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Tuesday

Hello!

Yesterday, I drove home from work, made dinner (finally the BA lamb burgers with curry zucchini -- YUM! H had no idea there was curry and he LOVED it), ate dinner, and got into bed. I was battling a nasty headache all afternoon and it didn't let up so I just wanted to sleep. Today I'm feeling much better!

I took the train in this morning because I think I'm going to change how I commute. I really like driving. I like being on my own schedule and riding with the top down when it's not excruciatingly hot and listening to whatever I want. BUT after being so freaking fed up at how much H and I spend combined in tolls ($650 last month) just to commute to work, I started looking into taking the train. If I walk to the station in my town (3/4 of a mile), then take the train to the Path to my office, I'll be saving between $150 to $175 a month which isn't nothing. So today is my first day trying out this commute. August is a short work month for me so I'm thinking this would be a good time to try it out.

Tonight when I get home, I'm making BA Crispy Catfish with Sicilian Eggplant Caponata for dinner and then I have a FaceTime date with @GoldenPenguin for the PLL summer finale! I am SO nervous.

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Re: Tuesday

  • @Swazzle - There really isn't public transportation around here, you have to have a car to get around.  It is really cool to me that you can commute to work like that.  What do you do if it is raining or snowing?

    Bella got us up at 3:45 AM.  RAWR.

    My ILs are coming in today.  They were supposed to get in laaate tonight, so I was going to do half of the house-cleaning last night and half today after work.  MIL called H and said they were going to leave at 5 AM, so they'd be here in time for dinner.  Cue crazy house-cleaning yesterday after my dentist appointment and getting Baxter's claws trimmed, plus pulling out extra meat to make sure we have enough for them for dinner.  AH!!  

    Good news is that we got the whole house cleaned and it looks great.  I dropped the dogs off at my mom's on the way to work and she is going to groom them for me.  I brushed them last night and got all the tangles out.  Poor Bella had matted fur on her hind legs.  Her fur type tangles so easily and it mats up if I don't stay on top of it.  Good thing she's getting it all cut off today!!
  • @CocoBellaF - It was raining this morning so I called an Uber. It was $5 because that's their minimum. I will most likely have to get a parking pass so I can park at the train station when the weather starts to get bad. I'm not trekking nearly a mile in the snow before work, that's for sure. 



  • @southernpeach89 - I literally waited until he swallowed the last bite of his burger. He asked me if there was dill in it and I was like... um no, it's some kind of Turkish seasoning lol He was so surprised when I admitted to the curry. He said it was one of his favorite BAs! Take before and after pics of the mirror! H is nearly done our dresser-turned-TV-stand already. The chalk paint is AMAZING. 



  • minskat30minskat30 member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited August 2015
    @swazzle - Its the small things like that that add up over time.  Good for you for seeking a cheaper commuting option.  Can you listen to podcasts or something on the train?  Is it a longer commute?

    @cocobellaf - Sorry about Bella...I'll join you in the early doggie risers this morning though.  Sucks.

    @southernpeach89 - I think your birthday plans for your H sound super sweet.  :)

    ---------------------
    Morning all!  I was up early.  The electrician replacing our electrical panel disconnected our A/C.  Thankfully it isn't too hot today but Rajah got a little over-heated (we keep our air at 69-70, it is currently up to 73).  So of course he threw up this morning before 6.  Poor guy...electrician is coming back today so hopefully he gets it fixed.  Thankfully its a relatively cool day right now (65) so Raj is outside.  I'll be working remote today because of the electrician...H stayed home yesterday with him.  Do other people leave workers in their house all day?  I don't feel entirely safe doing it (especially with Raj here, which I know is ironic since he's a guard dog).  Thank God H was home yesterday...a worker left a door open and sure as shit, Rajah tried to sneak out.  He's such an escape artist to begin with, leaving an open door is just an invitation for him.  So I'll be on door/Rajah/electrician watch today.
  • My dad offered to buy us plane tickets to go on a trip for my birthday this year!  We are looking at Charleston in February.  I was checking out airbnb.com for a place to stay, but I know next to nothing about Charleston.  Any advice?
  • @minskat30 - Nope, we wouldn't leave a worker in the house all day (especially with our dogs) without being there.  The only person (besides family) that we let be in the house is our house-cleaner.  She is a neighbor and we know her really well, plus the dogs love her.  She has the code to get in the house and knows that Bax is a runner, so I don't worry about them when she comes over.
  • @swazzle is that saving the daily rate or monthly commuter rate?  Along with the savings think of how much traffic you won't have to sit in! Also, I won't be able to watch PLL tonight, so I have to wait till it is on Hulu.

    @cocobellaf ugh 3:45, were you able to fall back asleep at least?  

    @southernpeach89 all your plans for your H's birthday sound awesome! That pb brownie trifle sounds delicious!

    So yesterday I took Callie and my mom's dog to a puppy wash.  It's in the same building as the car wash, just a separate room for washing dogs.  My mom's dog is a little maltese so he hated the entire experience. Everything was too loud and big for him.  Callie was fine until the dryer came on.  She jumped off the opposite side of the tub and almost hung herself. The only reason she didn't get hurt was because her collar came undone.  I was a complete mess all night.  Next time, I'm bringing someone with me so she can't jump off.

    Tonight we're repainting the bathroom because my bf doesn't like the way the color looks with the tile. He received major eyerolls.  After we're finished we're picking Callie up from my mom's and moving her into the house!


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  • Hugs @speakeasy14 - That must have been terrifying for you.  I'm glad Callie is ok.  

    @cocobellaf - I have zero experience with Charleston but just wanted to say it is SO nice of your dad to offer that up!
  • @swazzle wait I thought the finale was next week?
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  • @CocoBellaF Charleston is beautiful!!! You definitely need to have dinner at Magnolia's, High Cotton, and The Ordinary for some amazing oysters! I would also go through the market (it's in an old train station) and shop in there. The home tours are interesting but they are just as pretty on the outside without having to pay stupid money to walk through them.

    @speakeasy14 EEK! I'm sorry that happened! Maddux doesn't like the blow dryer either. I'm glad she is ok.
  • @swazzle Love that your husband ate and loved the food. I do that with mine- he says he always bitches that he doesn't like nutmeg yet he never notices when I put it in something. Do you have to take the train into NY, or just another stop in NJ? I mean even if you drive all the way in on snow days that would still be saving you a lot on all the other days. And is your H going to train too since half the tolls are his?

    @cocobellaf How long are they staying? Have a nice time

    @southernpeach89 Hope you like the daycare! Although you have that one that was awesome so it's not the end of the world if this one is not. And good idea for the b-day, my H's coming up next week and I haven't thought of shit yet.

    @minskat30 One time a friend recommended this 75 year old man electrician for something I needed done. He was retired but still did it for side money. He just seemed like such a sweetie and it was an 8 hour job so I did leave him alone in my house all day. I was more concerned with him getting hurt on stairs or something than actually stealing something. But normally, no I don't leave them alone in the house that was the only time.

    ------------------------------------------------------------

    I think tonight I'm meeting up with a knottie from Chit Chat. She's here on business so I have to wait and make sure her meeting ends at a decent time.

    What kind of car do you all have? I have a little Scion TC that I bought 8 years ago living in the desert of AZ. It was great out there, but now that I live in snow it fucking sucks. So before this winter I plan to buy a new one. I had been telling myself I want a Subaru Impreza because they are reasonably priced and the AWD for winter is something I need. But then on the highway each morning I see all these SUV's that are so pretty like the Explorer and Cherokee and I'm like damn I kinda want that! But I don't know if I could stomach the high price or higher gas.....hmmm

                                                                     

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  • @minskat30 - I'll be able to read on the train which will be really nice! On a normal day, it's only 5-10 minutes longer via train. The thing that sucks is commuting home on my "late" weeks (my coworker and I alternate leaving at 4pm and leaving at 5pm). The 2 train schedules don't line up as nicely as I would like and if I don't get out of here RIGHT at 5, I'll miss that first train and have to take the 2nd which doesn't get to my town until 6:15. Right now, when I drive, I get home between 5:50 and 6 on those days, later than that on Fridays because I battle Jersey Shore traffic :)



  • Hmmmm @swazzle - 5-10 minutes longer would definitely be worth the extra money to me but, you are right, only if you can actually make the train.  Maybe you can work something out with your co-workers to give yourself an extra few minutes to get there.  I hope the experiment works out for you!
  • @LaBro and @southernpeach89 - I was looking at airbnb places near the French Quarter.  I have no idea if that's the area we should stay in... we will rely on walking, public transportation, and Uber to get around.  The places I'm looking at are $95-147 per night.  ??

    @jenna8984 - They will be staying until Sunday.  Not too bad.  I think his mom will take care of cooking for us on Wednesday and Thursday, just because.  I have a massage from 4-5:30 on Wednesday so if she doesn't do dinner, we'll just eat late after I get home.
  • @CocoBellaF - That's awesome! Also check out HomeAway. They don't charge a fee like Airbnb does and are more reliable in my experience. 

    @speakeasy14That is so scary! I hope Callie is ok! That's over the course of the month (taking into consideration days that I am off, I got VERY technical and tried to look at it from every angle). I'll save the most buy getting a NJTransit monthly pass and doing a 40-ride Path SmartLink. I hope it's on Hulu soon! We're supposed to "find out who A is" AND "find out who RedCoat is". I have theories. OMG I think you're right! @GoldenPenguin lied to me! 

    @labro - I love that dress SO much!

    @jenna8984 - I work in NJ too so fortunately I don't have to go into the city at all. H has no public transportation option, he works in Brooklyn and his hours are roughly 5am-3pm. His tolls are actually significantly more than mine (over $17 a day) so it REALLY sucks that he has to drive! My car is a Volkswagen Eos which you definitely don't want for winter driving lol 

     



  • @CocoBellaF For ease - and extreme convenience - H and I stayed in the Doubletree for one of our trips to Charleston. In February is was $140 per night for a long weekend trip. It's the upper end of your budget, but it's literally right next door to the old Market and within walking distance of everything you'd want to visit.

    When I went on a girl's trip we stayed at a place we found on VRBO called The Society House but that one may be a bit much for just two people. King Street was a nice place to stay, it's near all the shopping. Market Street is another good one since it's right on the main drag for downtown. You can always PM me links to what you're thinking of and I can check them out. :)

    There really isn't public transportation to speak of in historic Charleston. Unless you hire one of those guys who rides his bike and pulls you around.



  • @minskat30 all my pet sitting clients give me keys and codes when they book me. I stay in the houses overnight and usually spend a lot of time there since I'm really big in making sure the animals get attention instead of being alone all day. Maybe it's different here because I live in a very wealthy area but it's very common to have housekeepers, dog walkers, assistants, etc in the house while the owners aren't there.

    @jenna8984 I have a 2009 Toyota Corolla, I bought it used in March and I love it! I fill it up like every three weeks because I have a tiny commute but I've driven it six hours and only burned a 1/4 tank. No idea what it'll be like in the snow though.

    I finally have a day off today! I'm gonna spend it cleaning lol. I haven't been to my house for more than a couple hours all week so I have some work to do. The girl training me to be a dog trainer texted me yesterday saying she was so excited to train me and she can't wait to have me helping her. I'm really excited!!! It's really my dream job, so I hope I can use this and my business degree to make a career for myself. I texted BF about it, he knew I asked about an apprenticeship but that's it, so when I sent him the text he very supportingly told me "sounds like a plan" which I thought was really cute. I have to let my boss know that I'll be cutting back my hours in the near future, I know she'll be supportive but I still don't look forward to that conversation.
  • @Swazzle Does NJ not have something like EZPass? We have a thing where you pay a fee for the month and can use the tolls as much as you want. Not that I don't think your idea is good, just wondering if they do things differently?

    @SouthernPeach89 I hope you guys decide on a day care soon! It will be nice to have that checked off your list. Also BABY DURIAN? WTF is a durian?? It looks spikey..

    @Minskat30 I wouldn't let them be in the house either. Tessie still isn't behaved enough to be in a situation where people could come and go in the house while she is out. 

    @CocoBellaF That's so nice of your dad!

    @Speakeasy14 Poor Callie. Glad she is okay!

    @LaBro I love that dress! Super cute!


    I am tired today. We had our first cheer practice last night. It's so hard with the summer time, because most of the team wasn't there. Hopefully they will all be there the rest of the week! The coordinator has no clue what she is doing, so this year might be a bit more stressful, but hopefully I will be able to move to coaching HS next year so that I will get paid!!!

    Last night when I got home we didn't feel like doing any heavy cooking, so we had hot dogs and chicken sausages. We threw chicken on the grill too though, so that we can put it on salads for dinner tonight and I am SO looking forward to them!
    friends tv show funy
  • @caseface5 - Yes, we both have EZ-Pass and what we pay is including our discounts. NJ and NY are not unlimited. You still pay per toll, it's just a little bit less than what people pay using cash. 



  • @untouchablets - That makes sense.  Honestly, our dog walker has a key to our house but she's been with us for well over a year and is a gem (I mean, if she can handle Raj...who can be a loon on the leash and weighs as much as she does, and not loose him I better trust her). I'm just never sure with workers though...it seems like someone extra always comes along to help for projects with plumbing/electrical and I never know who the extra person is going to be.  Excited for you for your training opportunity!!
  • @Swazzle Ahh I get it. Hopefully this will all work out and you will get a huge savings! 
    friends tv show funy
  • @caseface5 I have no idea what a durian fruit is lol. 
  • @southernpeach89 It's some random Asian fruit. I can't remember if it's the stinky one or not. There's some giant spiky fruit like a durian that falls out of trees in Asia and actually kills people because it's so big.



  • @swazzle - I'm making the crispy catfish tomorrow. Let me know how it is!!

    @southernpeach89 - My sister mentioned yesterday wanting to get a super big wreath for above her garage (there's a huge open space that is just siding). Where is a good place to look for a huge (cheap) wreath?

    @labro - I love that dress. I bet it looks super cute!

    -----

    I'm still at my sister's house. I'll work/play until 3:30, then head back. Hopefully I'll be past any places that have a 'rush hour' by 5p, and home by 7/7:30p. I'll need to get the dogs from our neighbor, unpack, pack my gym bag for tomorrow, eat dinner, and then probably crash. DH is out of town for work until Thursday night, so I'll be a busy single furmom. Off to make the munchkins breakfast!
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    "You are made of win." -SopChick
    Still here and still fabulous!

  • Morning folks!

    First day back at work after 5 days off. Spent majority of Sunday sleeping.
    Monday we went to the museum because they had "Animals Inside Out" exhibit. It was really neat. You could see muscles, nerves, blood vessels. Some parts were gross but it was surprisingly educational. I have never seen the size of a caribou stomach before .... and now I have

    My favourite is always the rocks. We hunted for tungsten - which is what Matt's ring is made of - but couldn't find it. Oh well ....

    I am not a fan of bugs, so I hid behind Matt during that little live exhibit.

    Afterwards, we hit the mall and I got a new purse, leggings, top and flats plus made a deposit on our trip. Dinner, then home. Matt bought lego, so he spent most of the night building something. Not sure what it is since I was not paying attention.

    Today we have to drop off the tier at the Cupcake Lounge, and hopefully pick up 2 things we left at our venue.
  • @MsKittyDanger Are you not going on a honeymoon?



  • @caseface5 Does EZpass actually have unlimited for a fee? I use mine everyday and it just adds the daily tolls and pulls them from my bank account. It's not any cheaper, just more convenient. Sure I can go through any toll at any time, but I'm getting billed for it.

    @swazzle that stinks that your husband doesn't have train option where he goes. And companies don't subsizide it at all?

    @untouchablets congrats and good luck on your dog training endeavor!

    @southernpeach89 I'm pretty sure I took a picture of that spikey fruit in a market in Toyko. Right before we got yelled at.....apparently there are security guards in the grocery store there that come tell you no pictures. It was weird hahaha

                                                                     

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  • @southernpeach89 @labro - It IS the stinky one! EW why would they compare Baby Peach to that thing?!?!



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