phyncke

It is a beautiful day here in sunny California. Slightly cool and sunny. I took a walk this morning first thing. My friend M**** and I like to walk on Saturday mornings and talk on the phone. She lives on the other side of the country and we can keep up-to-date that way. It is nice and we both get exercise. We took a little break from it for some weeks but now that it is Spring we can get back to it and do our weekly walk. It was nice this morning. I chose to do an easier, level, walk. I usually do a hill walk up to the historic hotel in Berkeley but chose to do some streets near my house and not be so strenuous. It was just good to be out there walking so I took it easy and got some steps in. It was not too daunting and when I feel up to it - I can do the hilly walk. I will get to that later.

So my car - it is not good news. The transmission service did not fix the problem so they have to see what needs to be done. Either a rebuild or a used transmission. The tech thought a rebuilt transmission. That can cost some money so I have to see what it will be and see if it is worth it for this car. I love the car - it is fun and peppy to drive. I am saving my stimulus funds towards this and will see what happens. Thank you, Joe Biden.

Seems like you go along and something has to happen to derail you - something always comes up. I am still dealing with vet bills for both Teddy and Bear but I have the payment schedule set for those and will be able to get those paid off before the medical credit card starts to charge interest. So that is good. Very glad about that. I did the numbers last night. I had thought I needed to use the stimulus funds for that but I don't have to. So that works. It helps to plan things and it makes me feel better to have a plan.

So that is me this week - dealing with the car and financial things. I have Monday and Tuesday off this week - they suggested we take time off during Spring Break so I did. I am doing some medical things - blood tests and mammogram that I have put off due to the pandemic. Better get those done and I will go in for my check up once I have those done. So getting that done.

Anyhoo - that is it for me - I am getting a burger tonight - at True Burger in Oakland, CA. The deliciousness. I love a good burger.

Hope you are well there. Stay safe and healthy.

PS - I am considering getting a paid account on DW here and wonder if anyone has one - trying to see if it is worth it. I am wanting more icons here and have been posting more. Let me know what you think - let me know if you pay and if you find it is worth it. They won't let you add icons to a free account.

So here I am - have not posted as much this week. It got busy. I will try and do better. I have been working pretty steadily this week and I was supposed to go to Santa Cruz, CA this weekend but my plans canceled which was fine with me. I would have liked to go but I also had things to do at home. With the time saved - I got my apartment clean and did things around here and so I was productive. So that felt good. Instead of that drive - we went to nurseries around here and did local things. It was fun anyway. We plan on taking the trip later in the Spring when the clocks have changed and the days are longer.

My car is having problems. It is the transmission. It has been jerking when I drive it - sometimes. Sometimes it does it and sometimes it does not. So I took it to my mechanic to have it checked and they said it is likely the transmission. They are going to try and service the transmission and see if that solves the problem. I hope that does or I am out the car and cannot afford a new one. So I hope I am not screwed here. I do love my little car - it is a peppy VW Rabbit and it is fun to drive. I just want it to last some time here until I can afford an electric car. Just do that, car!

I find I am not as obsessed with news coverage under the Biden Administration. I don't feel like I have to obsessively watch the news cycle and things are not as disastrous. I watch things weekly and keep up but it is not a daily thing anymore. I can go some days without watching the news and feel fine about it. I guess I feel like the government is in more competent hands. I still have to pay attention but not as obsessively as I did under the Trump Admin. It is more of a what happened this week than a what f*cked up thing happened today. So that is a shift. Staying informed but not stressing about It.

So that is about all I have to talk about right now. Hope all is well with you! Stay healthy!

I am here and around. I have been meaning to post and failing at that so here is a year end post. I am glad this year is ending and I don't know what the new year will bring. The political scene is dampening my mood for 2018. I am trying to be hopeful but I really hate our current administration and what they are doing. They just passed this horrible tax plan they totally benefits the wealthy and corporate interests on the backs of the middle class and the poor. It is decidedly not fair. Sure our taxes may go down in the short term but over the long term they will go up and significantly. They are really trying to pull one over on the American people and hoping that the short term dip in taxes on payroll will help them on the midterm elections next year. I really hope people are not fooled. The Democrats are doing well right now and heading for an upswing. I am a Democrat and I hope they take back Congress and stick it to them. I vehemently oppose this administration and all that it stands for. They lie and cheat and steal. This is kleptocracy at its worst.

Lord, I did not mean to post all that. But that is how I feel.

So I did not get that job I applied for. I got terribly sick for the interview and had to video conference for that and I think it totally hurt my chance for that. I was psyched to get to the third round and be in the running so will take the positive from that. I want to work on my resume and cover letter and keep looking. I am bored where I am and kind of just dial it in. So I need more of a challenge. I will keep looking for that. I could also use more monay. So all of that. I can stay where I am too - I mean, I have a job but something better would be good.

So I am going to get a newer car. Not sure if you know but I have a really old car - a 1993 Ford. My friends have a 2006 Subaru and want to sell it and it is in great shape so I am going to buy that from them for a very fair price. I am also going to turn my current car into the CA Air Quality people and get some money for it which will pay for most of the newer car. So exciting news on that front. I have never bought a brand new car. I think cars depreciate too much - I mean like the minute you drive it off the lot - why lose all that value and pay that much? I have had good luck with used cars and so there you go. The new car is a small wagon and a 5 speed so I will be back driving a manual. No problemo on that.

So - I have to start the paragraph with so - I am spending the holidays with friends in the area. I am not traveling this season. I looked into airline tickets back east and it was ridiculously expensive. I have some projects to work on in my house - clutter to go through so that will keep me busy. I want to work out and do some hiking too.

So I am 4 pounds away from goal on the Weight Watchers thing. I am super excited about that! Yay! It is going slowly and holidays are hard with all the events to go to and all that. I am thinking I will hit goal in January some time. I will post here when I do! Yeah.

So I hope you are all having a great holiday season and enjoying your time with family and friends. Take good care and comments are love. My one New Year's resolution is to post regularly on LJ. I really like the blog thing here. So I will try to post a bit more here.

Happy Holidays!

So, last night I had my first little accident. A minor fender bender in the 7-11 parking lot. I backed into a car and grazed them. Honestly, this is the first time anything like this has ever happened to me. The dude was obnoxious but I guess he had a right to be since I hit his car. No damage to my car and very light damage to his car. I dealt with him in a polite manner. It makes no sense to get into it with people, especially on Christmas. I reported it to my insurance and opened a claim and gave the guy the claim number. I don't have to deal with him - this is why I have insurance - so they can deal with him. The agent did not even think my rates would go up since my record was so good. Anyhoo. No big deal. I don't even have to pay anything out, it is all covered.

On to other things - I have taken down my decorations and packed Christmas away. Nothing depresses me more than holiday decorations up after the holiday. Since I am going away for New Year's - I thought I would get that all done. My house loos regular again.

I spent today in my jammies. Totally fun.

I saw Les Mis yesterday and found it amazing - moving and loved it. High Jackman and Ann Hathaway gave transcendental performances - truly. I have never seen this material before so it was all new to me and I found it riveting.

I hope you are all enjoying the week and looking forward to the New Year.


by luna_frost

As I am myself. I got everything done on my to do list. Woot. And new thing in the life. I figured out how to do a few car things today. I shocked family and friends with this as most people in my life know that I am truly hopeless with these things really. But...I found this not so hard. I did the following:

1. Checked the oil on my car and added a quart of oil to it. Those rags I keep in the trunk come in very handy and this is actually really easy to do.

2. Added power steering fluid to my car. I got a little help from the boys at Kragen on where it goes but now that I know...easy peasy to do that too.

I found the dudes at the auto part store really supportive of a woman doing their own work as far as car maintenance goes. They said any time I need help with things, just ask and they will show me. Really nice fellas. So yay me!

Other things done:

-Car taken to and passed inspection. The first place was a hose job so I checked around and saved about 30.00 on the test only inspection. The Noldor passed with flying colors so another year with this beast. It is good as I cannot afford a new car right now.

-Ran around town and then had a great lunch at a new place. Was at the bank and there was this Cheese Steak Place across the street. Now those are yummy and this was the real deal. Small cheese steak and onion rings was just what I wanted. They give out coupons each time you go there and they are doubled on Mondays. Nice.

All in all a great day off and now I am watching Iron Man with the kiddo. I got the first disc of Supernatural to check out. I have been seeing snatches of it on mornings on TNT and I want to see some of this uninterrupted. They sure are Mr. Dreamies and I love occult stuff. So I will let you know what I think.

Cheers and happy Monday all. It is back to the grind for me tomorrow.


by izabeth at izzys_delights

I saw the Wolverine movie today. Hugh Jackman and his bulging biceps. The dude is built. I will not give anything away here but just to all LOTR enthusiasts...there is a little treat for us in there. Let me know if you see that reference to Tolkien in the film. I got a little thrill at that. Personally, I love blockbuster movies. We went to them together as a family when I was a kid and I really enjoy seeing them now. I recommend ignoring the reviews and just going to enjoy the eye candy and the back story on this one.

In other news...the check engine light came on in my car and that is always stressful but my friends and I figured out that my car also does not have a check oil light. So that one indicator is it. I did check the oil and that is low so I think that is what the indicator is. I am due for an oil change, so I will go get one tomorrow and see if that solves the problem. I really would like to get ahead this month so I hope that I don't need expensive repairs on the beast.

That is about all I have to report. Tomorrow is Bunday. I will try and have a treat in store. I am not sure what I am doing about that dreamwidth thing. I am interested in it and in checking it out but I am certainly not going to pay for that. If anyone has a code for that, I would appreciate that.

I hope you are enjoying the weekend! Cheers!


by lotrangel at blinkie_dreams

So I was on a self-imposed LJ halt so I could finish my Ardor in August story. And woopety doo. It be done. So here I am with the Bunday especiale. Harriet Leibowitz for you today and I believe she has an eye for the male form.

( This is Joel... )

And he be beautiful.

In other news. I got my car fixed yesterday. It cost a lot more than it was supposed to as they found something more major wrong with it than I planned on. I took it to SEARS for battery and all new tires and they found something wrong with two tire rods. This added about 250.00 to the cost of the job. But, now the car drives so much better than before and I feel way better driving it. Like I am not going to break down. So woo.

I spent a good 5 hours at the mall. Got my nails done. *see?* French la la manicure and I tell you, nothing is more boring than the mall for 5 straight hours. I did find some great shirts for very little money at the Wally Mart there. Score. I also spent some time editing my printed out story there and doing some writing. Had the McDonald's and a Cinnabon and way too much Coca Cola. I was buzzing by the time I left there.

Last night I went out with some work friends and we had a good ole time. My friend R**** who is the one who wigged out at the meeting finally explained that she was all nervous about her upcoming trip and that it really had nothing to do with me. So we all good now. I need to figure out when to back down from her and not go at her. Guess she just got my hackles up there and I went for broke in that one. Ahh well. Things are sorted but we spent a few hours talking about work things and she is really discontent there. I think a few weeks off is what she needs.

I have not had a chance to check journals at all this weekend. I WILL catch up. So hi everyone! *waves*


by krazy500 at juicy_grapes

I would rather chase this guy...ya. This is a new find, photographer Harriet Leibowitz. Really nice. This one is more about what you don't see but what you do see sure is fine...Enjoy!

*Not safe for work*

( Waterfall... )

Update:
Car is fixed provisionally but now I find out that I need new tires (4) and I should have the brakes checked. I am driving it very minimally until my tax refund comes and and I can get the rest of that done. Things come in threes they say so there you go. Once this is all said and done the car should be good for a while. *noddle*

Today I have errands planned and running around with my friend J. Time off the computer. I have my personal day tomorrow and I am going to chiro and want to organize the ponderosa. I still have things everywhere. Oy. I am trying to weed things out so the rooms do not get as cluttered as they were. Good Will, here I come.

Happy Weekend!


by autumn_mist

Well, not really, *cough*. But they did take my old Jetta away. Old Bessie, the old clunker. It was an 88 Jetta four door and only one door opened but still. It was mines. I have bought a new car, well a new used car and this one had been sitting in the driveway for two months while I waited for the title from the DM-frigging-V *curses*. I donated it to the synogogue up the street. Well I got all the appropriate paperwork last week, made all the calls and they came and took my baby away! *cri* I mean, I have driven that car since I moved here in 1994. *cri* It is the end of an era. *contemplates nature of existence*

So of course, I took pictures of the event! These are from yesterday. *picspam follows*

( Towed away to Pick and Pull...R.I.P )

I bet it is dismembered and being sold for parts now. *meep* Oh the memories.

So I was talking to jastaelf just now and the genesis of an idea was born. I know that rumil_of_lorien has one too. I am just enamored of this idea. I am so doing this. I play three Noldor elves. I am so doing this.



*giggles*