My Free Home Depot Gift Cards

I am so very excited! Last Thursday I went online and exchanged my Chase Visa card rewards points for Home Depot gift cards. The cards just arrived, and now I have $625 in Home Depot gift cards that I can go to town with !

I am going to get an electric lawnmower (still haven't decided if I want a corded one or a rechargeable battery one), an electric edger, and will be able to pay for part of a grill with all those cards.

This is why I put everything on my credit card and pay it off each month. I never have to pay interest, and I end up getting free things. If you have a card that isn't giving you rewards or benefits that you can and will use, please consider transferring that balance to one that will. You might as well beat the banks at their own game.

_______________________________________

In other news, I just completed my first phone screening, and the recruiter really really liked me. The problem is that the compensation can't even come close to what I need, much less what I want. Compensation in retail is not only based on experience level, but on store sales volume, and the store that she wanted to place me in doesn't make enough money to warrant the salary I need. I knew it probably wouldn't, but this is a very strong company, so I wanted to pursue it.

I have another phone screening tomorrow, and then another on Friday. I hope those go as well as the first one.

Job Hunt, Updated

I received a call on Friday to set up a phone screening for noon on Tuesday.

Then today, while I was spending the entire day at a Winterguard competition in a small town near here, trying to recruit people for my drum corps, I received a phone call and an email from two more companies wanting to set up phone screenings for this coming week.

So, I am optimistic about this coming week!

Radish Sproutettes

So adorable!

The Job Search

It is not going well. I have applied online to 12 different companies so far, and will continue to apply to several each day. Sometimes the process is quick-ish, just 30 minutes or less, and sometimes it is a couple of hours (Petco took longer than that).

I know what I need to make to cover all my bills and still have some money left over to do the things I want to do, but there aren't many openings right now. I did apply at the Limited Brands website today (Limited, Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, etc.) and got a call from someone to set up a phone screening with one of their recruiters next Tuesday. So that's good. I am over-qualified to run a mall store, though, so I hope there are other opportunities in this market.

I completely re-tooled my resume, and it is hot hot hot, if I do say so myself. I'm surprised I haven't received more calls, even if it's just to network. I'm on LinkedIn, and am in the process of getting onto all the job search sites that I can find. I think it's just a matter of time, because I've really only been looking for about a week, and giving it partial effort.

I promised myself I'd take some time to relax, rest, get sleep, and work on the house. It is amazing how much sleep I am needing. I feel like I'm making up for 15 years of lost sleep. I'm also enjoying spending time reading, taking care of my nephew, seeing friends, watching TV, practicing my horn, taking trips to Home Depot, working on the house, and all sorts of other things. I'm really enjoying my time off, but I do want to have something lined up for April or early May.

Nothing else exciting is going on.

Landscaping & Gardening

Successful first attempts at landscaping and gardening, I think. My neighbors across the street have 'done up' their front yard in a similar way. My lot is really sloped toward the street, and I just didn't have it in me to dig down into the rocky soil to make the bricks level, but I think it still looks just fine. It took 89 of those concrete limestone bricks, which weigh 20 pounds each, I think.

I planted a pink rose bush and a white rose bush against the house in the back of the bed, and kept the 4 holly bushes. Then I added 5 more bushes. I don't know the names, but I kept the plastic tags, so I can find out if I need to. I took 4 trips to Home Depot between Thursday and Friday, and then a friend stayed over Friday night, and we got up early early to beat the crowds at Home Depot on Saturday. We got there at 7:20am to get a full pallet of topsoil. Topsoil is cheap, just $1.25/bag. Each bag is 40 pounds, and lifting/moving it gets very old very quickly. Between the front yard landscaping and the garden in the back, I used 3,200 pounds of topsoil. Crazy!

For the garden in the back, I copied what my younger sister and her husband had done: they bought a 4x8 foot garden kit. I thought it would be too small, but it seemed to fit everything I wanted to plant. And I can always buy more kits that interlock with it later if I want. My friend and I built it and dumped the dirt on Saturday, then I planted it Sunday afternoon. I have TEN strawberry plants, and I cannot wait for them to produce fruit!

My radish seed packet said they are ready in 22 days, which means i will have my first micro-harvest just a couple weeks into April. Some of those vegetable seeds were so tiny that I just tossed them into a furrow, so I'll need to go back and buy more seeds for future plantings, or move some of the sprouts to a different location if they are too close together.

I planted strawberries, pumpkin, watermelon, cantaloupe, jalapeno pepper (2 plants, I love jalapeno peppers and use them often), mucho nacho pepper, poblano pepper, beefsteak tomato, heirloom green tomato, sugar snap peas, cucumber, zucchini, carrots, white onion, yellow onion, bunch onion, celery, bibb lettuce, dill, basil, thyme, cilantro, radish, kentucky long beans, red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, green bell pepper, okra, and I think that's all.

I'd like to plant potatoes, but I ran out of room. I plan on letting the cantaloupe, watermelon, and pumpkin vines spill over the sides and into the yard, thereby not taking up much room. in the garden itself, which really is quite small. We shall see what happens; I don't know what kind of pests to be on the lookout for or what kind of fertilizer to use, so I'll be investigating that. Right now, I just have that topsoil in the garden.

I'll do my best to post pics as the garden progresses. I figure some things will grow very well and some will be a complete bust, but I guess that's the way it is with anything in life.

My Future?

I found out last Wednesday morning that my position is being eliminated. As you almost certainly know, my company filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy last week, and we are closing about 200 stores. Such massive store closures means we can no longer support/justify having as many district managers as before. I was one of many to be laid off.

My last day officially is this Saturday, but I am pretty much already transitioned out. It is such an odd feeling. I haven't out and out bawled over it, but I teared up several times on a couple of days last week. I can't decide if I am sorry for myself, for my stores, for my company, or for no longer having a team of people to lead. Probably all of these things and more.

I think we all knew this day might come, and I have been in a state of high alert for almost 2 years now, so in a strange way it is a relief to finally have resolution. I loved/love my company and gave it 10 years and 7 months of my life. You all know as well as anyone that I was a strong supporter and advocate, and was very proud of my company. I worked hard and smart and was a loyal and dedicated employee for all those years.

I have been receiving emails from those who worked with me and for me throughout the years, and it is nice to know that I have impacted their lives and career in the ways they are telling me.

I have no doubts that I will find another job, and quickly. Now it is a matter of trying to determine what I want to do, what I will enjoy, and what will allow me the time I need to continue my drum corps hobby. I need that hobby to bring balance to my life.

I wish the best to all those I leave behind. I want my company to survive and strengthen and live a long, profitable life.

If you have any suggestions on career paths I should consider, please let me know. I am open to just about anything. I want to explore as many options as possible, though I don't want to go back to school. I have my Bachelor's and that's all I'm willing to do.

Thanks.

Learning to Be a Homeowner

You will laugh at me for the things I'll write about, and I don't blame you one bit. Dad took care of most of the things around the house, though my sisters and I had a lot of daily and weekly chores. But setting the table and emptying the trashcans into the big trashcan in the garage is different.

One of the things I learned in my first week of home ownership is how to 'do' the trash. My pickup day is Monday. My city recycles, so I have a recycle bin and a garbage bin. They are both on wheels and are made of that heavy duty textured plastic. My bulk item pickup is the first Monday of every month. We cannot set the bins out until after 6pm the night before, which is not a problem. And we have to pull them back in by 6pm Monday evening. Three months ago, the bins were delivered, and I was preparing to set them out for the first time. I put all my recycling in one and all the trash in the other, and only then noticed that I put the wrong thing in each one. So I unpacked them and redid it. I laughed at myself. They are different sizes, and I assumed the larger one was for trash, and only noticed that it says "Fort Worth Recycles" on the side after I had filled it with garbage. No harm done, but I thought it was funny how I didn't know how to do the trash. So now, every Sunday evening, I roll my containers out to the curb, place them facing the correct direction, and forget about them until the next day.

I also had to learn how to water my lawn. Because my yard was sodded so late in the year, it didn't have a long time to get its roots down into the soil. Also, my lot is sloped, so I found that I was watering the street in addition to watering my back yard if I wasn't careful. I have a couple of sprinklers, several soaker hoses, and a couple of hand sprays, so I'm set, I think.

For the first time in my life, I have wood floors and ceramic tile. The great room is wood, the bathrooms, kitchen, and entryway are tile, and the bedrooms and office are carpet. I sealed all the tile before I moved in, and I vacuum frequently to keep the carpets looking new as long as possible. But the wood floors are crazy! Every little speck of paper or grass or dust is visible on it. So I swiffer sweep it several times a week so that it looks pretty. I don't mind, and it only takes a couple minutes. It's just shocking how much stuff is on the swiffer pad every time, and knowing that this is the same amount of stuff that would be in the carpet if I had carpet in that room. Crazy.

And this will sound really weird.....but I'm also having to learn how to be a neighbor. I never, in my 15 years of living in apartments, cared to know any of the people living there. Many of the people were loud, yelled at each other, and dinged my car doors in the parking lot. I still jump when my doorbell rings, because I would never ever answer a knock on my apartment door unless I knew someone was coming over, which rarely happened. Now, I live in a fabulous little neighborhood with sidewalks, new homes, and kids who can plan in the yards and in the street without fear of something horrible happening to them. So, when I'm driving, I wave to all the kids, all the people walking dogs, and all the people in their yards who look up at my orange Honda. The next door kids know they can help themselves to getting in my backyard if they accidentally kick the soccer ball over the fence, and they can ring my doorbell to ask to borrow my snow shovel to use to build their snowman.

I'm thinking of joining the Citizens Patrol for the neighborhood, if I can ever get to a meeting/training session. I figure the more people I help, the more who will help me keep an eye on my house when I'm not home. I have a security system, but nothing beats the watchful eyes of concerned neighbors.

Life is good. I hope it stays that way.

Book Series I've Read and Enjoyed

Emma mentioned the Hunger Games series on her blog, so I thought I'd post some of my favorite Young Adult series that are along the same lines. Sorta like, 'If you Like Hunger Games, Try....'. I love, love, love the post-apocalyptic sub-genre of books with that survival theme.

I will list the first book in the series but try and tell you how many books there are so far:

Gone by Grant Baker (total of 3 so far, I've read 2, so I don't yet know if the 3rd is the last) - set in and around a town on the California coast, in the blink of an eye all the adults are gone, and the teens and kids come to learn they are trapped inside a dome that encompasses several square miles. Some of the kids develop odd powers, and there are two factions (of course) fighting each other.

Life as We Knew It by Pfeffer (series is complete at 3 books) - an asteroid hits the moon and pushes its orbit closer to the earth causing climate changes, tsunamis, etc. First book is the best.

Maze Runner by Dashner (2 books so far, I have but have not yet read the 2nd book) - a teenage boy wakes up in a type of elevator that is taking him upwards to a garden acreage area where there are only teenagers. The land is surrounded by a maze that is deadly if you venture into it after dark. What is in the maze, and is there a way out?

The Uglies by Westerfeld (6 or 7 books in this series, I forget) - at the age of 16, everyone gets plastic surgery to become pretty, but a rogue group of people don't think that's right. They try to rebel against society and the government.

Shadow Children by Haddix (7 books, first one is Among the Hidden; series complete) - this one is shelved in Independent Reader, but is still very captivating. The government has passed a law stating that families may only have 2 children, but people break the law and subsequently must keep their 3rd child in hiding lest the authorities find out. The Shadow Children find each other and plan to overthrow the government.

The Limit (standalone) by Kristen Landon (might also be shelved in Independent Reader but really is more of a YA title) - the government has given every family a budget. If the family overspends, then they must send one or more of their children to work off the debt. The main character is super-smart and gets sent to a place where he and other kids are doing strange computer work and experiments.

Not post-apocalyptic but still fantastic:

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (3 books total) - set in a British boarding school in the 1800s, teenage Gemma learns she has the ability to cross over into another realm, and there are dangerous people who will kill to get access to that realm

Books I've have bought and am pretty certain I will like:

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - a post-apocalyptic romance

Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling - in adult sci/fi; first in a series; recommended by one of my GMs

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Book One of Chaos Walking series) - Todd lives in a town where everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts; he stumbles across an area of complete silence and discovers that something terrible has been hidden; they must run, but their pursuers can hear their thoughts

Vigilantes Drum & Bugle Corps Open House

I Found My Iron!!!!

I only had to look in 8 boxes and 5 large Rubbermaid containers before locating it. I try not to purchase clothing that has to be ironed, but I had a fashion-thought that if I layered this lavendar cami with this purplish striped shirt and topped it off with a cute purple/mauve ish argyle pullover, then I might just look stylish tomorrow at work!

So of course I had to starch and iron the shirt. I'm gonna look cool, and feel hot.

And on a completely different note:

If you find yourself in the middle of making a bad decision, stop and take a moment to really think about it. If you are in the presence of someone who is making a bad decision and acting on it, ask them about it. Good people make bad decisions sometimes, and we should help each other reduce the amount of times that happens.

Funniest Stuff in a Long, Long Time

If you have not yet checked out this website, please do so! It is hysterical. Especially the one called "When Moms Text".

My torso hurts from laughing over it.

My New House

I closed on October 29 and moved in a week later. After that, I worked almost every damn day until New Year's weekend. And this week I've been on vacation. I'm loving the house, but I'm still not unpacked. Here are a lot of photos that I haven't posted yet.

Home Construction Photos

There were several years when I was growing up that were very very lean times. My Dad was working 3 or 4 jobs, and my Mom was working one and taking care of us kids. I know my Dad had to ask my Grandfather for loans a couple of times so they could make the house payment.

My parents worked their hind ends off to provide for the family, and I am forever grateful. I am also forever terrified that something will happen and I will find myself in financial distress. This is why I have been quite smart about saving money in myriad ways. Still, whenever I purchase anything...and I mean ANYTHING...whether it be a $1.25 soda or a $200 printer, I always think to myself, 'I shouldn't be buying this.'

And so, while I'm delighted and excited to be building my first home, I am equally (or even moreso) scared to death. It's a huge responsibility, and I have no one with whom to share the financial burden. I'm sure it is perfectly normal to feel this way, right?

Here are some photos I took yesterday when I drove by to check the progress. They've just begun work. I am scheduled to close on November 4th. We'll see if that actually happens.

Some Like it Hot!

This is where I wish I were this past weekend. I took this photo in March of 2007 on a hill overlooking Estes Park, Colorado. It was chilly but not cold, and I was surrounded by good friends.

This weekend I was also surrounded by good friends, but we were enduring a brutal full weekend rehearsal under the hot Texas sun. It was about 125 degrees on the field and even hotter in the aluminum stands where our Visual Caption Head was positioned.

On Saturday alone I drank 2 gallons of water and almost a gallon of gatorade during our 9am to 7pm rehearsal. It was hot, it was hard, and I conquered it! Sunday was much easier and maybe a couple degrees cooler, plus an occasional cloud would cross the sun, and it felt like it cooled off 20 degrees during those times.

Playing is not hard; marching is not hard; not breathing regularly is not hard; and the heat is not hard. But when you combine all that together, it's hard! It is physically and mentally demanding, and those of us who march drum corps like that it is difficult. We are pushed to our limits and beyond.

We have a performance on Friday and another on Monday, both in the Dallas area, and it's going to be hot hot hot with our full uniforms on. It's good that it was so hot this past weekend so that we could get somewhat acclimated to it.

After this heat, Minnesota and Rochester, NY will be a breeze.

My 4th of July

Individually, I performed very well yesterday...really, really well, actually. As a group, we had a few shaky spots, but we were playing for an audience comprised of mostly blue hairs, so they didn't know the difference anyway.

It was just the hornline and percussion, because you can't really toss flags or rifles in a concert hall full of people, so the color guard didn't perform with us.

After arriving at 8am, we warmed up, rehearsed for a while, then met up with the orchestra and rehearsed the national anthem a couple times. We had our own green room, with our name on the doors and all that. We felt rather important.

For lunch a lot of us went across the street to a Spanish Tapas restaurant where we had a lovely yet pricey lunch. Then we rehearsed some more, got in full uniform, and went upstairs to wait backstage until it was our time to go on. We had rehearsed in the hall earlier that day, but there were fewer lights on the audience now, so it was almost impossible to see our conductor who was positioned in an aisle. Those of us in front clued in to the fact that those behind us probably couldn't see, so a couple of us bobbed our horns up and down slightly on 'one' and 'three' to help them out.

We were on the very front edge of the stage...literally less than 2 feet from the edge, so we all felt a little exposed. But I like to perform for others, so I quickly felt comfortable.

We had some timing issues between brass, percussion, and conductor, but we held it together and did decently well as a group. I nailed my solos and duets, which I am always very relieved about. I only fracked 2 or 3 notes the whole time and played very well.

After our on stage performance, we went back down to our green room, chilled for a few minutes, then went back up and outside to play for the concertgoers as they were leaving. We circled it up in the shade of a couple trees and played a few things with our Brass/Visual Caption head in the center. If you've ever stood in front of a hornline that is entirely bell-front instruments, you know what loud can be. This was loud. We only have 20 horns, but we produce a LOT of sound.

We then arced it up to face the crowd and played several tunes again from our performance. People were clapping and cheering and having a great time. Someone even asked if he had a CD for sale.

Someone I marched with either in college or in drum corps came up to me while we were outside our greenroom to say hi. She looked so very familiar, but I still don't know exactly were I know her from. It was neat to talk to her for a minute, and we chatted again after the performance. I always feel bad when I can't remember people, because they always seem to remember me.

I did have a lady come up to me afterwards and tell me that she was a horn player and that I was very good. I thanked her, and then several of my corps mates said, "no, she's great!" I have some truly great friends in this corps...gotta love 'em.

After everything was done, and uniforms were off and loaded on the truck, several of us chilled in the parking garage, drinking home brew, water, gatorade, etc. Then we decided to go out to dinner, so we drove to Macaroni Grill where we ate, drank, laughed, and generally had a fabulous time.

This particular Macaroni Grill is in a mall parking lot, and the mall was having fireworks, so we went outside to watch the show. The parking lot was 100% full because of everyone coming out to watch the fireworks, so we drank some more on the porch of the restaurant for over an hour, waiting for traffic to free up.

It was probably the best 4th of July I've ever had.

Right now there are fireworks going off in Fair Park, and I can hear them from where I sit typing this. Tomorrow I jump back into work mode, but I'll always remember this weekend. It was magical in its own kind of slice of life way.

We're Performing with a Symphony

On Sunday, July 4th, my drum corps is performing with a local symphony at the Eisemann Center in Richardson, TX.

My corps' website is here, which also has a link to the Plano Symphony website.

We are all looking forward to it, because it is great exposure for our corps, is a professional gig, and will be INDOORS!!!! I can't tell you how happy that last part makes me.

We will be performing the Star Spangled Banner with the symphony and the chorus to start off the concert, and at some point (I don't know the entire run of show yet) we will do our performance of 4 or 5 songs, the symphony will perform, and at the very end of the concert while people are leaving, we are going to line the aisles and play again. We will be in full uniform but without shakos and plumes (hats). Any time we get to perform indoors without shakos is a big win. It's bloomin' hot outside!

Today I told my family about the performance and they seemed interested, so maybe they'll come. It's kind of far for them to drive there - over an hour - so we'll see.

We had rehearsal yesterday, and I drank over 150 ounces of water and Gatorade, it was that hot. That's a lot of fluids.

On Friday I have an appointment at the design studio for the house I'm having built. I will get lots of information to wade through, so I'll share some of it here. I also have rehearsal on Saturday and that rehearsal and performance on Sunday, so I'll be quite busy this weekend.

But the good news is that I'm in town this entire week. I don't go out of town again until a week from Wednesday, so I can cook my meals and eat real food, and maybe even visit some friends and do normal people activities in the evenings. Wow!

I get my company car on Tuesday FINALLY!!!, and am excited about not having to put more miles on mine, which is now at 103,000 miles in 4 1/2 years.

That's all my excitement for now. I hope each of you has a fabulous week.

Ahhh, Drum Corps

This is me tooting my own horn, so to speak. The picture on the left was taken at a park in/near Rochester, NY at a rehearsal during DCA World Championships over Labor Day weekend in 2009. The picture on the right was taken some time in June, July, or August of 2009 at one of the rehearsals. Rehearsal is tough on the body and rough on the clothes, so I have just a handful of T-shirts and shorts dedicated to this purpose. I have found that Adidas shoes fit my feet better than any other brand, so I'll stick with them forever, I suppose.

We're entering the high season for drum corps, when there is a rehearsal almost every weekend between now and Labor Day. Some are just Saturday rehearsals; some are Saturday and Sunday.

Two Saturdays from now, we have a performance in Austin, where all the active Drum Corps in Texas perform their show (standstill performance as opposed to marching + playing) on the steps of the state capitol. The performance is free to attend and has a family/friend feel. People bring their blankets and coolers and enjoy the evening of great music. There are a handful of Junior Corps in Texas, but we are the only remaining active competing All-Age Drum Corps. Corps fold all the time because it is an expensive prospect to keep one running.

Just to clarify, the singular and the plural are both spelled 'corps'. When you're talking about one, you pronounce it 'core'. When you're talking about more than one, you pronounce it 'cores'. I just thought I'd put that in there in case anyone was wondering.

I'm particularly excited about this Austin performance (which is called Texas Drum Corps Preview) because I now know how it goes. What I mean is that I know what to expect. Last year was my first year, so everything was new to me, and I had to learn where to meet for rehearsal at all these performances, what was allowed and not allowed, the timing and cadence of things, where to book a hotel, etc. It's amazing how much mental energy it takes to absorb entirely new situations.

If any pics are taken that I have access to, I will post them. I have to cut this post short, because I need to do a few things before I leave for Tulsa in the early morning.

Does This "SOLD" Sign Make Me Look Fat?

Yes, this is my new home site. After much initialing and signing and providing of all my financial documents, I am now the proud owner of this patch of dirt. It was 98 degrees outside today with nary a cloud in the sky, so the community's pool is going to be very appealing to me in the next few months.

Don't you like my kicks? (kicks are shoes, in case you didn't know)

Even though today is Saturday, the mortgage guy at the bank and I spoke for about 35 minutes. He looked at the documents the home salesperson scanned and emailed over to him. I gave him some more information about my salary, other accounts, etc., and he checked my credit score as well. He told me that I would absolutely be approved for the loan based, and that the official certificate would be forthcoming. He is going to tell KB Home to proceed with the home during their builders meeting on Monday.

I've worked hard and smart and handled my finances conservatively and intelligently during my entire life, so I expect to be rewarded now with a fantastic interest rate and every other perk or advantage that is possible. I'm sorry if that sounds snooty, I just feel like it's time for me to get the bonuses that the responsible people of this country should receive.

The incentives include a washer, dryer, refrigerator, microwave above the stove, and $5,000 in free upgrades. Anyone want to go shopping at the design center with me?

The home won't be ready until October or November, due to it taking 6-8 weeks to get a building permit in Fort Worth (lots of construction going on in that town right now), and houses that are already in the queue to be built, so I won't have to buy a lawn mower or have a huge financial outlay for yard type things right now.

I already posted this same pic on Facebook, and I will tell my family tomorrow. They know I've been looking for a place to build and haven't been happy with anything I've seen, but I think they'll be surprised that I moved so quickly on this property/community. I just saw it for the first time 8 days ago, but I knew immediately it was the right place for me. And just a note about that...I have learned to follow my gut/instincts on things like this. It's an 'I'll know it when I see it' type of thing.

Now I'm off to watch Season 2 of 24 on DVD for the rest of the night. Toodles.

Building a House

I finally found where I want to build my home. It's in far north Fort Worth in an area that is new development with lots of different builders. There are gas stations, grocery stores, clothing stores, etc. all nearby. It has very easy access to I-35 (about 3.3 miles away), and it's within 25 minutes of my parents' and sisters' homes. I will have easy access to all my Texas stores, and it's a straight shot up to Oklahoma City and my 5 stores in and around that area. It will take me a bit longer to get to Tulsa, Arkansas, and Missouri, but everything is a trade-off, I suppose.

I have selected the floor plan that works best for me. It's 1,737 square feet, which is outrageous for one person, considering I grew up in a home that was smaller and had 5 people plus a cat living there. But I'll have 3 bedrooms plus a den for my home office. This will give me a master bedroom for me, a guest bedroom for whomever, and a third room to use as a library or music room or whatever I want.

I'm going back on Saturday to see if I can get (negotiate) the builder to pay all my closing costs, throw in a refrigerator as well as give me lots of money for the 'design center'.

I checked my credit report tonight through Equifax, and it all looks good - no strange things that I don't recognize. Everything that can be green is green, and no red flags or statements saying I was ever overdue on anything. I'm sure you all know that you can get your credit report free each year through the 3 credit reporting companies. Then I paid $7.95 to check my credit score. I don't mind sharing that it is in the highest bracket, so I should be able to get a great interest rate.

I'm bad about throwing my paperwork everywhere at home, so I need to get copies of certain things pulled together for when it reaches that point.

The entire process is interesting but also extremely scary. It's a huge commitment to pay a mortgage that is significantly more than my current rent. But I'm about to pay my car off by the end of the year, and the mortgage will be less than my rent + car currently is.

EEEEEKKKKKKK!

Pulled Over Again

Oklahoma Highway Patrol likes me. Actually, they like to pull me over and give me warnings on yellow paper that I stuff into my glove box.

About 10 days ago I was pulled over driving from my store in Rogers, Arkansas home to Dallas. This drive takes about 5 1/2 hours, and a huge portion of it is through Oklahoma on I-40 and US 69.

I was cruising along, dancing to Michael Buble's latest CD, Crazy Love, when the trooper pulled me over. I was perplexed, I was astounded, I, for once, wasn't speeding, not one iota. I had no idea why I was being pulled over. The trooper came to the passenger side, and I lowered that window.

"I just wanted to see if you were tired or getting sleepy," he said, "Maybe texting even. You crossed the center line a couple of times a ways back." This was news to me, considering I was alert and fine, just driving along. I told him my company had just instituted a policy against distracted driving and showed him that my cell phones were in their cases and not in my hands. He saw my bluetooth device and believed me. I told him I felt fine and wasn't aware of crossing the center line. He asked to see my driver's license, then gave it back to me and walked back to his car. He wrote me a warning, and let me go. He was very friendly to me, apologetic even.

I still don't think I had crossed the center line, but was pulled over because of the color of my car, which everyone in Oklahoma thinks is pro-UT (University of Texas), when the state is very much an OU (University of Oklahoma) territory. I bought the tangerine metallic car because it was bright and vital and different. Ultimately, it doesn't matter why I bought it. If someone doesn't like the color of my car, they can just be glad they don't have an orange car and shut up about it.

I can't wait for my company car to be built and delivered. It's a black Ford Fusion and won't draw any attention to itself in Oklahoma or anywhere else. It will also be more difficult to find in a parking lot, but I think I can live with that.

______________________________________________________

Today I took a 4 hour nap, and I'm about to go to sleep again. I don't get enough rest during the week, and today I had no planned obligations, so I did nothing whatsoever but eat, sleep, play on the computer, and watch part of Texas Ranch House on DVD again. I haven't had a day like that in a long time, and I sorely needed it.

I'm tired and going to bed now. Goodnight.