Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: Judd's Merged Meme

1. What were doing 10 years ago? Negotiating an extension on my lease so I could stay there while I condo-hunted.

2. Five snacks that you enjoy in a perfect, non weight-gaining world. Thin mint cookies. Peanut butter sandwich cookies. (Damn those Girl Scouts and their cookie sales!) Cheese crackers. Hot tamales candy. Hershey w/almond bars.

3. Five things you would do if you were a billionaire: 1) Buy a condo in the city with doorman and a view of the Lake; 2) Adopt more cats; 3) Hire a car and driver; 4) Support charities that assist kids and critters; 5) Reassure Sir Paul that I don't want his money

4. Three of your habits: 1) Watching marathons on the USA Network -- SVU, Psych, NCIS, I'm there; 2) Procrastination, which explains why I'm memeing and not doing laundry; 3) Reading the Tribune during my morning commute.

5. Five jobs that you've have had: Babysitter, receptionist, copywriter, associate creative director, and creative director (which is not unlike being a babysitter).

6. Five places that you've lived: I've only ever lived in two towns. Sorry.

7. Five things that you did yesterday: Donated clothes to Goodwill; Drank beer for the first time in a while and realized I missed it; Listened to Steely Dan for the first time in ages, too; Started a new assignment.

8. Five people you would want to get to know more about: 1) Abigail Adams, 2) George Clooney, 3) Rahm Emanuel, 4) the man who has been hired to be my boss' boss' boss but we haven't met him yet, 5) Don Draper (can't wait for the new season!)

9. Abortion: for or against it? No one is FOR abortion. I am pro-choice.

10. Do you think the world would fail with a female president? No. Germany has one right now and the world is still spinning on its axis.

11. Do you believe in the death penalty? No.

12. Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already? I don't care.

13. Are you for or against premarital sex? Yes, seeing as I'm not married and therefore have no hope of postmarital sex.

14. Do you think same sex marriage should be legalized? Yes.

15. Do you think it's wrong that so many Hispanics are illegally moving to the USA? Yes. The current system is a mess. We should either relax the laws or figure out how to enforce them.

16. Should the alcohol age be lowered to eighteen? No. We don't need more drunk drivers on the roads, and I fear that's what would we'd get.

17. Should the war in Iraq be called off? This is a silly question. No, I don't think a ref should blow a whistle and just call it off.

18. Assisted suicide is illegal: do you agree? No. I am pro-choice in this, too.

19. Do you believe in spanking your children? Well, since they're imaginary I don't think it would hurt them.

20. Do you worry that others will judge you from reading some of your answers? I don't care about this, either. Sorry, but there's something about this meme that just makes me pissy. Can't wait to see what Bud does with it!

Productive, yet tiring

A chilly, rainy Saturday. A looooong chilly, rainy Saturday.

The day started with a trip to the dentist for my annual cleaning and x-rays. Who among us doesn't enjoy having that pick stuck in our gums? But at least I expected that. The exciting new twist was the cavity that somehow developed under a decades-old porcelain crown. Near the front. Where it's visible. So I have to get it repaired ... to the tune of approximately $660.

I shouldn't complain. That's the worst-case scenario estimate and besides, without insurance it would be $1,270. But the whole situation makes me nervous because:

1) I have to get it done in a timely manner, because I may lose my job, which means I may not have good dental insurance much longer, and …

2) It's got to be done in an esthetically appealing way because I may be interviewing again, and I'm a 50-something in a young person's industry. Objectively speaking, I think I look 45. I'd never lie about my age, but I don't encourage anyone to do the math while they're looking at my rez. A smile with bad teeth can age you.

I know, I know … with this new bill it's probably irresponsible to go off on my spa holiday. But I'm taking the $700 from my existing I'm-paying-down-my-credit-cards fund and putting it aside for my brand-new gotta-get-teeth-fixed fund. This has been a rough year so far, and I'm not expecting it to get tons better. So I'm going to Williamsburg. The alone time could just recharge my battery and give me the new insights my life is crying out for. I'm getting my tooth fixed the first Saturday I'm back.

So this was state of my mind when I went off to The Carson's Goodwill Sale. I got three pairs of slacks, a dress-it-up cardigan and a fully-lined gray blazer. That's 5 pieces/3 outifits suitable for client meetings and interviews. Suggested retail price: $255. Courtesy of Carson's discounts and my Goodwill coupons: $130.11. I am now bowing deeply, acknowledging the applause that are undoubtedly coming my way. I also used one of the coupons to buy my oldest friend body lotion in the Vera Wang scent she enjoys so much. It cost more than I wanted to spend, but it never goes on sale and at least with the coupon I was able to save $7.50. We don't exchange gifts again for months, but again, I might not be employed by then and I don't want that to spoil our celebration.

I'm sick of thinking about money! And going from dentist to department store to drug store ("Your prescriptions are ready for pickup") and from bus to train back to bus in all this cold drizzle takes a lot out of a gal.

On a happier note, I heard from my best friend again yesterday. He now checks in with me, via email, every Friday. Yesterday he was amusing, and even if our contact is still superficial at least it's more comfortable and consistent. I do know he cares what's going on in my life and, while I don't know what's really going on in his life, he'll tell me when he thinks the time is right. That's enough for me.