Ugh, Netflix! I love them and I hate them.
I love Netflix because a subscription allows me to forego cable and still have some kind of entertainment - movies and TV shows, many streaming directly to my TV.
I hate them because they just essentially DOUBLED their price!
It used to be that the basic one-disc plan plus unlimited streaming was available for $7.99/month. Great deal!
But now they've split the plan so that you can no longer get streaming and discs combined - you have to pay for them separately.
Unlimited streaming - $7.99/month
One disc (mailed) - $7.99/month
UGH!
So... since most of what I want I can get streaming, I cancelled the disc service. But since there are some TV shows that are not available on Netflix... I added Hulu Plus which is a paid version of a website that lets you watch TV shows. The paid version has many more shows than the free version, and tends to be up-to-date with the airing schedule.
So, I cancelled half of Netflix but replaced the cost with Hulu Plus (also $7.99/month).
A good fit for my lifestyle.
Still cheaper than cable.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Ah, men.
Men are so funny. Men and their egos, I should say.
A co-worker of mine has figured out that I've been using the treadmill in the basement of the station during the hot weather. So, today, he decided to join me, but I was nearly finished by the time he got down there.
So I was at about 3.7 miles (going to 4) when he got on the treadmill next to me. I asked him his plan and he said, thirty minutes. Which is great! So after about 3 minutes I got to 4 miles, and then started a five-minute cooldown. All the while my co-worker is huffing and puffing next to me and doing just fine, I thought.
When I got off the treadmill to go to the locker room, I did notice that he was looing a little... strained... I wished him a good workout and left the room. No sooner did I walked out the door than I heard frantic beeping and the treadmill slowing wayyy down... by the time I was finished changing and walking back upstairs I could hear that he was walking.
Poor guy - barely held it together for 8 minutes but gosh darn it he was NOT going to walk in front of me!
A co-worker of mine has figured out that I've been using the treadmill in the basement of the station during the hot weather. So, today, he decided to join me, but I was nearly finished by the time he got down there.
So I was at about 3.7 miles (going to 4) when he got on the treadmill next to me. I asked him his plan and he said, thirty minutes. Which is great! So after about 3 minutes I got to 4 miles, and then started a five-minute cooldown. All the while my co-worker is huffing and puffing next to me and doing just fine, I thought.
When I got off the treadmill to go to the locker room, I did notice that he was looing a little... strained... I wished him a good workout and left the room. No sooner did I walked out the door than I heard frantic beeping and the treadmill slowing wayyy down... by the time I was finished changing and walking back upstairs I could hear that he was walking.
Poor guy - barely held it together for 8 minutes but gosh darn it he was NOT going to walk in front of me!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Wishing
I wish I were hilarious, and I wish I were a better writer. I wish I were a hilarious writer. But I'm not.
I write best when I write simply (as I think most of us are) but I just cannot seem to covey humor in writing. Perhaps this is related to my total inability to tell a funny joke. But whereas timing is everything in speaking, what quality is it in writing that makes a person laugh out loud?
I write best when I write simply (as I think most of us are) but I just cannot seem to covey humor in writing. Perhaps this is related to my total inability to tell a funny joke. But whereas timing is everything in speaking, what quality is it in writing that makes a person laugh out loud?
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Something More
It's funny how we humans always want something just a little bit more than what we have.
When I used to live six blocks from the metro, at first it was okay but after a while it got pretty tedious. Then I moved to about four blocks from the metro and at first it was great! But after about six months it started to feel way too long. Now I live one block from the metro and find myself slightly envious of those who's front porches are directly across the street from the metro elevator entrance. Sigh.
Another case in point - coffee. For a long time I used a French press. This is not something that can be set up in advance to any great end - it really needs to be made all at once. So when I got a programmable coffee-maker I was ecstatic. Coffee ready before I even get up! No effort - just pour!
Now I find myself wishing, on days when I'm not sure exactly when I'll be waking up, that I had a remote control for the coffee-maker so I could remotely start the process whenever I wake up without worrying that I might wake up before it starts percolating.
Oh well. Life is funny that way. I have so many creature comforts and yet in my lowest points I resent having to get up and walk 20 feet to press a button for my coffee.
When I used to live six blocks from the metro, at first it was okay but after a while it got pretty tedious. Then I moved to about four blocks from the metro and at first it was great! But after about six months it started to feel way too long. Now I live one block from the metro and find myself slightly envious of those who's front porches are directly across the street from the metro elevator entrance. Sigh.
Another case in point - coffee. For a long time I used a French press. This is not something that can be set up in advance to any great end - it really needs to be made all at once. So when I got a programmable coffee-maker I was ecstatic. Coffee ready before I even get up! No effort - just pour!
Now I find myself wishing, on days when I'm not sure exactly when I'll be waking up, that I had a remote control for the coffee-maker so I could remotely start the process whenever I wake up without worrying that I might wake up before it starts percolating.
Oh well. Life is funny that way. I have so many creature comforts and yet in my lowest points I resent having to get up and walk 20 feet to press a button for my coffee.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Such a Geek
I discovered how to automatically send a mortgage payment directly from my checking account to my mortgage account. It's so fun! Even sending $20 or $50 extra per month can make a HUGE difference toward the overall amount of interest paid and years remaining.
Most personal finance gurus say "pay yourself first" - that is, transfer money to savings as part of your budget, not waiting for whatever might be left over.
And I do this. I send money to savings first thing upon getting paid. And since I pay my mortgage every two weeks instead of once per month, I end up making an extra payment per year without trying. BUT at the end of the money, after savings and all that, whatever is left over has been getting thrown at the mortgage via automatic transfer.
My goal is to be under 200k by the year 2014 when I am eligible to sell. Not that I need to sell right then, but it would be nice to be under 200k at that time so if I find a place I love, I'll make some money on my current place and possibly be in a position to upgrade to a small home with a patio :)
Most personal finance gurus say "pay yourself first" - that is, transfer money to savings as part of your budget, not waiting for whatever might be left over.
And I do this. I send money to savings first thing upon getting paid. And since I pay my mortgage every two weeks instead of once per month, I end up making an extra payment per year without trying. BUT at the end of the money, after savings and all that, whatever is left over has been getting thrown at the mortgage via automatic transfer.
My goal is to be under 200k by the year 2014 when I am eligible to sell. Not that I need to sell right then, but it would be nice to be under 200k at that time so if I find a place I love, I'll make some money on my current place and possibly be in a position to upgrade to a small home with a patio :)
Monday, July 11, 2011
First 100 Pages
If a book doesn't hold me within the first 100 pages, I put it down. I used to suffer through, no matter now excruciating, no matter how long - but now I feel that my time is too valuable to waste on poor literature.
The most recent one to bite the dust was John Irving's "A Son of the Circus." I usually Irving but after 150 pages reading this one was just a chore. So back to the library it went.
Currently I'm working on "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" which isn't a typical genre for me (it's 'adult magic'... set in the time of the British-French war in the early 1800s, it's about the last two surviving magicians in England). One-hundred eight pages and still going strong but I'm going easy on myself - the book was picked up for free by J so I won't feel too guilty if I decide it's just not for me.
It's hard to find good books. The closest library is really small and I usually don't get around to ordering from the inter-library loan. Buying used online or in the store is pricey. And then there's the matter of needing recommendations.
But there really is nothing like diving into a long, deep, wonderfully spun story, one that's so good you're sad when it's finished.
The most recent one to bite the dust was John Irving's "A Son of the Circus." I usually Irving but after 150 pages reading this one was just a chore. So back to the library it went.
Currently I'm working on "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" which isn't a typical genre for me (it's 'adult magic'... set in the time of the British-French war in the early 1800s, it's about the last two surviving magicians in England). One-hundred eight pages and still going strong but I'm going easy on myself - the book was picked up for free by J so I won't feel too guilty if I decide it's just not for me.
It's hard to find good books. The closest library is really small and I usually don't get around to ordering from the inter-library loan. Buying used online or in the store is pricey. And then there's the matter of needing recommendations.
But there really is nothing like diving into a long, deep, wonderfully spun story, one that's so good you're sad when it's finished.
Saturday, July 09, 2011
Berry Picking!
For my birthday I requested a day at the You Pick Berry farm... we found one in Woodbine, MD that had raspberries AND blueberries in season. What fun! We picked more than ten pounds of berries by the end of the day - plenty to get us through a great summer of smoothies and cobblers!
What fascinated me was the variety of languages we heard - Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Russian... so interesting! How did all these people find their way to a berry farm in central Maryland?
Anyway, it was a great day with great weather. I didn't take any photos prior to freezing the berries... sorry :(
What fascinated me was the variety of languages we heard - Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Russian... so interesting! How did all these people find their way to a berry farm in central Maryland?
Anyway, it was a great day with great weather. I didn't take any photos prior to freezing the berries... sorry :(
Friday, July 08, 2011
Happy Birthday to Me
I'm official *in* my thirties - yikes!
Though I wouldn't go back to my twenties for anything... all the uncertainly with jobs and moving around, struggling financially... I'm happy enough to leave that in the dust!
Tonight J is making dinner by special request: lobster mac and cheese and a pork sirloin wrapped in bacon. Tomorrow we're going berry-picking (weather permitting).
Though I wouldn't go back to my twenties for anything... all the uncertainly with jobs and moving around, struggling financially... I'm happy enough to leave that in the dust!
Tonight J is making dinner by special request: lobster mac and cheese and a pork sirloin wrapped in bacon. Tomorrow we're going berry-picking (weather permitting).
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Road Trip!
We love road trips! Anywhere within a four-hour range is game. We've been up to Gettysburg, out to West Virginia, down almost to the North Carolina border, on the Eastern Shore up to Delaware. Battlefields, national/state parks, teeny small towns with great dive bars - all equal destinations.
Today we're heading north through Maryland towards Pennsylvania. We'll stay off the main roads and see what we can find. Some good photo ops, some good food, good scenery, and time together... the only goals.
Today we're heading north through Maryland towards Pennsylvania. We'll stay off the main roads and see what we can find. Some good photo ops, some good food, good scenery, and time together... the only goals.
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