'm pretty pleased with the site and it takes half the time to load that foodnetwork.com takes. (I really don't need to see a short video of Rachel Ray doing something stupid and proclaiming YUMMO!)

The only part of CDKitchen.com that made me almost snort coffee out my nose was the "turn this recipe in a puzzle!" feature. What the hell? It turned the ingredient list into a word find. I don't want to be condecending, but really? A word find? From a recipe ingredient list?

The mom who came up with this needs to lay off the Arbor Mist for a minute and think. I used the site to find a recipe, not to create a word find out of recipe ingredients.

Must Love Cheese

2009-03-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

I watched The City last night and after seeing the previews for Jay leaving next week, I thought about my Jays in my dating life. A few stand out more than the rest, but I once went out with a guy who didn't like or eat cheese. He'd eat pizza, but it had to be loaded with toppings. I love cheese. It should have been a sign that this guy was not going to work out. I can understand being picky - I don't care for raw tomatoes or onions. I'll eat them, but in moderation. I don't eat plain eggs as a side dish. But cheese is a necessity to me. I'd give up deserts and sweets for cheese if it came down to it. So if you don't eat cheese, it's ok...but there will always be that invisible wall between us and you'll never understand what makes me tick, you'll just think I'm a raging psychopathic turophile.*

Turophile - Look it up. Seriously.

SMACK!

2009-03-01T11:48:00.000-08:00

No surprise, but I'm a world class klutz. If you can fall down it, run into it, or slam your fingers in it, I'll find it.

2 examples from this weekend alone:

Friday night fish fry at church during Lent is a big tradition with me. I love going. I don't even mind the hundreds of thousands of children who are running around screaming. No "where are their parents?" from me...I'm ok with it. It's a social event...not just dinner. And 8 bucks all you can eat fried catfish? I'll deal with the kids. So getting out of the truck I'm hit with a holy moly (since I'm on church grounds, I try not to swear - and it's good practice for when I'm surrounded by kids in 5 minutes) it is COLD out. COLD and WINDY...why am I parked all the way out here? And then I bashed my leg with the door of the truck. So now I'm cold and crippled and I really just want to get inside and eat some fish. The damage I do to my leg is only rivaled by my performance the following morning.....

Grocery shopping hadn't been done for the week yet, so I was getting a little creative with doctoring up my coffee since I was out of creamer. I did have a little bit of heavy whipping cream left over from a few days before and decided that I'd make homemade whipped cream and top my coffee with that and some dark chocolate bark! All of my mixing bowls are kept within midget approved cabinets - in the cabinets UNDER the counter instead of up above where I can't reach them. I'm under the counter, digging around and find the bowl I want - as I start to pull myself up with bowl in hand, I forget to back all the way away from the counter and SMACK. I now have a beautiful red goose egg in the middle of my forehead. I won't lie, I got a little teary, but the thought of homemade whipped cream and caffeine were enough to distract me. Today it's tender to the touch and still red. But there was no bloodshed and no concusion, so all in all, I came out better than I usually do. One of my 2009 goals is to be optimistic. Death by countertop would look ridiculous on an obit. I'm shooting for something much more dramatic.

Grandpa Takes on All the Kids at Call of Duty World at War

2009-02-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

This Christmas my family bought my Grandparents a Wii. My sister and I contributed a Wii Zapper - so he can play target practice games, which he really seemed to like the last time we had a Wii party at his house. After I set the entire system up, it was time to teach him how to bowl. There was a lot of "ok, press A" and "make sure you hold the button on the bottom of the remote." After a few games, he got the hang of it and we tried to get Grandma into it. She wasn't exactly into it. But I'll give her props for trying it out and laughing everytime the ball shot backwards and hit all the other Miis. I've got little cousins who hang out at Grandma and Grandpa's after school until their parents can pick them up. There's been a lot of Wii bowling in the afternoons and apparently Grandpa bowled a 144 a few weeks back. Or a 114, it's hard to tell sometimes with secondhand information from my dad.

Grandpa really got into it. As you can see by the photo, I get my competitiveness from him...I think. He's in his 80's and that ankle brace is from a WWII tank injury. The man is a living hero and purple heart recipient. I do make fun of him, especially the way he says hello. But it's with love and pride. He's a creature of habit. He calls my dad every Sunday to talk. Looking back, when my parents weren't home on a Sunday and I let his call go to voice mail - I wish I had answered the phone. At least to say hello and see how his week was. I'm pretty ashamed that I let the opportunity slide.

With age I've learned to accept my family the way they are and try to take the best from everyone to become a better person myself. I'm making an effort to talk to my parents more, and talk to my mom's mom more. I'd talk to my sister more, but honestly we'd probably just talk about Shamwows and how goofy Coldplay looked at the Grammys....so maybe I should call her more.

At least I wouldn't have to explain to her that Ikea has a cafe and then defend my choice of a cinnamon roll for breakfast. **cough cough mom and dad cough cough**

Best Diet Ever!

2009-02-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty petite to begin with. I roll in at 5 foot even and 95 lbs. How does that Dan Patrick schtick go? *ding!* Usually I couldn't care less about my weight or body image. I'm skinny, sometimes it's hard to find clothes, but at least I can afford clothes, food, shelter, etc. It's not something I obsess over. Unless my sister is involved. My kid sister is the one person who makes me feel self conscious about my weight. This is only because she's 4-5 inches taller than me and weighs roughly the same. Ugh, talk about unfair. Luckily, we're not that close, hardly ever see each other and it's not an issue too often. Except when we try to steal each others clothes. Then take cover, it's not pretty.

The holidays this year were such a blur. Starting with Thanksgiving at my Grandmother's and going all the way through to New Years, I ate ridiculous amounts of food. Turkey, ham, sweet potato casserole, white bean chili, mashed potatoes, rolls, pies, cookies, drinks, chex mix, spinach & artichoke dip, etc etc. After 7 holiday events with family and friends, my favorite jeans weren't so favorite. It was the first time in 27 years that I was actually hit with holiday weight gain. I know that I could lose it pretty quick with a few weeks at the gym and some brutal spinning classes. I'd be back to my size 0 jeans by the middle of January.

But then I got sick with the flu and bronchitis, and it was a week of jello, Gatorade, fruit juice popsicles, and soup. Then the bronchitis turned into pneumonia. I went from sort of not really eating to eating nothing at all. I dropped 7 lbs. in just under 2 weeks. It was definitely scary to step on the scale as soon as I stopped hacking up my right lung. I was afraid I looked like Keira Knightley at the Pirates of the Caribbean premiere:

But it wasn't nearly that bad. As soon as I'm 100% healthy again, I'll go back to my usual diet of a decent amount of proteins, trying to eat more veggies, and more calcium. I put a counter top ice cream maker on my wishlist for 09 after watching Paula Dean, Ina Garten and Giada all make ice cream.

So if homemade ice cream, some of Paula Dean's gooey butter cookies, and Barefoot Contessa sticky buns don't help me put the weight back on, maybe a deep dish pizza from Gino's East will.

Be Nice....

2008-12-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

Dad is now reading my blog. He's telling coworkers about it too. Guess I have to be nice now. Or at least not talk about how I hate his e-mail forwards all the time...

But just to see if he's really reading, I'm going to share this photo from the Lucas Oil Stadium Opening in Indianapolis (whoo hoo! Go Colts!) and say for the record that I'm not over the censorship in our family Christmas Cards this year.

Silver in the City

2008-12-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

This is a shameless plug for Silver in the City. They have saved me more times than they know, and they've made me very very happy when I've received gifts from their store. I put together a few items that are great gifts and are all available online. Nothing's outrageously expensive and everything has impecable taste and quality.

The Buddha Desk organizer is $20 and will hold your mail, give you a little peace of mind, or remind you to keep counting your Weight Watchers points!

Cool Jazz Ice Stirrers roll in at $10 bucks and are cool for your buddy everybody calls "the guitar dude." Perfect stocking stuffer or a thoughtful cheap present since you have 20 other people to buy for.

I know that grocery stores are now offering rebates for reusing bags or bringing your own. There's no reason to look dumpy while doing it. Envirosax are not only stylish, but they roll down for easy storage. $38 for a set of 5.

Ok, so really, I want this for myself. But I think it's adorable and lotus flowers are good luck. It's a little pricey - $62! But really....I'm not asking for Tiffany's and it's NOT A CROCK POT.

This is my favorite item. It's a wine rack and glass holder that's priced at $50. It's resonably priced and it's stylish as hell. I actually think I may be giving this as a gift to our favorite Wino couple. Highlight item for sure.

Check out Silver in the City here at http://shopsilverinthecity.com/ or at their actual store on Mass Ave if you're in Indianapolis. The staff is friendly, the store is elcectic and full of amazing finds that they don't list online.

***I do not work for Silver in the City. I am just a fan and totally addicted to stopping in every chance I get!

Christmas Grinch

2008-12-17T07:50:00.001-08:00

I was e-mailing back and forth with my dad today about Christmas Gift Ideas. Which is like e-mailing back and forth about whether or not he thought Whitney's move to New York City and start her own show The City was a good idea. Basically, he was clueless and had nothing to offer to the exchange.

Dad, what do you want for Christmas - his reply included a new Cadillac CTS. Red. Leather seats. Nav system. *sigh* Dad, I hate to break it to you, but Kate Walsh does not come with the car.

I have one day to do Christmas Shopping this year - Saturday. 1 day before my first Christmas event kicks off. My partner in crime will be spending the afternoon playing poker. So there will be many gift cards handed out this year. I'm not going to agonize over picking out the perfect presents when I know damn well these kids just want to pick out their own stuff. Fair enough - but I'm mean. Ever heard of Barnes and Noble? That's right....I'm encouraging them to *gasp* READ. Heaven forbid I didn't get them a giftcard to Target. I'm the meanest EVER. Oh my God I can't believe I'm not green with long furry fingers because obviously I AM SUCH A GRINCH.

My 23 year old sister is the easiest to shop for and I'm excited because I can actually shop for her. Walk into Target and anything cute, Christmas-y and really kitschy. Anything I would like, she will like. Crazy scarfs? Totally there. Themed dishes we can only use once a year? Awesome! (defense - They only cost 1 DOLLAR!!!) Cheap shoes, novelty tshirts and poorly made sweaters?Done, done and done. We may be ridiculously different personality wise - but we're definitely related - a shopping spree in Target is better than a Coach purse to these girls.

I Wanted to Read....Not Smell Like a Man

2008-12-13T17:02:00.000-08:00

I was killing some time this afternoon, curled up by the fire and picked up an issue of Sports Illustrated with Michael Phelps on the cover. He was named SI's Sportsman of the Year. I remember who I was with, where I was and the feeling of how proud I was for a change to be American.

I made it a few pages through the article, before it hit me. What was that smell? Ugh. Like ... a guy. But stale, like morning after your boyfriend has been out all night with his friends. Let me clarify, how he smells after being out all night with his friends playing darts or shuffleboard, not out all night with the boys at the strip club. I look around and it is clearly no one else in the room. It seems as though it's right in front of me. IT'S THE MAGAZINE. I smelled the pages and sure enough, mixed with ink, paper, and that well read magazine smell is Armani Acqua di Gio. I found the advertisement and the flap "to discover Acqua di Gio for men" wasn't even open. This cologne sample sprayed on a piece of paper folded over and sealed was so strong that it made me want to gag.

Sports Illustrated, please either quality control check your product or limit the use of cologne advertisements to scents not so polarizing and strong. There is no way I could have finished the piece on Paul Pierce - which is sad, because I've always been intrigued by the Celtics. Maybe guys put up with the smell, but it was too much for this armchair SI reader. I want to know all about Michael Phelps, Paul Pierce and Mark Teixeira. But I can't stand the smell associated with all nighters with the boys where one of them wears too much cologne - Brian, I'm looking at you. So Sports Illustrated, you lost a potential subscriber. I wanted to read, not smell like a man or be reminded of that guy Todd I went out with for a hot minute.

Stay Away from Me Brad Pitt

2008-12-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

me: ooooh, new cover of rolling stone, brad pitt is looking oooooollllldddddd

Jennifer: cheater? oh yeah

I never liked him

scratch that

I did in 7th grade

not in high school, he's SO overplayed

me: I liked Edward Norton more in Fight Club

Pitt's too smooth for me

Jennifer: how is it he gets to be "a good guy"

when he dumped JA for crazy brother kisser

yeah, i'm totally with you

that's why I watched Fight Club to begin with

me: he's like the guy I dated in college

who totally played me

amazingly gorgeous, and while we dated I couldn't believe that he was actually with ME

and then I found out that it wasn't just with me

so I didn't return calls, picked up my few belongings when he wasn't home and ignored him forever after

found out later the girl he played me for, ended up playing him.

so all's fair I assume

at any rate, he was Brad Pitt gorgeous

so i'm leary of the super hot guys

Jennifer: like the justin timberlake song!

I've always been a little suspicious of ridiculously hot men. I never dated the star of the football team, or lead in the musicals. Yeah, Patrick was a sports star in high school, but that was like, 50 years ago and I didn't know him then so it doesn't count. So Brad Pitt doesn't do it for me. I've always gone for the goober guys. Or the drunks...whatever. If you're super hot, I'm always going to be suspicious that there are at least 2 or 3 more girls you're seeing. I wasn't the pretty one in high school or college - and I'm ok with that. Dating drop dead gorgeous guys is asking for trouble.... I was about to say unless you're Jennifer Anniston. But even that didn't work out.

My advice, stay away from me Brad Pitts of the world. I don't trust you and it's only a matter of time before you leave me for some girl 5 years younger who does everything I don't willingly - like tattoos and motorcycles and drinking blood.

I'm The Man! er Wo-Man!

2008-12-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

Katherine Heigel just says no to make up.

Growing up I didn't wear a lot of makeup. My mother has never worn makeup (that I know of) and I was raised that it's not that important. So I had no problem going to class with a fresh face full of acne. It's just wasn't a big deal to run to the store without looking done up.

Now, I rarely wear make up to work, to the store, running errands, hanging out. Apparently this is a big deal. I've been called "brave." Uh, really? I mean, I am what I am - to quote the great philosopher Popeye the Salior. I've also been commended for being able to roll out of bed and go to brunch. It's brunch. It's not as if we're going to the White House.

I'll put on make up if it's date night or if I'm going to an all day event going into the evening with the potential to meet people and would like to make a good impression. I think that making myself look gorgeous via makeup is empowering. Kind of like wearing a push up bra, but different. When I do take the time to do my hair and makeup, I have an attitude shift. I feel super pretty since I'm usually comfortable with who I am to begin with. It's a "I'm the man! Yeah, watch me be totally in control! I'm totally hot and I know it!" feeling.

If you want to be with a girl where "let's go grab some food" and I'm in the car in 5 minutes ready to go sans makeup is ok, you're my kinda guy. But I will still be totally awesome and into girly stuff, makeup and flat irons on a Wednesday night for karaoke!

Eggs

2008-12-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

After a ridiculously long Saturday downtown, I had a full night of being sick from eating at Jillians, as did my companion. I maybe had 4 hours of sleep - and that was not consecutive. 6am Sunday came around really quick.

After Mass with the family, we all headed to a friend's for her annual Christmas brunch. I'm exhausted, everyone else is drinking mimosas and bloody marys (including Dad, what?!?), but I stick to coffee just to keep up. Brunch consists of hash browns, amazing fruit salad, coffee cake and what I can only believe is some kooky Canadian concoction of a broiled English muffin topped with a bowl of Canadian bacon that is filled with an egg. I don't eat eggs, so I kindly take an English muffin plain, but chow down on everything else available. Enjoy your Canadian Bacon Egg Cup thingy. Not only am I ready to pray to the porcelin gods, I'm watching you eat what I think is the 3rd most vile food after bananas and milk.

Sitting across from my sister and Patrick, talking about why I don't eat eggs, I ask if eggs are a vegetable. The look Patrick gives me is like, I seriously know you? and dryly says "um, eggs are a protein." My sister's eyes are wide waiting for what we call a "blonde moment." I contemplate this protein business for a second and reply "oh of course, vegetables come from the ground." Apparently my logic was ... a little fuzzy. I had no idea that this was the funniest thing I've ever said because everytime we told someone that I didn't know eggs were considered a protein, it's like I'm Johnny Carson. HILARIOUS.

I can see why Jessica Simpson milked the hell out of the Chicken of the Sea schitck. I knew eggs came from chickens, I'm not a complete moron. But I couldn't figure out where they fit into the food pyramid. I haven't eaten eggs since I was given the choice to decline them. So sue me. I can tell you exactly where sausage biscuits fit into the food pyramid.

What Happened to Felicity?

2008-12-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

I never really got into the show Felicity. I think that you were either a Buffy fan or a Felicity fan and the two never really overlapped. I was a Buffy fan. Felicity followed some guy to New York because she was secretly in love with him after he wrote in her yearbook? That stuff will get you arrested in real life. It's called stalking.

Anyway, that seems like ages ago, and Keri Russell the star has come a looonnng way from acting like a stalker. She isn't looking very happy with where Felicity has taken her career. Smeared eye liner and looking like she's begging for someone to throw a toaster in that bathtub? Thanks for playing, Amy Winehouse is my favorite resident nutcase. On second thought, if I had been in Mission Impossible III I might want to kill myself too.

All I Want for Christmas....

2008-12-03T17:04:00.000-08:00

Parents : What do you want for Christmas?
Me : I already told you, I want a crockpot.
Parents : Yeah, what else?
Me : Nothing else.
Parents : You have to ask for something else!
Me : Um, a fancy crockpot?
Parents : *sigh*
Me : Ok, those plastic liner bags for a crockpot.
Parents : YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!
Me : BUY ME MY F***ING CROCKPOT AND CALL IT A DAY. CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT JESUS!

So today I added to my list - some sort of cool shaped bundt pan and neat cupcake accessories. So now I can bake Happy Birthday Jesus cupcakes.

Indy..what?

2008-11-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

Depending on your perspective the term "indy" can mean a lot of things. Being a resident of Indiana, and a suburb of Indianapolis (for now at least), I think of "indy" being short for Indianapolis. Examples - Indy 500, Indy Go, and even the IRL short for the Indy Racing League.

So when Philadelphians call Indpendents Hall (what looks like a collaborative group of geeks) IndyHall, I'm a little irritated. **Granted anything can irritate me at any given time and I can turn on you faster than my cat running away from the vaccum cleaner.** So I searched a little online and found out that more than a few groups are in my mind abusing "Indy" ... such as IndyPlanet. IndyPlanet is a comic book store based out of Orlando FL . Which is no where near Indiana. FYI.

Sure it's just something that annoys me a little. And I have a lot of things to be thankful for, which I am. And you'll hear all about it soon. Once I am styled like Nicole Ritchie tonight I'll be much better. Then all I will be missing is a baby and a baby's mama. Other than that, I'll look just like Nicole Ritchie. Except Lionel isn't my dad.

In My Minimalist House...

2008-11-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

I finally made it to the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Sunday to view the Power and Glory exhibit filled with pieces from the Chinese Ming Dynasty. It was stunning to see pottery, jewelry, architecture, textiles from 600 years ago and it all looked like it was from the pages of an Ethan Allen catalog. I was happy we really took the time to read every panel that went along with the exhibit, the only thing I would change is that other guests brought a toddler and not enough cheerios. She could have just liked hearing her piercing scream echoing through the hall, I liked when we were done with the exhibit and lost her and her parents who have no respect for others. (A post about toddlers and parents is on it's way. I just need to find a way to be nice and vent at the same time.)

So! Seeing all of the works from this amazing exhibit blew me away. In my minimalist Ikea house will sit a reminder for those few hours where we just took it all in...when we shut everything else out, when all that mattered was appreciating how lucky we are to have seen this, and everyone will say wtf? when they see my fake Ming vase among my Bauhaus styled dwelling.

Tell Me Something Good

2008-11-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

I say this a lot - "Tell me something good." I think it's my way of saying "what are you thinking?" in a non threatening usual female way. Talking with my friends Kevin and Hans last night maybe I'm wrong and it's still threatening? I'm not sure. It makes me wonder if I am the typical crazy female like everyone else. Sometimes I think I'm not : I like sports, I'm comfortable enough with who I am to forgo makeup most of the time, I'm ok in sweats and bumming around. Then I think I'm a psychotic vagina : I cry for no reason at all, I get super emotional over the dumbest stuff (I've cried on my way home from work every day this week), I get upset when I think I'm being ignored, and I'm a complete sucker for romanticism.

Conclusion : pack me in a box and ship me off to crazytown. thanks.

The Boob Catch 22

2008-07-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'm tiny. I stopped working out a while ago ... and have gotten some curves. I kinda like them. But the boyfriend is really doing a lot to get in shape. So I feel a little guilty sitting on the couch or at the computer in love with my boobs while he's killing himself doing pull-ups, running, etc.

The thing is...if I start working out again, all the goods are going to go away. But my man doesn't care. Oh yeah ladies...he's a champ. And stay away from him...he's mine.

Our chat about the situation:

the boyfriend: oh well...i'd rather have you in shape even if that means sacrificing boob size

me: ok

we'll both be flat then

the boyfriend: i'll still like your boobs

me: i hope so

you're stuck with them

the boyfriend: if you want to stay in shape and have bigger boobs, a little money can solve it

me: lol

Upcoming Blog: Poop

2008-07-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

I'm currently compiling statistics and information regarding poop. Please feel free to add your two cents. The more contributions, the better this is going to be!

Stay tuned........

Heart, Barracuda, and me

2008-07-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

I've always been amused by my dad's taste in music. The man is into 80's music. He loves Billy Idol and the happiest I've ever seen him the day that he hooked up his surround sound system and blasted AC/DC.

As a bit of a music junkie myself, I really like rock 'n roll. I thought Heart was the coolest band. I remember sitting in the car with dad and blasting Barracuda. It left such an impression on me that I even drunk dialed my dad from a bar to tell him they were playing Barracuda. He had no idea what I was saying and that's probably for the best.

So on one of my days off, I caught a rerun of Ellen. It was her birthday show and sure enough...this made my day!

Let's Go To Dinner

2008-07-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

One night a week, the boyfriend and I have date night. It can be anything from staying in and cooking dinner with some wii afterwards to hitting up the town and closing down the bars (even though those days are over for a while). The point is that we make it a priority to spend time together just the two of us to connect and have that one night together out by ourselves without all of our friends cracking us up.

So Saturday night was date night. I worked all day and the boyfriend hung out with his friends all day. Anything but Italian sounded good for dinner. I cooked Italian on Friday night. *gasp, I cooked. I know. No one died from a food borne illness.* We decided to head downtown and figured we'd find something. Stopped at Kahn's on the way so the boyfriend could pick up his Bell's and try out the Nogne O that Amy loves. For whatever reason, we never really pay attention to where we're going or where we are. It happens all the time. We miss exits off the freeway and turns that we make all the time. We laugh about it and call it "taking the scenic route."

Saturday night we missed the turn for downtown and ended up making a loop through the ghetto. Usually I'm not afraid if I'm in my car. This night, for whatever reason I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I chalked it up to hunger. Finally making it into downtown and there are cops everywhere and closed streets. It took me a couple of blocks to realize that this particular night was Black Expo in Indianapolis. And we were headed straight into it. There is nothing wrong with Black Expo. I think it's really cool and the programs that they run for the weekend are neat. Indianapolis is lucky to have such a big convention like that. The problem I DO have with it is that EVERY street is loaded with cars cruising around and it's one big mass of cars because any street that you'd take to get away from everything is blocked.

We finally made it to Bazbeaux's on Mass Ave. I ate a whopping 1 piece of pizza after all that. And the boyfriend stunk because he had green peppers & onions on his pizza. Yum! That's my guy, he's a charmer. Take notes boys. I'm one lucky girl.

Friday night is date night this week. Maybe we'll see the ghetto of Carmel. Who knows? But we'll definitely be taking the scenic route.

Cut Him Out

2008-07-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

There's always that one person who you just can't get rid of no matter how unhealthy it is. Everyone else says "really? That guy?" The stories you tell your friends paint him in an awful light. He hasn't done anything good for you in ages. But for whatever reason, you just can't tell him to fuck off for good. Sure, you go a while not answering calls/returning texts/e-mailing....but eventually that little annoying feeling gets the better of you and the cycle starts all over. How do you just get over it? I asked a really amazing woman I know and here was her answer: write a list. Write a list of all of the things that they do that irritate the hell out of you. All of the things that led to this warped relationship, all of the things that they've done to hurt you, all of the ways they've let you down. Take a long hard look at it, and if those things are enough that YOU finally say "really? why do I keep putting up with this?" Cut him out. It's harsh, but I want to be so much better than that. I want to move forward with all the opportunities and everything that has potential instead of being stuck in the same ugly cycle. If there isn't one positive thing that can come from this, find the will power to just once and for all let it go. Eventually something else will fill that space with good positive energy. There's more to life than trying to fix someone who can't see what's broken.

Goofy Goober

2008-07-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

I'm employed again. So in honor of accepting my new position this afternoon, I leave you all with this:

Enjoy and happy weekend!

Deliver Us Our Daily Caffiene

2008-07-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

In light of my experience at Starbucks today and the news that the boyfriend had Caribou this morning, I can't think of a better time to delve a little into the Starbucks vs. Caribou struggle I have. First of all, I feel like the product lines at Caribou are better if you're a frou frou drink person. You know who you are: frozen blended drinks, really sweet stuff, and you don't like coffee. Unless of course it's masked with chocolate, caramel, hazelnut and raspberry. Caribou has a frozen blended drink made with snickers bars, chocolate, and caramel. Holy cow. I ordered one, the boyfriend ordered something "light" and he was definitely sad he didn't order a 1500 calorie drink like me. It was like a snickers shake with coffee. Absolutely delicious. But Starbucks has better brewed coffee now that they've switched to Pike's Place for their daily roast. Their specialty roasts are really good too. We've had the Kopelani blend and it's a great coffee. I like the consistency of Pike's Place Blend. I'm going to get the same thing every morning and it's not a guessing game of which roast is brewing today. I can experiment at home with the weird stuff they roast like Komodo Dragon and Casi Cielo.

I really wish we could get Caribou stores in Indianapolis. It irritates the hell out of me that there are Caribou locations in Illinois and Ohio. HELLOOOOOO!!!!! Indiana is in the middle. So come on Caribou. I'm an involuntary slave to Starbucks for my coffee fix right now. I want a Snickers Candy Cooler. I want you. So start building stores in Indiana. People here do not eat their babies and we would embrace you. You can give Starbucks a run for their money. I promise.

In Love with an ABBA Fan

2008-07-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

So I told the boyfriend all about the movie Mamma Mia tonight. I gave a brief plot synopsis and told him who was in it. He seemed mildly interested until I happened to mention, oh yeah - it's full of ABBA songs. I fail. He shot me down. But then he starts sending me info to download ABBA songs. He thinks he knows the song "Fernando" and thought they sang "Dancing Queen" right? So here's our text message exchange that he'll kill me for posting, but if you're going to slam ABBA be prepared to pay the price. ***P.S. Dude, we're not going to see Hell Boy II next weekend - it's going to be Mamma Mia.***

Me: I downloaded "Mamma Mia"

The Boyfriend: Is that an ABBA song too? What other two songs did you download?

Me: I only did one.

The Boyfriend: Why? Cause the other ABBA songs suck?

Me: No. Because I have all the others.

The Boyfriend: Oh no...I'm in love with an ABBA fan.

Me: Hey you can still get out.

I'm not going to lie...I love his lack of pop culture knowledge. He'd be completely lost during a Kathy Griffin Bravo Special. (Which aired again tonight and even a year later is still so funny. I feel bad that she talks about her ex husband, but that's life.) What he lacks in pop culture knowledge he makes up for in sports trivia knowledge and math. So I'll stick with English and pop culture. It's a fair trade and we're still a formidable team in Cranium. And besides...I'm a chick. I'm allowed to like ABBA.

Will Hoge Concert

2008-07-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday night the crew went to see Will Hoge at the Rathskeller in downtown Indy. If you've never been, it's an experience. This big beer garden set behind one of the oldest buildings in Indy - the Anthenaeum. Sounds great, the atmosphere is wonderful and all types of Indy residents come out during the summer. For a while during the show, a well to do older couple was in front of us dancing. It was the most adorable thing to watch them dance to rock 'n roll music while we were all jamming out.

Sharing Will Hoge with Everyday Pretty, and everyone else there was so much fun. Knowing a lot of the songs and singing along made the experience so much better. Will Hoge is one hell of a rocker. He played the goodies, too. She Don't Care, Woman Be Strong, Better Off (Now That You're Gone), and Ms. Williams were some of the highlights. Being in that close of a setting outside under the stars and with all the people I love was really the best way to enjoy the concert. I even talked to the drummer and base player at the kellerbar inside before we left. Good show, good friends, good food, great night.

So I added the Will Hoge music player to the this blog. He's definitely worth a listen.

*Great night until we forgot to close our tab and made it 1/2 way home before we realized it. Ended up going back right away to close it. I'm sure the gang at the Rathskeller would have been nice to us, but the boyfriend didn't want to have to go downtown again on Sunday.

Excuse Me

2008-07-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

I don't understand people who drive giant SUV's in cities. Today I was trying to pull out of a street side parking space and a huge SUV was parked next to me completely blocking my view to the street. I had to pull out into the street blind hoping that I was moving slow enough if a car saw me, would either A) want my parking spot (it was a good one) or B) slow down so I could pull out the rest of way onto the street.

I completely understand owning SUV's for specific reasons. My parents own an Avalanche. It's really handy, but it's not an everyday vehicle. They drive normal sedans for work, trips, etc. They use the truck for towing the camper, moving their daughters in and out of more apartments/condos than they care to, and hauling the big stuff. I'm really glad they have it. I'm also glad that they don't use it everyday.

The idea of driving a vehicle that gets 15-18 miles per gallon blows my mind. My little car gets upwards of 27-30 miles per gallon. When we filled it up a few weeks ago before heading to Bloomington, it cost $50!!!! And that was 12 gallons of gas. If I had a car that was 20-30 gallon tank, I think I'd have sold off a kidney by now to buy gas. What else do I have 2 of that I could sell on the black market for gas money? A lung, already said kidney, people can't use your eyes....I suppose there's a long line of Tahoe driving yuppies at the blood and plasma donation centers.

So excuse me while I drive my little car, park in spots meant for sedans not Hulkster Hummers, and if I can't see around your truck, give me a break. These parking lots weren't made to accommodate vehicles the size of Rhode Island.

Thanks.

Disclaimer: Blogger Everyday Pretty says I have to at least say while I was attempting to get out of the parking space I was in that I was indeed talking on my cell phone and using one hand. So it's not all the truck's vault...but I wouldn't have been able to see around him regardless of what I was doing.

Tokyo

2008-07-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

"We are so going to Japan. Tokyo is the New York of the West."

"Wait, isn't New York the New York of the West?"

"Yeah. I meant East."

The Cheap Litter

2008-07-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

more cat pictures
I have cleaned and cleaned and cleaned this fucking condo and this morning I woke up to no electricity (we paid our bill, I swear) and cat yak. Why do they torture me like this? I'm home all the time, it's not like they are neglected cats who should be sent to animal welfare services. You will not see us on Animal Cops. We are good cat owners I swear. I let them lay on my bed in the morning while I watch Mike and Mike. They eat good cat food. Not Fancy Cat which I believe is fattening for cats and not actually healthy for them. Just look at the cat in the commercial. That thing is pure evil. My cats eat the good shit. Everyone gets along with our cats. I even have one friend who sends the cats txt messages. And the cats reply!!!! I'm retardedly nice to them and let them get away with murder. Why do they feel it's okay to yak on the carpet I just cleaned last night? Must be using cheap litter and yakking everywhere is the only way they can communicate.

I'm sure that the boyfriend believes I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown which is totally not true. I've just spent a lot of time this week cleaning. I'm not a cleaner. He'll be happy I found his sunglasses, have his laundry in the queue to get washed and there are fresh sheets on the bed. I know I've hit the limit when he tells me to stop cleaning. My hands have smelled like bleach for a few days now. Why doesn't Bath and Body Works make bleach scented lotion? I'd buy it at this point. The boyfriend will shit when he sees this house. Just don't look in a) the linen closet b) the cabinet under the coffee maker c) the big garbage can outside. Thanks.

An Open Letter To Amy Kay

2008-07-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

Amy,
I'm so sorry I ever made you use the downstairs bathroom. I just finished cleaning it. It is now wonderful, sparkling, clean, and reeking of bleach. If I were you, I would have bitched every time I used it. I would have walked down the street to Jimmy John's and used the men's bathroom. And we all know what that was like.

At any rate, it's clean and filled with Golf Digest now. :)
T

The Wests and Procrastination

2008-07-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

My roommate's parents are coming to visit for July 4th weekend. They'll be rolling in around 3 or so, and if there was a picture next to the term Dresden firebombing in Webster's - it would be my kitchen. I'm spending time on g-mail, twitter, reading other blogs, doing everything possible to avoid the destruction. My boyfriend is also coming into town for the weekend. He's actually the bright spot in all this. He's seen the house looking like the morning after a frat party, and I think he'll be surprised with the amount of cleaning I've done.

Which unfortunately does not include the kitchen from hell. I've got less than 3 hours to get it all done, and as usual, I'm procrastinating big time. I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. West will understand that P.F. Changs bags and pizza boxes on the counters are really contemporary art. Oh, and the ridiculous amounts of Starbucks cups. I'm sure the Starbucks on the corner is not one of the 600 stores being closed. They are getting to know me a little too well. But I'm mixing up my drink order to keep them on their toes. No DoubleShot on Ice today my friends, just regular coffee. smirk That's right. I'm a unique snowflake. Not a creature of habit. Except when I get my wake up call every morning and then go back to sleep for another hour or so.

Seriously....kitchen. *sigh* If I don't make it out alive, our two cats will show you where we keep the remotes and DVD's. The fridge in the great room is our beer fridge. We know it's crass, but it's the only spot for it and it truly is convenient. You'll see. The shitty beer is in the garage. And this is starting to sound like an LCD Soundsystem song. Who knows. Maybe Daft Punk will show up this weekend too.

New Year New Goal

2007-12-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

Each year I try to find something different as a goal. As cliche as it sounds, I'm not into the resolutions mindset. I feel that resolutions have a connotation of something that we're unhappy with or an unattainable goal. Last year, I gave myself a goal of volunteering more. As a result, I was a committee member for an American Cancer Society event. It was such a rewarding experience that I have continued that commitment for 2008.
Goals include making more time for the people I love and cutting out the television. I've done a decent job of leaving off the boob tube, and received a "must read" book for Christmas that I plan on really studying and using towards bettering myself.
I don't believe in luck or fate, only that what you give is what you get. And sometimes when you give a little, you get a lot.