Good Deals

Free MP3s on Amazon
Lots of cool albums, unusual stuff. Install their music downloader and tell it where you want it to send your songs (to your iTunes player or Media Player).
Individual songs and albums.

Arrested Development, the complete series (Seasons 1, 2, 3)
On sale at Amazon, $28.99 plus free super saver shipping

New Vacuums Rock!

I brought home my new vacuum last night. After figuring out a problem (my little turquoise lever to lock the canister wasn't locked), I took off and enjoyed the splendors of my new vacuum.

It's funny how cleaning goes from being a chore to being fun - all you have to do is get a new toy! This vacuum was great, with good suction and my carpet has never felt this fluffy and wonderful before! Plus, even though I was only vacuuming a hallway and a bedroom, I had to empty the dust cup 3 times!! (In my defense, I took about a month researching and procrastinating before I bought this, so my carpet was in need of a cleaning...but heck, we don't wear shoes in the house, but it's still amazing how much crap your carpet can collect.)

It's a Bissell 82H1 Cleanview Helix and I bought it from Amazon for $79, an upgrade from my last vacuum, a hand-me-down $59 Eureka. I love that I don't have to buy bags and that it works on hard floors, too. If it lasts me for 3-4 years, I'll consider it money well spent!

Chile Roasting Party

Chiles roasting away...

Under the grape arbor

Apples piled up, like a trough to feed the local elk

Croquet in the backyard

June Wedding

It was so great to go see my friends in California this summer. In June, one of my friends, Jan, got married at the Long Beach Aquarium. We all had a lovely time and the best part was getting to see these gals.


Brett and Julieann (one of my better photos - I had so much red eye!!)


And here is the wedding girl...my caption for this photo is: "Here, sweetie, have a drink...relaxxx!" (I wish that I had gotten a better photo of the bride - darn lighting!)


Jan looked beautiful and the wedding was a blast.

Here were some of the cutesy little jellyfish at the aquarium!

Optimist or Pessimist?

I say it doesn't matter whether the glass is half empty or half full - it's whether the glass holds a margarita.

My boss announced today that he is leaving the company in a month's time, much to the surprise of everyone in my division.

As I've visited with folks today, it seems to be a time for worry and reflection. I haven't really seen much in the way of hope from anyone. Perhaps it's too soon to expect that from people.

My coworker said, "Well, I decided I can either be really negative about it or not be really negative about it." I thought that was an interesting take. I pointed out to him that the two options weren't being negative and being positive, but either being negative or having a lack of any emotion towards it.

I told him that it's like saying either "The glass is half empty," or "I don't want to talk about the damn glass!"

I follow the belief that the quickest way to upset people is to mess with:

a. their home
b. their money
or
c. their children

And right now, in essence, a lot of my coworkers are probably feeling like their money is being threatened.

The other belief that I have is that things eventually work out - one way or another. In about 4 weeks, we'll know how this is going to work out (or at least begin to get an idea).

Momentum & Redefining Priorities

I recently started to use Google Reader to quickly browse through new posts on my favorite blogs and websites. I love to cruise through what's new at Gourmet, Design Sponge, I Will Teach You to be Rich and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, among others.

In one of my quick perusals of new posts this week, I saw one titled The Curse of Momentum. I skimmed the article and felt that it really resonated with me.

It basically says that it is a lot easier to keep moving in the direction you're already going than to stop, reevaluate and change course. So, we either keep going with the flow or we make some changes, put the effort in and see what the payout is.

In alignment with this has been my dawning revelation that buying a new home isn't all that I thought it would be. I thought that it would be this life-defining moment where I would feel an indescribable security and sense of well-being. And really, it hasn't done too much to change my life, besides take away that feeling that I'm throwing away money on rent.

When I figured out that owning my own home wasn't everything I dreamt it would be, I asked myself again: what do I want? And the answer was simple. I want to be in love and I want to travel the world and have amazing experiences.

Now that I've redefined my larger priorities, I have to ask myself, what am I doing to get what I want?

I plan to continue to do a couple of things. First, I will continue to do things that scare me. Second, I will continue to try and meet new people in all different types of circumstances.

Then comes the new things I'm going to try. I am planning on doing an exercise that Wisebread talked about on their post: Feeling Stuck? 100 Ways to Change Your Life. I plan on always trying to experience the feelings of hope and openness to change. And I am going to work on discovering specific ways that I can achieve my goals. (Any recommendations are welcomed.)

Everyday is a new day to embrace life and move forward. And I hope that I move forward in the direction I want, instead of just moving with the momentum.

Moving Forward...with a vengeance!

I bought my townhouse this summer. It's great and I like it. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm thrilled or in love with it, but the simple answer is that it's just another place that I'm going to live for a while. I think that it wouldn't really matter where I'm living, as long as I'm doing it without someone I love by my side, it won't mean as much.

However, I'm very pleased to have my new home and it's one big check mark next to that item on my to-do list.

I am fortunate enough to be able to start another item on my list, as I'm returning to school this week. I'll be in 3 classes this fall, attending through a distance degree program that meets my scheduling needs. I am excited about the challenge of the work and wish that I could devote myself to school full time.

Last week, my mom visited and as a housewarming gift, bought me a bedroom set. I was pretty excited about seeing new furniture in my bedroom. It was the first time I've ever had a new bedroom suite and it's awesome. I especially like my new bed, it's so nice and firm.

I am thrilled with the direction in which I'm moving in my life. It just feels good to make goals and be able to accomplish them!

Lately...

I, like others I know *wink*, haven't been keeping up with blogging.

So, here is a brief recap of the last several months:

Bought my first home (it's a townhouse). Replaced all of the plumbing, painted a wall and moved in.

Work has been frustrating. However, I'm enjoy the fact that 1) I have a job and 2) I have friends at work.

I applied to a college and should be starting classes soon, again working toward my bachelor's degree.

I've decided that I really need to start dating because I'm feeling very motivated to have a companion.

Life With Bees

One day at work recently, a coworker told me that one of our custodial staff members keeps bees. Mehmed was telling the people who work in our offices about his "second job," because he was pitching his honey.

He and I struck up a conversation about it the next day and he explained that he was increasing his hives this season. He said that by the end of the season, he would have 100 hives. And those hives would produce about 5 tons of honey. I don't know much about bees or keeping hives, so I'll have to trust his figures on the amount they can produce.

After hearing his projections, I was curious to know where he lived. I wondered where can you keep that many bees? He described where he lived (not too far from my office or my apartment) and I immediately found myself asking, "Can I come see your bees?" I don't think I could've stopped myself if I wanted to.

I have always loved bees, and always felt that they were good luck. I remember once as a child finding a bee dying in the gutter next to my house. It had stung something and would suffer the inevitable consequences for that. But it upset me so much that day. I didn't know if it was in pain. I went inside and found one of my small prized possessions, a white cardboard jewelry box with flat cotton padding in it. I made a little bed for the bee, while probably poking at it a little too much, until it died. I remember crying over that bee and eventually burying him in the box in the yard.

Above: hives all riled up after Mehmed pulled 2 combs per box to start new hives.

Above: honey combs, full and new.

Now, as an adult and a lover of all things food related, I see the real value and luck of having bees around. They are essential to the way of food life as we know it. And since they've been dying out from various problems at an increasing rate in the last decade, a part of me longs to answer the call to raise my own bees in my own yard. Granted, I may end up buying a condo or townhouse and have no place to keep bees, but I get absurdly lucky and end up with a single family home, Mehmed has already promised he would teach me how to keep them.

Above: a tree that died last year cut into 3 sections, with bees living in them.

Mehmed and his wife Fatima are refugees from Bosnia, fleeing years ago during a time of war. They ran from Bosnia directly to Boulder with their three children and have never left. Mehmed previously was a mason, and has various stonework projects around his home as proof. Included in these is the brick fireplace, or as I see it, a brick oven. It is built into a small building next to his garage, the chimney poking out of the roof. Fatima has baked bread and other various goods in the oven, while Mehmed uses the building to smoke meats.

As you walk into his yard, we saw stacks of hive boxes. Mostly they were unoccupied but it didn't stop bees from swinging by, confused, wondering if this is where they should come and drop their loads of nectar. On opposite sides of his yard, there are garden plots holding a plethora of green onion and spinach plants. When we eventually headed home for the day, Mehmed sent me and my neighbor home with bags stuffed full to the point of stiffness with spinach and green onions.
Above: the scene you see when you step into their yard, stacks of hives, ready to be occupied.

After we spent quite a bit of time discussing the bees, including how to start new hives, watering systems (bees will drown in pool type arrangements), frames & combs, and extractors, we sat down with cool beverages and just chatted. We cut into a piece of smoked beef (that I had so forwardly asked Mehmed to let us taste - I know it was rude to ask, but I couldn't stop myself!) and sat in the shade chewing the tough meat and feeding the yipping dogs at our ankles. Once, one of their short dogs managed to jump up and steal a piece of beef from my fingers, teeth scraping against my fingertips, before I even knew what happened. I guarded my meat much more carefully after that. The meat was smoky, tough and chewy and had enough fat content to leave a light layer in the mouth.

Above: chewy, tough, smoky beef.

Fatima came out and handed Mehmed something that looked like a stainless steel pepper mill, said a few words in Bosnian and went back inside the house. Mehmed started to grind the handle of the contraption and when asked, answered that it was a coffee grinder. He showed us how the coffee comes out as a fine powder in the resevoir at the bottom. He explained that they grind the coffee to the finest setting, size zero, because they do not filter the coffee. Fatima came back and retrieved the grinder and went off to make herself some coffee. Or so I thought.

In reality, Fatima was making us some coffee. When she came back out 15 minutes later, she had a tray with a small pot of coffee, a smaller pot of milk, Bosnian sugar cubes (which were white sugar but had a finer texture and less processed taste than American sugar cubes, along with a cruder shape), a set of small espresso style cups and saucers and honey, of course.

While we continued to enjoy the afternoon, discussions moved to family and children. My neighbor and I dutifully shared photos of our only children, which inspired Fatima to go inside and retrieve a photo of her three daughters (who are grown) from when they were children. She tried to find the words in English to express some particular sentiment and when she failed, waited for Mehmed to come back out of the house to help her. Finally, when he returned, she was able to tell us what she couldn't before. The photo of her children, when they were perhaps between the ages of 4 and 8, was the only photograph that they were able to save from being burned in a fire in Bosnia.

I knew that there was a larger story there, but we were on the verge of leaving after staying for 2 1/2 hours and I wasn't ready to push into their past that much (see, I have some boundaries). I can only guess what kind of heartache they must have left behind when they came to the United States.

As we left, I realized that it was the most pleasant and fun afternoon I'd spent in a long time. I went home and made fresh biscuits the next morning so my son and I could enjoy the honey in a way that would honor the freshness of it.

There is something about getting a fresh product made in your local area that makes it inherantly better. I savor it, knowing that it was labored over by a neighbor, produced with care and affection. Every time I eat this honey, I see Mehmed, enjoying the companionship and work of caring for the bees in his yard. And it is sweeter with the memory.

Pizza Margherita

From Gourmet magazine's January 2009 issue.


This pizza was full of simple flavors that got better the next day. If I could find some San Marzano tomatoes, I think I'll try those next time.



Pizza Margherita

yield: Makes 6 servings

active time: 35 min

total time: 1 3/4 hr (includes rising time)

The secret to a great pizza Margherita is to use the best ingredients you can find—and to approach them with restraint.

Ingredients:

For dough:

• 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 cup warm water, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

For topping:

• 1 (14-to 15-ounces) can whole tomatoes in juice
• 2 large garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 basil leaves plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

• Equipment: a pizza stone

Make dough:

Stir together yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl and let stand until surface appears creamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t appear creamy, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Add 1 1/4 cups flour, remaining 1/2 cup water, salt, and oil and stir until smooth. Stir in enough flour (1/4 to 1/3 cup) for dough to begin to pull away from side of bowl. (Dough will be slightly wet.)

Knead on a floured surface, lightly reflouring when dough becomes too sticky, until smooth, soft, and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form into a ball, put in a bowl, and dust with flour. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 1 1/4 hours.

Make tomato sauce while dough rises:
Pulse tomatoes with juice in a blender briefly to make a chunky purée.

Cook garlic in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until fragrant and pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add tomato purée, basil, sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and cool.

Heat pizza stone while dough rises:
At least 45 minutes before baking pizza, put stone on oven rack in lower third of electric oven (or on floor of gas oven) and preheat oven to 500°F.

Shape dough:
Do not punch down. Dust dough with flour, then transfer to a parchment-lined pizza peel or large baking sheet. Pat out dough evenly with your fingers and stretch into a 14-inch round, reflouring fingers if necessary.

Assemble pizza:
Spread sauce over dough, leaving a 1-inch border (there may be some sauce left over). Arrange cheese on top, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border.

Slide pizza on parchment onto pizza stone. Bake until dough is crisp and browned and cheese is golden and bubbling in spots, 13 to 16 minutes. Using peel or baking sheet, transfer pizza to a cutting board. Cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with some basil leaves before slicing.

Cooks' notes:

•Dough can be allowed to rise slowly in the refrigerator (instead of in a warm place) for 1 day. Bring to room temperature before shaping.

•Tomato sauce can be made 5 days ahead and chilled.

Glenwood Springs

Last week, we went to Glenwood Springs for a couple of days. It is known for their warm pool that uses the water from the springs. It was lovely. They have one large pool that is just nice 90-93 degree water and then they have a separate "therapeutic" pool which is about 10 degrees or so warmer than that. It was so relaxing.


We also hiked up to the old cemetery where Doc Holliday is buried. Here is the view of the town from the half way up the mountain.


And here are the markers erected for him. It was very interesting to see that many of the old markers included the number of years, months and days that the person lived. I guess they counted it down to the last day since they didn't live as long. The earth there is so red, my tennis shoes were caked with thick red clay.

Coyotes in the Night

Tonight I hear so many dogs and coyotes calling that it's hard to count them.

Good news...and more good news!

Okay, the first and best news: I don't currently have any signs of ARVD, so I'm off the hook for about 2 years. Two years isn't that long of a reprieve, but I'm so relieved to know that everything appears to be okay. It's like having a potential prison sentence delayed.

The second and still really good news: I have a date on Friday! I'm letting my hopes get too high this week that it might be a good date. However, the way I'm looking at it is, chances are, the date will end up sucking and the anticipation will have been the best part. So, I'm letting myself be giddy for 2 more days.

I have also selected a lender for my home purchase. I ended up talking to 6 people in total, and went with the one who I liked financially as well as personality-wise. I am going with Countrywide, which is in the process of being bought out by BofA.

I selected this gal because
1. she was friendly and not condescending
2. she was proud of the work she'd done for her other clients
3. she enjoyed telling me how she watches the rates very closely and locks in when they're at their lowest (she locked in some 4.25 rates back around Thanksgiving - the rate was only that low for about 30 minutes and she was on it!)
4. she says that she'll work with me on the closing costs to make them be what I need them to be
5. our personalities work well together
6. she brought in a rate among the lowest
7. it only helps that she says that BofA is buying them out - I always liked BofA
8. she is local and seems to know plenty about the business in this area

Shopping for a Mortgage

This last week I have started to talk with lenders about a mortgage. I used Lending Tree and I also asked friends to refer me to their banks/brokers.

It has been an interesting process so far. I have received four responses and none of them are exactly alike. There are 30 year conventional loans, loans with origination fees, FHA loans, etc.

But, what I've learned a few things.

First, some brokers and lenders can get lower rates than others. Period.
I compared a conventional bank's rates for the same day to another lender's and saw a .375% difference. That is money - my money - and I care. If you can't get me the lowest rate, we probably won't play ball.

Second, rates change quickly (especially in this market).
If you have to get quotes, do yourself a favor and tell the lender, I would like to get a good faith estimate based on interest rates current at (date and time). That way, you can see what rates all of the places have, side by side. If you get some quotes one day, and then a few more a couple days later, the market may have changed enough that the rates are different for all of the lenders.

Third, the lender's fees are what you are really going to be comparing (right after the mortgage type, if you have points or origination fees).
This is the place on the estimate is referred to as the 800's. (All of the lenders fees fall onto lines in the 800 numbering range.) One lender might have fees of $1120 total, bottom line. Another might have fees of $1650. The only difference is that one is taking a bigger commission for themselves. Keep your good faith estimate, they should stick pretty close to these charges.

And last, don't be afraid to ask.
Ask questions, even if they make you uncomfortable. Ask what this fee is, and what exactly it's for. You will probably get an honest answer. If it's easier for you, I would recommend emailing the lender, so you can phrase things very nicely.

Wait, this will be last thing. If a lender doesn't have the right kind of customer service attitude - dump them.
There is simply no reason, especially in this market, for a person in a customer service oriented job to not offer good customer service. I don't like when people assume I know nothing or provide a half-assed quote because they can't be bothered.

The players so far in my quest for quotes are:
Cherry Creek Mortgage Corporation
Bank of the West
RMC Vanguard Mortgage Corporation
Southwest Direct Mortgage

Joining the game soon:
LendingLadies.com

House Shopping

I'm going house shopping tomorrow!

Ok, realistically, I'm probably more condo/townhouse shopping, but hey, it's all good.

I've been waiting for this day to come for so long. I thought it would have come sooner, but I'm afraid I took a detour called marriage a while back.

I'm so excited! I know that the places I'll be looking at won't be too terribly beautiful or nice, but I don't care. I'm going to try to remember to take photos of the places for my memory, so maybe I'll post them up here. Just think, by the time my lease is up at the end of July, I could be the proud owner of my own little spot on earth.

And just to make sure I start my day off right, after I visit with my friends, I'm going to get a massage. I'm a very happy girl!

Cautiously Optimistic

Well, another minor delay came yesterday in getting my diagnosis. The doc who was supposed to read my MRI results has been on vacation all week. My doctor didn't realize this until I was already in the office (had already paid my $50 copay, of course).

So, he called the hospital and someone else gave him the opinion that my results looked "perfectly normal." So, while I'm going to get an official answer from the guy who specializes in diagnosing this disease, it is still very reassuring to hear that another cardiologist thinks my results are normal.

I have this feeling of duality - I am relieved but also keep thinking, "Are you sure?" I guess it's disbelief.

Once I get the all clear next week, I will rejoin my gym, try to cut back on eating so many frozen pizzas and try to get out of the funk I've been in.

Right now (smiles), everything is good.

Finally - finding love again

I realized recently that I've begun to find love again. I'm starting to see the good in the world all the time.

I think I used to feel this way, but after going through a divorce (or maybe a better explanation is going through a not-so-great marriage) and then having a couple more men act like huge egocentric assholes, it's taken a while to regain this vision of the world (especially towards men).

I'm so glad it's back. Life is much more enjoyable with love in your heart.

Cardiac MRI

I went in on Friday to get my cardiac MRI. When I got there, they had me use the restroom and change into a gown.

They asked me if I'd ever had an MRI before. I answered, no, and they responded, "So you decided to start with the longest one, huh?" I couldn't believe it, but it would end up lasting almost 2 hours. In the tube.

After they assured me that they were not kidding me, they explained the process in detail. They spoke in low, calm voices, as if I were a skitterish horse and might bolt at any moment.

Since the order was for a cardiac morphology with and without contrast, they put in an IV line before I was slid into the tube. I asked Siegrid what it was that they inject into me to allow the contrast. She said that it was a rare earth element, a metallic fluid.

Once in the tube, there was a computerized program that told you when to breathe in - hold your breath - and then, relax. I had to hold my breath for approximately 15-20 seconds at a time and got maybe 5-7 breaths in between. This lasted for about 1 1/2 hours. Then, they injected the fluid, and had me hold my breath for a full minute (I lasted about 2/3 of the time, then slowly released my breath).

I kept falling asleep (yes - in a tube with loud banging noises that made it so I had to wear ear plugs) for a half second at a time. Then I would start suddenly when the machine made a noise or the voice instructed me to 'breathe in.' I would hastily breathe in, trying to catch up, my heart beating a little too fast because I was caught off guard.

When it was all over, I was stiff from laying so still. I was so glad to be done, glad that they could see the results right when the test was happening, so they knew it was successful. Glad that soon, I would have some answer to the question running laps in my mind: am I at a higher risk of sudden death?

This Thursday, I will know.

Under the Influence

I am under the influence. It's comical. I can see it clearly. I listen to a motivational/inspirational CD and I'm ready to conquer the world (I guess that means they're doing the job, right?). I read a story of someone who defies the odds and I want to, too.

I guess that my response is normal. The only thing that isn't exactly average is the pain the butt character trait that runs in my family. The desire to make money. To somehow break out of the regular 9 to 5 lifestyle, and live free...traveling and dining and kissing the cutest guys. Ok, the last part is an embellishment, but I want it still.

So, my sister got me going this time. She told me about a book she's reading (it's on my hold list at the library now) called the Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.

So, since I knew I would be waiting for his book for a while, I decided to check out his website. People who write books like this always have a website. And usually, the website is full of free, helpful information. Tim's website is definitely like this. He writes about all sorts of things: recommendations for becoming more efficient and effective, travel, how to lose weight or gain muscle, etc.

One of the ideas that I like is the definition of New Rich. I'm not sure who originally coined this phrase, but it's a concept that I'm sure will ring true with many.

It's not the millions of dollars that I'm after. It's the flexibility in my time, the ability to go travel, having a nice car, owning a home and financial security that I really want. That a a drop-dead gorgeous boyfriend who worships the ground I walk on.

And Tim talks about defining what you want and determining what it would cost to get exactly what you want. And, amazingly enough, it is less expensive than you think to get everything you want - if you go about it the right way.

I recommend his website to anyone looking for a new take on life. His own life stories are interesting to read and often times very entertaining. Check out the From Geek to Freak page. The title alone makes me laugh.

Postponed, AKA Dealing with Insurance Companies - Yech!

I was all set to go to my cardiac MRI this morning. My doctor's office had called me last week to tell me that the insurance company said no precertification was required. But the hospital wasn't buying it. Apparently, this type of procedure always requires precertification. So, they called my insurance company to get it.

Long story short, I got involved this morning, found at least one more problem and had to reschedule my appointment to Friday.

What a pain. However, since I'm battling a bit of a cold/sore throat/sinus issue, I thought, perhaps it's better that I'm not trying to stay still in a tube.

On a brighter note, my dinner on Valentine's Day was excellent. Medium rare steak, cooked to perfection, haricots verts, and baked potatoes with butter and sour cream. Delish!! Add in some limoncello and life was excellent.