Brazillian

No, I'm not talking waxing here.  I could, but I won't.

I am always logged into one or two messengers throughout the day (usually ICQ and Yahoo!), but it's not any big deal really. There's never anyone to talk to.  Yesterday, however, a little notification popped up telling me Dani was online. I was so giddy I almost peed myself. Seriously. 

Dani was an exchange student from Brazil when I was in 10th or 11th grade. She and I became great friends.  She has only been able to come back to the U.S. to visit once since that time and I rarely am able to talk with her.  It's literally been years.  So when she came online yesterday, I was estatic.

We chatted for quite a while. What I love about Dani is that she and I can usually pick right up where we left off without hesitation.  She's funny and straight forward and I just love that. 

Naturally, we talked about wanting to visit in person.  I got online and started checking to see how much a ticket to Brazil would be. Holy hell!  I could fly half way around the world for less than a ticket to Brazil.  What on Earth?  It was very depressing. 

I don't know what to do for sure.  So many friends live so far away and I'd love to visit all of them.  It seems so unrealistic though.  I need some frequent flyer miles or something. But, I suppose I'd actually have to go place to accumulate any.  Ugh.  What does one do?

Entering the 21st Century (and a rant)

When we moved at the end of June last year into a very small cabin-like home, I decided to store my big, very old and bulky PC and forgo internet service.  It wasn't a big deal to me because I had access to the internet at work and I've "gone without" similar luxuries before (3 years without any kind of television service). After nine months without an internet connection at home, I finally caved.  And not only did I finally have internet service at home, but I also bought a new laptop (which I love!!!) with the help of my techie BFF.

I decided to make my way back into the realm of the 21st century, not because I was having withdrawals and couldn't live without it, but because it was frustrating that every time we wanted to look something up we couldn't.  Every time we wanted to check a bank balance or try to make vacation plans or look for ideas to redo the closet, we had to either bug someone else or do it after work.  It was inconvenient.

For me, it is still a tough adjustment.  I hate paying so much for internet service. I hate paying for a lot of things though. =)  Particularly, where we live (in the boonies), there are very few options for internet service providers. There is no real competition. You either take what you can get or you don't get. 

I also find myself wasting a lot of time checking Facebook and checking my email (and I get very few emails of substance from friends and family).  The internet can certainly be addicting, as is television (one of the reasons I didn't have it before and would prefer not to have it now).  So, I'm going to try to make a pact with myself to be productive when online and limit my internet play time. 

Now, I'm considering a new phone. My phone is very outdated and is a flip-phone.

**Pausing for laughter**

My tech savvy BFF is pointing me in the direction of an Andriod phone.  It's so very frustrating though.  Not only are they expensive to buy, but you get locked into this 2-year contract with your service provider (in this case, Verizon and formerly Alltel which I liked a great deal better) and you have to pay an arm and a leg for an additional data plan.  Let's not forget that I'm already paying a small fortune for a phone plan for minutes that I hardly use because of my Friends & Family numbers (people you can call without using your minutes), but without that specific plan, I don't have the Friends and Family numbers.  Not to mention that, because I live in the boonies and rely on my cell phone at home, I have limited service in my area so I have to stick with this service provider because others have very spotty service here.  I would think, by now, these cell phone companies could get their act together and actually provide service everywhere (or maybe they can and just don't).  What a crock!  It seems no matter what it is today (internet, cell phones, satellite/cable, gasoline), you have very few actual choices as the consumer.  The service providers get you coming and going.  It just pisses me off and that is why I have avoided for so long taking the plunge.

Eventually, I will have to decide what to do because my phone is truly on it's last leg. I just hate the added cost of all of it.  I am slowly re-entering the 21st Century though.  One step at a time.

Morning cocktail

This is my morning cocktail -

I wake up every day and take these 10 pills. I then drink 10 oz of water mixed with OxyDHQ.  Throughout the rest of the day, I take an additional 8 pills and drink another 10 oz of water mixed with OxyDHQ.  On top of that, I am drinking 70-80 oz of water a day.  I feel like a floating pill popper.  

This pill popping won’t last forever.  I will be done with six of the ten morning pill cocktail by the end of the week, but that is after three months of taking that particular pill.  This, however, assumes that my test results come back saying that the pills have done what we have hoped to the extent that we want.  I have not been given a timeline on the rest of the pills yet, but downing twelve pills a day instead of eighteen will be great.

All of this is part of my regimen given by the Out of Pocket doctor.  All of the pills and liquids and creams and gels that I take or use are natural.  The Ionic Detoxification foot baths that I have been doing are a holistic method to rid one’s body of toxins. 

 

Overall, I have been feeling great.  I am trying to exercise patience, but I am ready for the final result. I want to be completely fixed NOW.  I know that that is not a reasonable expectation so I am striving to maintain a positive outlook even though my pocket book is really beginning to feel the effects of this Out of Network experience.  All the pills, creams, gels, drinks, time and money are going to be worth it in the long run.  I just know it.

Dave Ramsey asks, "Would you fire you?"

I usually do not discuss politics or things of that nature with many people and especially not in public settings, but I think about this concept a lot. Particularly because I'm an accountant and I see a lot of wasted money and poor money management practices.  I am also concerned because my generation and those after me stand to suffer a great deal due to the mismanagement of finances.  (Don’t get me wrong. I don’t expect the government to manage my money, but we aren’t really given a choice in some instances.) So here's my philosophy (stolen from Dave Ramsey really) on governmental money management practices.

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

Governments and businesses should consider this Dave Ramsey scenario: "If you work for a company called You Incorporated, and your job was to manage money for You Incorporated and you manage money for You Incorporated the same way you manage money for you now, would you fire you?"

Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. (Willy Wonka)

If you managed your money they way you manage the government’s (the people’s) money or the business’s money now, would you fire you?

Out of Network & Out of Pocket

 Photo courtesy obraprima

When I was younger, my family doctor was the same doctor who delivered me…and my mom…and her mom.  Needless to say, my doctor passed away before I was a teenager.  Since then, I haven’t had a real family doctor.  I never needed to see a doctor much so I suppose it didn’t seem like a big deal then.  When it came time for me to need a doctor for regular physicals and things, I didn’t know where to begin.  I still don’t.

As I came of age and had a job where I finally had health insurance, I randomly selected a doctor that I knew of because he had done my dad’s colonoscopies.  This doctor was a DO, which meant nothing to me then, and practiced gastroenterology and internal medicine.  Fine. Whatever. I didn’t care at the time.  I really didn’t know what to look for or how to find a doctor. I just needed someone to give me a physical, keep my prescription for birth control current and see me for the occasional illness.

Of course, I was rarely ill and, when I did go to the doctor, I never actually saw the doctor. I saw the Physician’s Assistant. That was fine because the PA was a woman and I am much more comfortable seeing a woman for my womanly issues.  It was fine, at least, until the PA made a few remarks that made me very uncomfortable.  I was having a chronic problem with yeast infections. I was having one at least once every month.  When I inquired about what could be causing them, she said something about how the only two things could cause chronic yeast infections: diabetes and HIV.  Talk about scaring the hell out of someone…and for no reason. It wasn’t until I went off of the pill that the real culprit came to light.  It was, in fact, the pill cause my problem!

In recent years, I’ve made an attempt to find a doctor closer to work.  It makes sense to be able to leave work and drive 15 minutes to the doctor at any time of the day rather than trying to drive 45 minutes one way and fitting in a doctor’s appointment either in the morning (beginning of the day) or afternoon (end of the day) which never seems possible anyway.  But how does one pick a doctor in a town they are only vaguely familiar with?  By asking friends and coworkers, of course.

This led me to my last doctor who was ok, at first.  Then she started giving me life advice and telling me how to sort out my life and which decisions I should be making based on her own beliefs and only bits and pieces of my life story.  Thank you, but I’ve already seen a shrink for this.  There are also issues that I have been having that she had no idea how to fix or what to do.  She said to me, “I know that your issues are hormonal, but I don’t know what to do for you.”  It was probably a blessing in disguise when she sent all of her patients a letter saying she was leaving her practice to go explore opportunities at the local hospital.

At this point, I had had enough. I just wanted someone who wouldn’t look at me like I have two heads or three eyeballs when I say I’m having hot flashes!!!  Based on the advice of my friend/landlord, I went to see a doctor who is a D.O. and is also dedicated to holistic healing.  This doctor doesn’t accept insurance and, thus, is considered out of network.  Because I was/am desperate to find someone who will help me, who won’t make me feel like I’m crazy, and who can offer some kind of solution to my problems, I decided to give it a whirl.  

My initial visit was one full hour with the doctor and $425.  It wasn’t what I had experienced in the past as a typical office visit. No one weighed me, took my blood pressure, took my temperature or looked in my ears. I arrived a few minutes early and the doctor herself called me and took me back to the room.  There was no waiting and there was no one else in the office waiting to be seen.  She sat in a chair and I sat across from her. She said to tell her what was going on. I explained my main issues being that I feel like I’m having hot flashes even though everyone says I’m too young.  “In fact”, I told her, “I’m having one right now.”  She asked me to show her where I was feeling hot and I did. She said I was indeed having a hot flash!!! 

I explained more about the issues I was having - anxiety, panic attacks, I was edgy and not able to sleep, not being able to focus, fatigue, a chronic no-apparent-reason rash, weight gain, loss of libido, night sweats, some serious acne, a serious sensitivity to smells and perfumes, and digestive problems.  After listening patiently to my problems and my theories about what I thought caused some of them, she told me there is definite potential for a hormonal imbalance. She explained to me and drew a diagram about how our hormones work and are created, what affects stress can have on the production of different hormones and how things can be thrown off kilter.  When it was all said and done, she had given me a full prescription page full of labs that needed to be done, a 24-hour urine home analysis kit to check for toxins in my system and a suggestion for a natural antihistamine for my scent sensitivity.

I left that office beaming.  Even though we didn’t know exactly how off kilter my hormones were and I had to wait at least a month to find out, I had to drive 45 minutes one way, AND it cost me $425 of my own money, I was ECSTATIC!  Someone believed me! Someone actually thinks that there is something we can do to fix me!  (I actually ended up waiting six weeks to see the doctor again.  My blood tests had to be done in a three day window within my cycle.  Apparently, my cycle was off (another issue) and it takes two weeks to get the results from the tests.)

My second appointment was all of fifteen minutes.  Again, I was the only one in the waiting area and the doctor herself greeted me and took me to the room.  She showed me my test results and explained everything to me.  All of my hormones are out of whack and my testosterone levels were “the lowest of any woman I have ever seen,” she said.  I also had toxic levels of lead in my system. Kind of creepy, no?  I walked away with a page of instructions and my prescriptions were called into the super pharmacy that compounds their own medications and then mails them to me!  In the morning, I take 6 pills to “get the lead out”, 1 DHEA supplement, 6 drops of vitamin D that amounts to about 2500 times the daily value, and I slather on a testosterone gel.  In the evening, I rub in a progesterone cream. 

It’s too early to notice a change, but I am so excited to be doing something. I am excited to know that I’m not crazy. There is something out there to help me.  I want to share my doctor with all of my friends who are having issues that no one else can seem to solve. 

The medical profession is frustrating to me in so many ways.  So many of my friends have issues that there is no real solution for. Everything is a try this and see if it works approach.  If that doesn’t work, we’ll try something new.  My friend’s issues range from migraines and insomnia to epilepsy and chronic depression.  It’s so frustrating. And finding a doctor, a good doctor, is so very hard. 

Anyway, if all goes well with this hormone therapy program, I would love to recommend this doctor to anyone.  The initial cost seems like a lot.  Of the $425 initial visit, which I did turn in to my insurance (the doctor’s office gives you a medical billing form to help with that), $236 of it was covered by my insurance.  That, however, did not even cover my $250 out of network deductible.  (It’s sad that extremely good money is paid for insurance and you can’t see any doctor you want and have it covered.)  I am still waiting to see how much of the second visit will be covered.  But the doctor only makes you come see her when it’s absolutely necessary. She is having me check in around the two week mark via email.  If I have questions, I can call or email (which I have done).  If something isn’t working, email.  She makes it clear that she’s not there just to take your money.  She wants to help you and is willing to help keep the costs down and work with you in a manner that works for you.

LASIK is a Piece of Cake

That's right people. You heard me. LASIK is a piece of cake!  The whole thing went down like this...

A few days prior to surgery, I received a call reminding me of my appointment.  She confirmed my arrival time of 7:15 and surgery time of 8:30.  She then reminded me to wear absolutely no perfume or anything with a strong, heavy scent as it interferes with the laser.

Friday morning, the day of the surgery, I was up and showering by 5:15 am (Freaking early, I know!).  My ride (mom and her bf) picked me up at 6:15 and we headed out for our 45 minute drive to the doctor's office.  We arrived a few minutes early and waited in the car.  As soon as we went inside, however, they were ready and immediately started processing paperwork.  I had to sign a few consent forms and HIPPA forms and I was on my way.  The nurse took me back and looked at my eyes with two more devices. She explained everything she was doing in detail and how the information she was gathering will help them program the laser to make the most accurate adjustments to my vision.  I believe one a corneal topographer which measures the curvature of the eye and creates a colorful kind of "map" of the cornea. There was also a wavefront analysis machine that sends light waves through the eye to provide an even more precise map of aberrations affecting the vision.  All of that was easy stuff.

The nurse then took me to fill out more paperwork and make payment arrangements.  Something I didn't know until recently is that they have special financing programs for healthcare related procedures.  The doctor that I went thru uses the CareCredit program.  They can set you up on any kind of plan from 0% interest for twelve months up to 13.9% interest for 60 months.  I think this is great because it is usually the cost of the procedure that is a major player in whether or not people decide to have it done.  Not that I am a big proponent of credit in general, mind you. I just think this is a great procedure and, since insurance still finds it optional and won't cover the cost, financing options makes it a viable option for people.

Anyway, we got all that set up and this nurse then took me back to a lovely lady who prepped me for surgery.  She explained everything that was going to happen in regard to medication and eye drops.  She also went over medication, eye drops and protecting my eyes after surgery.  I was given a valium to keep me calm and then a series of eye drops that included numbing drops, an antibiotic drop, and a few other drops that I'm not sure about. 

We then went into a room that looked just like any other eye exam room.  The nurse made a name tag for me and stuck it on me shirt upside-down.  She put a little surgical hat thingy over my hair with cotton pads near my ears for collecting excess drops that would run down my cheeks during the procedure and she place surgical coverings over my shoes as well.  Then, we sat and waited for a short while.

Me & mom (she looks thrilled, no?)

As I was checking out my upside-down name tag and repeating my name over and over, the doctor came in, gave my eyes a quick look, cracked a few jokes (which I thought were pretty darn funny given the fact that the valium had kicked in), and we were on our way.

The room that the surgery was performed in was quite cold. By the time I walked over to the table that you lay on, I was shivering. The nice assistants helped me climb onto the table, lay down and then offered me a blanket (thank heavens). Things proceeded quite quickly from there. They immediately started putting more numbing drops in my eyes. From this point on, I really unaware of what exactly was happening. The doctor and his assistants were very cheerful people. They talk you through everything without giving you too much detail. They even cheer you on and tell you what a great job you are doing. Your job is to lay still on that table and stay focused on the blinking light (orange in my case, but I've heard other say red). They also tell you to keep both eyes open which I found difficult to know if I was doing or not because one eye is being held open with lid holder/retainer type object and the other eye was covered with a dark object. It wasn't until I got home and watched the video of the procedure (yes, I did watch it and I wouldn't recommend it if you are squeamish and/or considering having it done until afterward) that I was able to put two and two together and make sense of everything that had taken place.

First they put this plastic looking ring thing on your eye to hold it steady while the flap is made. I felt some pressure on the eye which would normally have made me panic, but the doctor talked me through it and I reasoned in my head that the pressure isn't going to cause my eye to explode or anything because the doctor is here telling me that this is what is going to happen and it should be happening. Everything goes black for a few seconds. I believe at this point, I was placed under the machine that actually creates the flap. After the flap is made, the ring thing is removed and the procedure is repeated with the other eye. All the while, the doctor and his assistants are talking me through every single step.

After the flap is made on the eye, it is then lifted. At the time, I didn't realize that this is what was happening. The doctor tells you to focus on the light. While he’s lifting the flap with a metal instrument, the assistant kept telling me to keep focused on the light and not to let him take it away. This was a bit difficult in my mind because while he’s lifting the flap, he’s tugging on the eye causing it to move which makes it hard to keep the light in sight. Once the flap is lifted, everything becomes really blurry.

The next part of the process is the laser. It makes some clicking sounds and the assistant calls out how long it will take. 19 seconds…15 seconds….hold on, you’re doing great…13 seconds, 9 seconds…3 seconds…done…great job! My understanding is, the laser detects and follows slight movements that you might make and will pause and readjust if necessary. After the laser finishes, the doctor puts what he called glue (a liquid of some sort) over the cornea and then smoothes the flap back down with a sponge like object. And one eye is complete.

The second eye was just the same. I was a little more anxious during the flap lifting process of the second eye. I think because I was unaware of what was actually taking place and really worried about focusing on the light. Once the doctor lifted the flap, he said that he needed me to settle before proceeding. I immediately was able to do just that and everything proceeded smoothly from there.

I would say the whole procedure lasted less than 20 minutes total for both eyes. The video (which, unfortunately, has a piece cut out in the beginning) lasted all of 11 minutes, 55 seconds. It was painless and the doctor and his assistants made it that much better.

After the procedure, the doctor gave my eyes one last look to make sure there were no foreign objects in my eyes and that the flaps were properly replaced. They made sure I had all of my instructions and eye drops and placed some goggles and sunglasses on me and sent us on our way.

I felt great after the procedure. I was actually able to see right away. My sight was blurry, almost as if someone had smeared Vaseline on my glasses or something, but otherwise, I could actually see a good distance in front of me. On the ride home, I rested my eyes. We stopped for breakfast and I kept my eyes closed for the majority of that time. My eyes were sensitive to the light and a bit scratchy as if I had worn my contacts for a long 15 hour day and taken them out and my eyes were dry.

When I got home, I took the second valium that the doctor’s office had given me, made up a bed on the couch and slept for a good 5-6 hours which is recommended. Keeping your eyes closed as much as possible helps them heal. For my waking hours, it was prescribed one drop of Pred Forte and rewetting drops each hour and one drop of the antibiotic four times a day. By 6 o’clock, I was awake and watching tv from the couch with no problem.

It is amazing! I am still amazed. I would highly recommend discussing LASIK with your eye doctor if you are sick and tired of wearing contacts and/or glasses. The procedure was so easy and the doctor and his staff were absolutely wonderful. I can’t express enough how their attitude and caring demeanor made this experience that much better. I would recommend Rosenbaum Eye & Laser Center one hundred times over to anyone as the staff there truly played a huge part in making this such an easy and amazing experience.


**It may be good to note that this is my experience and my experience only. The details may not be wholly accurate, but are the account from my perspect and from my research on the procedure itself.

Stay tuned for more on the Post-Op appointment.

Keeping up with the Joneses

I am ashamed to admit that I have found myself inflicted with the "Keeping up with the Joneses" syndrome.  The prospect of vacationing with someone whose means are much more abundant than that of my own has caused me to feel inferior.  It is with great disappointment and sadness that I admit this.

In preparing for my vacation, I have found myself purchasing hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise.  I'm not quite sure how much just yet. I am afraid to look and know for sure.  I have found myself putting some of my purchases on my credit card just in case I need the cash in my bank account for my actual vacation.

This is NOT how I operate!

Usually, I give myself an allotted amount of spending money.  And, because I know myself all too well, I will put a little more in a side account for extras.  But I always have the cash to go and I always give myself a budget. ALWAYS!

With this vacation, however, there are so many unknown factors.  I have no idea what we will be doing while we are there. There are a lot of possibilities.  Many activities range from $50-$200.  I have no idea what the weather will be like. Hot during the day, very cool at night is my understanding.  But how do you know for sure how to prepare for that. One person's hot isn't necessarily another person's hot. One person's chilly may not be my chilly.  And though I am sure that the person that I am vacationing with is mindful that my means and the third persons' means are a bit limited, it still causes this bit of angst inside me.  I also have no idea what it will cost to eat while I am there. I don't know if it will be possible for us to purchase any groceries.  I have no idea how much it will cost us to get around.  There are just so many uncertainties and I do not bode well with uncertainty.  I have a tendency to try to be prepared for all of the possibilities and what ifs.

Back to my uncontrollable spending. What the...???  What is my problem!?!?!?!?  I convinced myself that I needed these things.  And a few things would have been ok.  I have outgrown my summer clothes.  Many of which I haven't worn in a year or two because most of my summer is spent working overtime.  But I have practically gone out and bought a new summer wardrobe.  Three and a half new bathing suits (one was a gift), summer dresses (one was also a gift), a cropped cardi, two pair of pajama bottoms, tops, shorts, pants that roll up to capris, a new toiletry bag, two new travel bags that are easy on the shoulders, new sandals, two new hoodies for the chilly evenings, and one of those pillow things for the airplane.  I think I have gone completely bonkers!  I am definitely having buyers remorse. Look at all this:




This is out of control.

So, the best I can do now is tell myself NO MORE!

I still cannot believe that I let this consume me. Thoughts of I can't wear the same two bathing suits while I'm there for seven days because I'm sure the Joneses will have 100+ for sure.  (And she does have 100 or so suits.)  Or, I can't wear the same single pair of pajama pants the whole time I am there. What will they think?  Or, What if we walk around a lot and do a lot of shopping, I will need a comfortable bag and comfortable new shoes because the ones I have just aren't good enough. They'll look at me like I have two heads. 

I can't believe I allowed myself to think this way.  I suppose it can go back to the self-esteem issues that my counselor constantly tried to address.  And the idea that I need to be accepted by everyone.  This just isn't so. I am who I am. I like who I am and I need to remind myself that people like me for who I am too.  Quite a few people do, actually. I know this and need to accept this.  Believe it with all that I am.

No more keeping up with the Joneses.  That's not who I am!

The Traveler's Ultimate Dilemma

I honestly don’t feel that I have traveled a lot in my lifetime. I love to go to new places and experience new things. Even though I have not traveled a lot, I have been to a few noteworthy places (and some less noteworthy locations).

 

• Baltimore, Maryland: ’92 Olympic Trials spectator - Gymnastics
• England & Scotland: Cross Cultural Trip in 2002
• Washington DC: Twice - once as an eighth grader and once for work
• New York, New York: To visit the Financial District for my Bachelor’s degree
• Chicago, Illinois: On a whim with an ex
• Orlando, Florida: Visiting with friends though I didn’t go to Disney
• Lakeland, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Jacksonville, Orange Park, and Naples all in Florida: To visit friends
• The Bahamas: On a cruise
• Atlanta, Georgia: To visit my niece
• El Paso, Texas: To visit my ex at Fort Bliss before he deployed
• Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana: On a road trip
• Different cities in Ohio and Indiana: I count these on a smaller scale because it’s still the tri-state area
• Niagra Falls: I’m not sure which side, however, because I was so little (probably 3 or 4)

 

All this to say that, soon, I will be embarking on another excursion and the same quandary still occurs as with most all of these other trips: The Bag. The non-touristy, hip, chic, carry-all bag that doesn’t hurt my shoulder to carry around for hours yet serves my multitude of purposes bag. The traveler’s ultimate dilemma.

 

Over the years, I have employed several different bags, but most of them were to just get the job done. And most of the bags I have purchased were cheap. I mean, the reality of the situation is that I am a frugal individual and have always been on a pretty tight budget.

 

After trekking through all terrains in England and Scotland for a couple of weeks, my shoulders were so sore and tired. Even after a short shopping spree, my shoulder and back are generally sore and achy from my purse alone. So I really would like to find a versatile bag with multi-functionality.

 

But where to begin?

 

Well, lucky for me my friend Shannon had already conducted a search of her own with a plethora of suggestions from her readers (which outnumber my readers by far). So I perused her archives and found a suggestion by one of her readers that I fell in love with, the MEC Right Hand Pod Sling Pack. I figure this will be a good bag for those days where we go shopping. It can hold my identification items, money, camera, and a hoodie just in case. And, since I was there, I ordered the MEC Flux Sling Pack as well for trips to the beach and my carry-on. I may not need both for this trip, but I think they will both be useful in the long run. A sound investment, I say.

Tax Time

Photo courtesy Howdy, I'm H. Michael Karshis

It’s that time of year again. TAX TIME! Honestly, I don’t know why I get all excited about tax time. I really don’t get much of a refund from the Feds and what I do get usually goes to the State of Michigan. I guess it is the number crunching accountant in me that loves tax time. That is the only thing I really miss out on not being in public accounting – taxes! I love doing tax returns. Anymore, though, I’m not qualified. So I live vicariously through one of my BFFs and she would probably tell me that it’s no picnic.

Anyway, since I can’t do anyone else’s tax return, I am going to do my best to arm you with the ability to do it yourself. Do it yourself! You can! It isn’t hard, I promise! If your tax returns are fairly simple, meaning you had one or two jobs, you are single, you are married and each had one job, maybe a child, own a home or rent, possibly have a few charitable deductions, you can totally do you own taxes online. AND you might even qualify to do them for FREE. Let me repeat that…FOR FREE. Eff. Are. Eee. Eee!

First of all, check your state’s treasury website. Usually they list online tax programs and the requirements for each program to file for free. The State of Michigan lists programs that allow you to file just the State return for free, just the Federal return for free, and programs that allow you to file both for free. I have had to use two programs to be able to file each return for free, but, it is so worth it to save the ungodly amount of money that those tax places charge.

As a general rule, there are income limitations. And some programs are shotty. I have a tendency to try a few of them to see if I get similar results. Most programs allow you to input all of your information, see the result, and pay only when you actually submit the return to the IRS or the State. And, of course, if you don’t happen to qualify for a free program, there are a number of great programs to choose from and compare prices. Most of them are cheaper than paying big bucks to have someone else do them for you.

Without further ado, here are a few resources for you to check out. I hope you will give it a try and let me know how it turned out for you.

Free File State of Michigan

Low priced online tax preparation for State of Michigan and Federal

The IRS doesn’t have their choice of programs up yet, but they are telling you to check back January 15.

I lied

Photo courtesy Century 21

I said that I was not participating in Black Friday shopping madness.  But...I lied.  I didn't intentionally lie. I had not planned on shopping at all.  I just happened to be online Friday morning making lunch plans with a friend and discovered two items at JCPenney that I just had to get because they were so dang cheap.

One was a cooks Non-stick Electric Griddle for My Friend.  You see, My Friend is a cook in a restaurant so he is used to cooking on a big, flat grill.  When he cooks at my place, using a frying pan is completely foreign to him.  We talked about getting one of these griddles at WalMart when we were out shopping one day, but decided not to spend the money right then.  When I saw the griddle in the Penney's ad for $12.88 (with $10.00 mail-in rebate), I couldn't pass it up.  Even if it's a piece of crap that doesn't work, it's only $12.88 out the window.

I also picked up the cooks 5-in-1 Power Blender w/attachment.  It's a knock off of the Magic Bullet that is all over tv.  I'm not one to buy into infomercial products*, but I've always wanted one of these.  It, too, was only $12.88 (with $10.00 mail-in rebate) and couldn't be passed up.

What can I say?  I'm a sucker.

I didn't spend any time looking around the store, however. I went it, checked the lines to see if they were too long, grabbed what I wanted, hopped in line, and got out of there.  It wasn't bad although there was a little girl who had lost her family (or vice versa) and I felt so bad for her.  She was crying and so sad. It broke my heart.

I have to add that my Friday experience was not nearly as bad as my excursion to Target on Saturday.  Crazy!  I wasn't even there to do holiday shopping. I only went in because I am trying to unpack more boxes (that I've ignored for months) and organize my computer room and I needed some storage bins/organizing thingies.  What a zoo!  I didn't stand in line too long, but the aisle ways were overly crowded and there were crying, tantrum-having children everywhere. Never again.

*Ok, ok. I promise to stop fibbing. I've been wanting one of those GT Express 101 thing-a-majiggers too.

Shopping Black Friday...or not

Black Friday is rapidly approaching and people will be waking up before they would normally, some may not even go to bed, in order to hit the shopping hot spots and claim the best deal on the item they are in search of. Me, on the other hand, I refuse to partake in such an event. I absolutely refuse to:


a) get up that stinking early
b) get up that early just to go shopping (I hate shopping)
c) fight hoards of rude people
d) be tortured by screaming children
e) put a huge amount of effort into tracking down a terrific deal only to find the shelf barren upon arrival
f) stand in horrific lines (and lines for everything)
g) chase my tail in a parking lot
h) get run over by a mob of insane people
i) watch as people hurt other people over THINGS (!!!)
j) participate in ramped spending on things I don’t need.

But really, there are tons of people are there who are braving the crowds. I say, you go for it. Me, I’ll stick with Cyber Monday. I spend less money (fewer “present to me” temptations) and I can maintain my sanity at the same time.

If you are a Black Friday shopper, here are two of the sites I like best for getting the scoop on the ads:
http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/

https://www.thanksgivingblackfridayads.com/


If you prefer Cyber Monday, check this out:
http://www.cybermonday.com/

Happy shopping!

Happenings

Wow! This last month has been ker-raiz-zee! Crazy! Not so much at home or in my personal life, but work has been nuts! But that’s really not what I want to talk about. Moving on…

Recently My Friend talked me into painting the apartment. I have tossed the idea around several times. I, however, am the kind of person who likes to do as little work as possible. The idea of painting now and then having to repaint when I move out sounds like a lot of freaking work to me. So, as much as I like the idea of painting, actually following through with it was never in the plan. Or my plan anyway. My Friend had other ideas.

Over the weekend, we hit Home Depot and started checking out paint. I picked out a couple of colors that I like, they mixed us up some samples and we took them home to try them out. I really liked the one color so My Friend and I agreed that we would start painting Sunday. I was in charge of painting the wall while he painted the shelves that he made for my unused closet (boy is he ever handy!).

Sunday I had a little bit of shopping to do so I ran out to Wally World and then hit Big Lots for some cheap curtains and a rod for my bedroom because the outside light shines in at night. When I returned home, to my surprise, My Friend had painted the whole wall already! I was so excited. I had to stop and stare at it for a little while.



The next task, of course, is to add some kind of decorative gobbledy-gook which I am so not good at. So I started looking at pictures of stuff and I came across this (which is a staged apartment at my complex, believe it or not) and loved it:



I perused the furniture stores online looking for two little ottomans like that, but couldn't find them. I did find a bench that I liked at Art Van so My Friend and I headed there last night to take a look at it in person.



My Friend and I went in the store and asked the sales lady if we could look at this bench. She pulled it up on her little computer and said there weren't any on the showroom floor but that we could buy it, have them pull it from the warehouse, assemble it and, if we didn't like it, we could return it for a refund. This was a lot for me to take in. I am not accustom to spending large amounts of money, or what I consider large (anything over $50!). So, while My Friend and I contemplated this, we decided to look at the tables that we had cased once before.


And then we decided on this one and walked out with a table instead of a bench.

Someone want to explain to me how that works? LOL

Anyway, I am uber excited about all the painting and decorating and furnishing. It's a little scary, but it is wonderful to have someone in my life who wants to do that too. THAT is exciting!

Am I just being lazy?

Phot courtesy emagnus

Because My Friend has connections everywhere (ev-er-ry-where!), an awesome opportunity presented itself last night. My Friend has a friend (The Trainer) who is an ex-bodybuilder and is retired and who, now, spends time training others. My Friend took it upon himself to stop and talk to The Trainer about me telling him that I have been weighing my options in regard to some kind of physical fitness activities. The Trainer then kindly offered his services three days a week for $20 per week.

$20 per week people! Do you know how stinking cheap that is? For your own personal trainer!!! And he essentially offered to come to me. To bring his person to my person and kick my butt for $20 per week!

I am hesitant. Why? Two reasons.

Reason #1) $20 per week doesn't seem like much until you say $80 per month. Did I mention that overtime is, well, over? I am already back on a stringent budget. However, My Friend offered to pay for this. Why? Because he feels he owes me.

Reason #2) In part, I feel like I am just being lazy. Paying someone to help me do something that I know full well I can do myself. I have gotten out there before and ran all summer long. That is where it usually stops though. I go for a summer and become a couch potato through the winter and spring.

I don't know what to do. Do I go for it? Am I just being lazy by not getting out there and doing it myself? Didn't Dr. Phil say, "Sometimes action has to come before motivation?" What do you think?

Higgledy-Piggledy, Take I

My mind is all over the place today. I have a zillion miscellaneous things running through my brain and I really don’t know what to do with all of them. Fortunately, I have this space here in bloggy world where I can share and say whatever I want. So, without further ado, I give you my Higgledy-Piggledy bits.

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My mom got a car. For an ordinary person, this really isn’t a huge deal. For my mom, this is colossal! I believe I have mentioned before that my mom is an alcoholic. I know I don’t have to tell you that drinking + driving is not anywhere near the beginnings of a good equation.

My mom has not driven or owned a car for a few years now. She has already had a DUI and a reckless driving for leaving the scene of an accident (it was a drinking related accident that they couldn’t prove). The last time she really drove, she was in an accident with an older woman in the car and she claims that the car flipped all the way over and landed back on its wheels. I was not there so I cannot vouch for this, but this is what she says. She also claims she hadn’t been drinking.

To add to matters, my mom is a very anxious person. EVERYTHING makes her nervous. Even riding in a car with a very good, safe driver, my mom will grip the door handle, hold her belly, close her eyes, and grit her teeth.

If I am honest, I will admit to being upset about someone (her boyfriend of sorts) buying her a car. Not only is it a danger for my mother and to my mother to be behind the wheel, it is a danger to other drivers on the road. I don’t care how much she promises to not drive after drinking, we all are aware of how drinking impairs judgment. It only takes ONE time!

Regrettably, there is nothing I can do. She is an adult with a valid driver’s license. As sad as this may sound, I have begun to wonder if I should explore life insurance policies. That is how much the idea of my mother driving scares me!

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I recently went to my doctor for my annual exam. This is a new family doctor for me and I really like her. I had intentions of seeing one of the other physicians in the office, but they were not accepting patients. It all turned out for the best though. She listens to me. She understands that I know my own body. When something isn’t right, I know and she listens. It also isn’t necessary for me to arrange an office visit every time I need something or have a problem. Sometimes I can call and she will write the prescription for me or she will return my call and discuss my issue with me over the phone. She calls and reports to me any test results as well. I really like her.

At my annual exam, she suggested I start eating yogurt and taking a B complex vitamin. Check and check! I immediately starting eating yogurt mixed with Fiber One cereal every morning. (I love Fiber One cereal! It might look like rabbit pellets, but it tastes good and it is even sweet. Plus, a whole day’s fiber in one cup!) My only issue is that she wants me to eat Activia. Activia, however, contains high fructose corn syrup which we are all increasingly aware is not good for our bodies. So, instead, I opted for Stonyfield Organic Yogurt. It has the same probiotic as the Activia. Sweet!

My only issues, now are…
1) I need to stop drinking so much Mountain Dew. (Did I mention high fructose corn syrup already? Yeah, I think so.) If you are unaware, I love MD. I do limit myself, but this is one habit I really need to kick to the curb.
2) Drink water. I have never been a big fan of water. It is tasteless and unpleasant for me to consume. I have had bouts in the past where I have drank considerable amounts of water, as I am supposed to, but they were always chug sessions. Chug it on my drive to work. Chug it on my drive home. Give me a limited time span and I’d chug. But to just sit around sipping water, I’ll pass!
3) Exercise! I really do like working out…once I get into it. It’s getting into it that seems to be my current road block. I will do really well for about a week and a half and then fall flat on my face. I know that I feel so much better in so many ways when I exercise. I benefit both mentally and physically. So what in the world is my problem??

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I have noticed, recently, that I have begun to put on a few pounds. Again. I went through this last year. I gained, roughly, ten pounds. I went up a pant size. I bought all new clothes to accommodate. I tried not to make too much of a fuss about it and be accepting. After all, at my age, I think it’s fairly natural for a woman to put on a few pounds. I also never really gained the freshman 15 that people talk about. I am naturally small framed so it isn’t like I ballooned up and am suddenly obese. However, I do not want to have to go through this process all over again. I am not going to buy all new clothes again to accommodate. I also know that regular exercise will help in this area and will be better for me because I really do sit on my keister all. day. long. For overall and long term health, I know I need to exercise. I really want to tell myself to JUST DO IT ALREADY!

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For the last three months solid, I have been working 5-10 hours of overtime every week. Overtime has, now, come to a bittersweet end. The sweet - I am glad it is over. No more working Saturdays, no more 7 am start times and no more eleven hour days. The bitter - it brings back the strain of very carefully watching my cash flow because there is no more overtime pay.

Now what? I have already started thinking about a second job. Hello JCPenney holiday helper? It’s a possibility. I have family in town who own a small bar. I could always ask for a waitressing job. I’m cute. (Not to be conceited or anything.) I could get some tips even if the service sucks. Which it would. Who am I kidding. I’m no waitress! Ugh.

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Somehow, last year, I received a call from the local Muscular Dystrophy Association to participate in their annual lockup fundraiser. That was fine. I did it. I raised about $600. They called again this year. They are sneaky little buggers. The caller ID lists a person’s name, not that they are calling from MDA. So, again, I am roped into attempting to raise money. (Because I can’t say no. It’s my own fault really.) Unfortunately, I am new to this area so raising money through people I know for this area is hard. Though a worthy cause, Muscular Dystrophy is not a cause that I am totally passionate about. I am trying to raise money this year, but it isn’t going so well.

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Watch for Higgledy-Piggledy, Take II coming soon!