go. here. now.

http://kindredly.blogspot.com

Pod-a-roo

My co-worker has recently turned me on to Podcasts.  I've had an iPod for a million years, and I've yet to download my first podcast.  Truthfully, I had no clue what they were and didn't care.

There is a WORLD of knowledge in this podcast thing...for instance, some of my recent downloads...

Does your dog really love you?..well, if you're a dog lover and have dogs and treat them like they are humans, you might not want to listen to this podcast.  It's 40 minutes of two people, who sound like they are pretty indifferent to all animals, talking about how dogs really don't understand love.  So, you're telling me when Marley-the-Beagle comes over and lays his head on my shoulder that he's not saying "Mommy, hold me please..I wuv you"?  Because he is.  He loves the shit out of me.

(that podcast can be found under Stuff You Should Know - Stuff To Blow Your Mind)

How Does Cremation Work?...uh..yeah, I don't know.  It's interesting?  Actually, it is very interesting because I've always wondered what they did with the bones.  Truly, the whole deal is pretty gross, and apparently, families have the option to come watch.  Didn't know that.  Won't be partaking in that when the time comes.

This podcast stuck with me so much that I dreamed last night that I was a courier who had to deliver a dead body.  It was terrifying.  

(this one found under Stuff You Should Know)


What's the Scoop on Lady Poop?...it speaks for itself.

(this is found under Stuff Mom Never Told You)

Some fun ones I haven't listened to yet, but sound amazing...All of these are found in Stuff You Should Know.

How Deja Vu Works
Do animals have a sixth sense?
Can you control your dreams?  Because if so, Alexander Skarsgard will star in mine every night.
How Body Dysmorphic Disorder works.
How do dogs perceive time?  aka can I leave them overnight without feeling guilty?
What is a hangover, really?  I think I've had enough of these to have an idea...
How food cravings work
How Tourette Syndrome works
What makes a serial killer?
How Traffic works
Why ticks suck
How Antiques work
Do you stay conscious after being decapitated?  just wondering.

Have you guys jumped on the podcast bandwagon?  I'm interested in hearing what some of your favorite ones are.  Do tell...

Starbucks, it's not you, it's me

It's funny that one of my Anon commenters recently PISSED me off with the the comment about living outside of my means.  While I want people to comment on my blog, I'd rather people who do not know me lay off leaving insulting comments behind the safety of anonymity.  Either way, the comment came at the best time.  In living within our means and making more of them, the husband and I have implemented some money saving ideas.  Everyone would like to have a little more money in their bank account, and every time I swipe my debit card, I cringe a little.  I  thought it might be fun to blog our ideas as we go and watch our savings build.

We're taking a few tips from this article on Dumb Little Man.  We don't believe in completely depriving ourselves of fun, so we're implementing some of these easy adjustments to our daily spending.  Don't worry, I'm not going Extreme Couponing crazy on this (although, if someone could give me a crash course that doesn't look more exhausting than my 8 hour work day, I'm game).

First up:  Making my own coffee

You may remember the post when I was de-scaling my Keurig and discovering cheddar cheese popcorn?

After that project, the Keurig was never the same.  I couldn't get the vinegar taste out of the coffee, and I tried EVERYTHING Google suggested.  Over the course of the last month and a half, I've spent too much money on lattes, and decided it was time to start making my own again.

really, I'm sorry...

I remember a friend telling me that Bed Bath and Beyond replaced her Keurig when it malfunctioned...she'd had it for a while and no receipt, box, etc.  I figured it was worth a try since at this point it was only taking up space.  I took it up and explained what was going on, they looked up my model number and saw that it was within the warranty period, and replaced it with a new one!!

I never get this lucky.  I'm always coming up a little short in these situations.

So, our first money-saving effort has been put into place without having to spend money on a new coffee maker.  Now I just have to figure out to to successfully de-scale this thing when the time comes.

Next up:  More cooking at home.  This is something the husband is heading up.  We're sitting down for our first planning meeting this week.  You know you love the total commitment here.  I'll keep you posted...

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mommies out there!  

And...Happy Mother's Day to my mommy!  I love you!  

 image via  - mom the kitty love is for you :)

dilemma

I won an award at work.

It was an award for being awesome at doing my job, and I'll take it...I've not worked this hard in years. 

The award was a $250 American Express gift card.  So, I decided, with my first work award, that I would buy myself the Michael Kors watch that I'm about a year behind...or more...getting.  I do not wear a watch, and I could use one - especially running all over the building grabbing candidates and taking them to meet their interviewers. 

But then....I got a speeding ticket.

I am queen of those.  My foot is made of lead naturally...I got the ticket on April 19, and it hasn't posted to the website yet - maybe he "forgot" to report it...I know I don't have that good of luck. 

My dilemma is this:  Do I use my award to buy myself the watch I really want?  OR do I pay for my ticket (or pay myself back with my award)? 

I'm feeling like I should probably suck it up and pay for my ticket with this money...but Macy's does have a Friends & Family sale happening now, and I'd get $64 off....I'm just sayin'....

hmmm....

Ohhhh, little blog friends....

I'm torn.  Do I stop?  Do I start over?  Do I make a new site?  Will I be able to keep it up?

Work is currently in rehab for it's crack addiction.  Sometimes it gets a little wacky from habit, but for the most part, it's reflecting on life right now. 

Moral of the story - right now I can maybe blog...but probably not in two months...or one month...or one week. 

I don't think I need to rehash my various commitment issues - but I just don't know how focused I can make myself after a long day's work...

It's on my mind...and that is all.

An Update of Sorts...

There is no excuse for my absence...except that life is crazy.  Work is nuts, and honestly, all recreational internet browsing is saved for online shopping. 

I can update you with photos of how fun/busy/crazy life has been since my last post...

 Charleston with the girls.... here we are at Taco Boy

 "sight seeing" with bikes and cocktails makes for an amazing girls weekend....

 and riding in random old school limos....

two favorite friends celebrating their wedding...

friends and their bambinos...

 a freakin' canoe trip...

 pre-seriously painful sunburn...

 with my canoe partner, the resident expert and also my husband.  this makes whining easy and acceptable. :)

 Finally...celebrating an old friend's 30th birthday...

with one of my favorite people....we'll be celebrating together when we're 80.


In between all of these fun weekend activities is, of course, work, and I'm still loving it like crazy.  Everyday definitely presents a new challenge, but I'm still drinking the kool-aid.

I have shared with some that blogging is not on top of my priority list, so posts will happen as I get a wild hair...until next time...