Wooohsaaahhh

You’ve heard me say it before: marketing jargon sucks. It’s flowery language at best, and at worst, it says absolutely nothing.

I’ve tried to keep an open mind in my business environment. I have. I realize that not everyone has a zero-tolerance policy for fluff, including most marketing VPs.

But when I get an e-mail from said title with an attached photo of a magazine quote (what?!? just write in the quote!) about “more ‘plain-speak’ and less hype,” I lose it. THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG.

Unfortunately, I’m the low-woman on the totem pole and have zippity for clout. < sarcasm >I don’t know anything! < /sarcasm >

Does anyone else find this sort of thing frustrating? It can’t just be me! OK, time to calm down. I’ll try to refrain from “I told you so.”

Big financial plans

All right, people. You know what season it is. Not winter, though I’d much rather talk about all the wonderfulness winter has to offer.

No, it’s “busy season,” that time of year when all of my accounting friends go AWOL for 4 months. They’re all spanking-new accountants, too, which means they’re really, seriously, missing. Taxes. ::shudder:: I’m glad I have plenty of non-accounting friends who’ll still be around.

I’m going to have to figure out how to send something fun to my roommate from college sometime in mid-to-late February. That should cheer her up, no?

Anyway, I started my taxes (barely) yesterday, and I took a big chunk out of them today. I don’t quite have all the forms I need yet, since they don’t have to be sent out until January 31, but I did what I could with what I had. So far, my refund looks like it’ll be almost $2,500! Considering I got a $5 MA refund last year, that’s some serious dough.

The big question is, what do I do with it? Right now, I’m thinking I’m going to put it away to the wedding-that’s-not-officially-happening-yet/house fund. Though I must say, having a zero balance on one of my credit cards looks pretty tempting, and I might just do it. Or I could split it and cut my total credit card debt in half (I have 2 cards that need paying off).

Related to this decision is my latest idea in helping reduce my debt: the debt snowball/ladder. I’ve heard it referred to a few different ways on the personal finance blogs I read (I’ll include the links in a blogroll eventually), but I’m going to call it a snowball. There are a couple of ways to do this, though they all start with the first step of recording all of your loans/debts, the amounts owed, the interest rates, and the monthly payments:

• Option 1: Arrange the loans/debts by amount, starting with the smallest first.
• Option 2: Arrange the loans/debts by interest rate, starting with the highest first.
• Option 3: Arrange the loans/debts by amount first, then find the midway point, draw a line, and arrange the loans/debts under that line by highest interest rate first.

From there, you start paying. Once you’ve paid off the first balance, you add that monthly payment to the next loan. You keep the amounts you pay each month consistent, but this way, you’re putting more toward the next loan/debt.

The big benefit of option 1 is that it really helps in the psychological battle of debt reduction. You see the debt go away quickly, and you’re inspired to keep going. The drawback is that it’s generally more expensive. The inverse is true for option 2: it’s less expensive, but you don’t have that psychological boost you need to keep going. I’ll likely use option 3, since it’s a good combination of the two. Since I’m just starting out in debt reduction, I think I’ll need some motivation to keep going.

I make a pretty heavy emphasis on the loan/debt thing, since most of the personal finance bloggers I’ve read deal mainly with credit card debt. That’s not the root of my problem: I have student loans coming out my ears and need to improve my credit. Hence the emphasis on the “loan” part.

What do you think? Which option would you use? Will you spend or save your tax refund?

I’m baaaaaack!

I got back from my whirlwind, fabulous vacation to Steamboat Springs, CO (I may have mentioned it at some point here) on Saturday afternoon. The BF and I had an amazing time, split comfortably between relaxing and exciting activities.

A quick overview:

• Saturday, 1/17: Arrived in Steamboat, Uncle Spike picked us up at the airport, took us for a tour around the downtown area and his job site (a 13,000 square foot house), and we got settled in at his house.
• Sunday: Skiing! Just about 45* at the top of the mountain, gloriously sunny, not a cloud in the sky. Spring skiing at its finest.
• Monday: Checking out downtown Steamboat, some shopping, then heading to Strawberry Park Hot Springs for the afternoon. So relaxing!
• Tuesday: More skiing! See Sunday’s entry for conditions.
• Wednesday: Woke up late, went for a 4-mile snowshoe expedition through Rabbit Ears Pass. Took 200+ photos of glorious scenery.
• Thursday: Skiing again, but my quads/knees were sore and the weather wasn’t so great, so I didn’t take too many runs. Took it easy and sad in one of the lodges reading for a while.
• Friday: Horseback riding at Saddleback Ranch, where “Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive” (short-lived E! reality show a couple of years ago) was filmed. We took a great ride around the ranch in white-out snow conditions, but it was still pretty and warm out. Afterwards, we learned how to lasso a steer! Yippee-ki-yay!
• Saturday: Woke up before dawn to some ridiculous snow, Uncle Spike drove us to the airport, and we made our way home.

Saturday night, the BF and I went out to dinner with some friends, and we found out they got engaged that same night!! I’m super-duper-can’t-even-explain-it happy for them

A song that makes me happy

I liked Snow Patrol’s last album, “Eyes Open,” well enough, though it was a little too pop-y for me. I do like alterna-pop, but with a heavier emphasis on the “alterna-” part.

I have to say, though, that I love the newest single from their new album “A Hundred Million Suns,” called “Crack the Shutters.” It’s probably because the BF said it reminds of us on a Sunday morning, and I can’t help but smile.

If you like “Crack the Shutters,” try “Take Back the City,” also a stellar track from that album. It makes me think of college kids partying in Boston. Not the “ya dood” type of college student, all too prevalent in my fair city (Lord, I sound like an old lady), but the carefree, fun-loving students who go out every once in a while to have a good time.

And on a random note, though I linked to the YouTube channel for Snow Patrol, I hate watching music videos, with very few exceptions. I picture the band one way in my head, and I’m almost always disappointed with the way the band really looks, so I don’t watch them.

Turning things around

There’s something to be said about the power of positive thinking. I don’t know what that thing-to-be-said is, though, and that’s the problem.

I’m cynical and kind of a pessimist.

Or maybe it’s just lately. There are a few things that I’m just not satisfied with in my life right now, and I’m trying to change that, but at the same time, I’m slightly resistant to changing it. I’m afraid of change in this sense. I’m really afraid of a potential confrontation here, and that’s not usually like me. But there’s more on the line with this particular situation than I’d rather risk.

I’m deciding to try to keep the good things I have/see/experience/am blessed with at the forefront of my mind and deal with the negative things on a lower level. I’m not going to give them more attention than they deserve. They’ve already cost me tears of frustration, and that’s just not worth my time.

So without further ado, here is a list of things  I am thankful are in my life:

• The BF (obviously… he keeps me saner than I can keep myself. He’s my best friend and I love him more than I ever thought possible [you can stop gagging now])
• my Mum (she keeps me sane, too, but on another level, because she knows what’s best for me, that mom thing)
• my Dad (even though I don’t get to talk to him as much as I’d like, he’s always been behind me 100%)
• my brother (he doesn’t know this… it’s a big secret. He’s growing up to be a really great guy, and I’m glad we’re friends now)
• my girlfriends (they keep me sane in a bitch-fest manner. I couldn’t live without two of them in particular, and they know who they are.)
• my extended group of friends (always a good time, unless I get lost on my way into Boston going to meet them. But then they forgive my intense lack of directional skills and love me anyway)
• my extended family (always there with a smile and a joke, from cousins to aunts and uncles and grandparents)
• my health (as much as I might complain sometimes, I am very healthy. I’m strong. I don’t go to the doctor’s office very often.)
• my job (as much as I might find it frustrating sometimes, I have a job. I don’t forget that, especially nowadays)
• my apartment (there’s a solid roof over my head, and I am very comfortable. Not much better than that)
• my car (I can get anywhere I want)
• my education (though the loan payments suck big time, having a college education means I am open to a world of opportunities I would not have otherwise had. Plus, it allowed me to meet my girlfriends, whom I mentioned above)

I have a lot to be thankful for, and could go on much longer. Sometimes, it takes just listing things out (the BF and I do this as grace every night before dinner) to make you realize just how much you have going for you.

What are you thankful for?

Bummers

I found out yesterday that the two other people I thought were 100% set with this weekend’s tweetup at Bretton Woods (#NEskiUp if you’re on Twitter) can’t come. I was super-pumped, because I hadn’t seen one since May, and would be meeting the other for the first time. So right now, it’s just the BF and me, and he isn’t even on Twitter. Oh, well, we still get a ski day out of it! More time to warm up for my super-sick vacation (about which I know you are all insanely jealous and probably getting sick of hearing).

I also found out that a really fun and potentially publicity-gaining freelance assignment fell through. Granted, I probably wouldn’t have had much time to work on it now since the deadline is next week, but it would have been a blast.

I’m frustrated with a few things at work, but not getting into them here. One of them is the commute, which was a complete disaster this morning. And was again last night, causing me to miss my regular train.

I almost got into a major car accident Wednesday night. After yoga, I decided to take a quick trip to Barnes and Noble to pick up the rest of my Southern Vampire Mysteries (I realized after my post that I was calling them the wrong thing, but I do like “series” better than “mysteries”). I was merging onto the highway, when out of the corner of my eye, I see a blue Prius/Yaris/tiny new car come sliding across 3 lanes of traffic directly at the back half of my car. I said a quick prayer for traction, and thankfully was able to put on a quick burst of speed and slip past what would have been the accident. The car continued to slide, and hit the guard rail. It wasn’t going very fast, and I think it just bumped the rail rather than crashed into it, but I still called State Police to let them know there was an accident, just in case. I was shaken up but fine, and called the BF when I arrived at Barnes and Noble a few minutes later.

Nice things:

• When I was getting out of my car to head into the store, a guy about my age asked if I had an ice scraper he could use. I just so happened to have received a new scraper/brush for Christmas, so I gave him my old one. The part that tightens up the extender brush is cracked, so it doesn’t always stay put, but it works better than nothing, and I let him keep it. Good karma. Plus, it was damn cold out, and I didn’t want to have to wait for him to finish. Wearing cotton-spandex pants when the weather’s holding steady in the teens isn’t the best idea.
• I finally located my books, which were at the very top of the shelf they were on. There was another woman (probably about my age, again) who was picking up books from the same series. I made a casual comment along the lines of “why do they have to be up so high?” which kicked off a great conversation about the series, the HBO series based on the books, and other authors I might like. Another gentleman, who was picking up books by another author, joined in, making further recommendations and showing me just how many new books I could choose from. There are times where striking up conversation with strangers really boosts your mood, and this was one of those times.
• I was checking out at the register, and the woman there asked if I’d like a membership. Normally, I turn them down, but I realized that I’ve been buying a lot of books lately, and if I have a membership, it’s at least 10% off, sometimes more. It made sense, so I did it.
• There’s another woman who works at the BN I usually frequent, and she’s almost always there when I am. I noticed a while ago that she had some pretty sweet pieces of flair on her lanyard, all of which were Twilight-related. One said “Edward prefers brunettes,” one said “yes, I’m one of those Twilight people,” and the other was a reference to waiting for Breaking Dawn to come out. I stopped her on my way out, and said, “I just have to tell you… I’ve been in a few times when you’re working, and I love your buttons.” She paused for a split-second, broke into a big smile, and told me she got them on CafePress.com. I was there perusing the user-created Twilight-related goods for a while yesterday, and I might just have to pick some up myself.

So although the day itself was kind of crappy, it all got better when I went to Barnes & Noble. It usually does.

Puh-leeze.

Ugh, I cannot stand this woman. Why on earth does Sarah Palin still think anyone cares about her or takes her seriously? Honestly! This CNN Political Ticker piece talks about how she felt “exploited” by the media and is bent out of shape that her stupidity and hypocrisy boosted both Tina Fey’s and Katie Couric’s ratings (ok, so I’m paraphrasing here, but you get the idea). Give me a break! The piece wraps up with her discussing how the media will treat Caroline Kennedy’s likely ascension to the New York seat in the Senate. Palin anticipates it being a “class issue.” Like she’s working-class? Hardly. I haven’t read up much on Caroline Kennedy, so I can’t make any comments on her experience or her intelligence. I do think, though, that she’ll be hard-pressed to be as completely opposite of all my views as Palin was.

I’m just saying.

Steamboat

Just got off the phone with my uncle Mike (also fondly known as “Uncle Spike”), who informed me that the Steamboat Springs area of Colorado received about 16 inches of powdery snowfall last night and another 12 inches the night before that. 28 inches of Champagne Powder in the past 2 days? Yes, please!

Everyone I’ve talked to who’s skiied Steamboat in the past has said it’s one of their favorite mountains. I am waaaaaay beyond excited for this trip! Some of the plans:

• skiing 3 days, not sure which yet
• horseback riding
• hot springs hopping (possibly after 6 p.m., when they’re clothing-optional ::wink!::)
• watching professional cowboys try to ski
• experiencing Steamboat’s backcountry
• lounging in Uncle Spike’s outdoor hot tub

Yes, I think it’s going to be a GREAT vacation! Anyone been out there and have any suggestions?

Pomegranates

They’re delicious, but so time-consuming to consume (har, har).

I picked one up at the grocery store last week and finally got around to figuring it out last night. I hadn’t had pomegranate since my freshman year in high school, when my history teacher brought in all sorts of Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean foods for us to try. Of course, he brought the pom in when it was all taken apart.

You can’t peel a pomegranate, you can’t really chop it… you decapitate it, score it, soak it, and pick it. Some people whack it with a spoon, which I think I’ll try next time.

I cut the “crown” off it, and the BF came into the kitchen and said “oh my God! It’s bleeeeeeeeding!” I, naturally, found that hilarious, since fruit doesn’t bleed.

All things considered (really just the labor involved), I am really enjoying my pomegranate. It was a very tasty after-lunch snack today!

Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris

You might already know that I’m a Twilight freak. For serious. My favorite book of the saga is the first, Twilight, but I did enjoy them all in their own ways. Even Breaking Dawn, with its faults. I have to admit, though, I was not impressed by the movie. The actress who played Bella, Kristen Bell (if I’m not mistaken), was atrocious. I’m talking Razzie-worthy. Ugh. And Rob Pattinson, as delish as he is, wasn’t the Edward in my head.

That’s not really the point of this post, but it doeshave a point, I promise. Well, the movie stuff didn’t really matter, but I just wanted a legit excuse to think about darling RPatz. ::sigh::

After reading the entire Twilight series twice through plus the leaked-but-available-for-view-on-Stephenie-Meyer’s-website version of Midnight Sun, I thought it might be time to read something else. I started to reach for my first love, Harry Potter, but the BF quashed that thought in a hurry. Enter Barnes & Noble and my gift certificates from Christmas. I think I mentioned them in a previous post.

Off I went to the nearest BN. I started wandering, checking out the books on the tables they have set up all over the place under different headings. I saw the Twilight-themed endcap, and paused only to see if the official guide came out like it said it was going to in the back of Breaking Dawn(it didn’t, the bastards). I moved a few steps past said endcap, and lo and behold, another vampire series for me to devour (har, har).

I had heard of HBO’s new series True Blood at some point in time, but as I don’t have HBO, I haven’t seen it. I picked up the most eye-catching book on the table, Dead Until Dawn, featuring the bottom half of a woman’s face, photographed in grayscale, except with bloodred lips and fangs. Nice. Black/gray/red/white was a color scheme I was used to. Read the back: Sookie Stackhouse (quite possibly the dumbest character’s name in literary history, please prove me wrong) has a “disability” that enables her to read minds. ::gasp!:: so can Edward! Sexy vamp walks into a bar… this is not a joke, I promise. Love (or not? who knows?) ensues. Good stuff.

So I decide to pick up Dead Until Dawn and Living Dead in Dallas, the second in the series. Come to find out, there are 8 books so far, and the ninth comes out in May.

After reading a little bit, I start to notice ALLLLLLLLL sorts of similarities between my beloved Twilight and this new Dead…series, also known as the Southern Vampire Series. Main character who has the ability to read minds with the exception of his/her desire’s? Check. Heroine not afraid of vamps? Check. Scary-but-sexy other vamps? Check. Vamps with other powers? Check. Kind of lame heroine in some respects? Check. There’s a whole discussion of it over at Amazon, which brought them all to light.

Overall, I’m still liking Twilight better, probably because it’s literary crack– not good for you, but you do it anyway for the rush. Plus, it reminds me of the craziness of first love. Don’t get me wrong, I am enjoying the Southern Vampire escapades, but it’s not the same. I can put it down. I want to keep reading, but I don’t feel like I need to keep reading. See the difference?

I’m on Living Dead in Dallas now, and will likely pick up the next couple of books in the series at the library when I’m home during the day on Thursday.

Have you read the Southern Vampire Series? Have you read the Twilightsaga? Both? Which is better? Do you know of a literary character with a worse name than Sookie Stackhouse?