So yesterday I really buckled down and got most of the laundry done. There was only one load left (a blanket) that needed to be done so I decided to do that today after my classes.

I take the clothes out of the dryer (too lazy to do that this morning) and take less than a minute to put them away. I go back to the dryer and washer to put the blanket in and guess what I find in my dryer?



My cat!

She looks kind of mad in this photo, but she is normally very sweet.

I am so happy. I found what I was looking for! I have been looking for a way to organize my purses and accessories and I found those interlocking cubes (like this one: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3579668) for pretty cheap. I ordered two sets of four (not from Walmart though) and they should be arriving in a week or so. I used to have a few of these when I was a kid. I remember keeping my barbies and dolls and other toys in them.

Tomorrow is payday but I don't think I will pick up my check tomorrow. I work Saturday so I will most likely get it then.

Today my dad, boyfriend (yes! I convinced him to come!), and myself went shopping today.

We had a lot of fun. The first couple stores I went into I walked out empty handed. I had debated getting a Wii for my birthday but decided against it. After looking at the various games, I figured I wouldn't use it very often. If the price drops to below $200 I might reconsider. After several hours of shopping I ended up getting: a Coach wristlet and small pouch, a Dooney & Bourke Lily tote, and several pairs of jeans.

While we were in a store my dad said he was going to sit down and that I "had free reign of the store". My boyfriend replied, "That's a dangerous thing to say to her."



(Excuse the mess in the background. We had to move some pictures and things from the dining room to the living room.)

The above is what we bought today.

After shopping we took a break and then went out to dinner. Tomorrow we will be having cake.

I have been thinking more about what I want to do after college. I am going to make an appointment with my advisor to talk about grad school for next week. I am still unsure of what I want to do but talking with my advisor should help, or at least clear up some questions I have about grad school. I am also thinking that instead of going to grad school right away, I work in a bank or something to see if I really like it. I know I love law enforcement (I have done internships in that area), so I guess it is a question of which I love more.

Today was a pretty good day. I had work at 1 pm and got off a little after 6. It was a golf tournament scoring party, which should have been cake, but there was some issue with the food. There was also a wedding at the same time and only two cooks.

I wanted to go out after work to get a couple more work shirts but my feet were hurting and I decided I'll get work clothes tomorrow when we go shopping. I was hungry and cold and my feet needed a break.

I really need to clean the back of my car. My car usually doesn't get messy (I don't allow anyone to eat in my car and I only keep what I need in my car) but I have been leaving junk mail and paperwork and for some reason, hangers in there. I know I had a reason for taking the hangers out of my closet, but I can't remember why.

Great news is that after almost 5 weeks, our kitchen is *this* close to being done! All that is left is the countertops. We have our sink and dishwasher and cabinets. Then they need to replace the carpet in the dining room, but I frankly don't care too much about the carpet. The dining room is not heavily used and the small chunk of carpet that is missing is not in a vital location. Soon our lives will be completely normal.

I am looking forward to shopping tomorrow. My boyfriend was going to come with us tomorrow but then decided not to. Says he put off getting my b-day gift and needs to get it tomorrow. I remind him that my birthday isn't until next Saturday (and that a gift isn't necessary) but he just shrugs.

Oh, and I earned 13 cents in interest on my savings and 6 cents on my IRA for the month of Feb.

No no no no no no no no no.

NO.

A friend of mine, whom I do love as a friend, recently asked me for $100. This is the same friend who borrowed sums of money ranging from $20 -$100 from other friends and forgot to repay them. So when she asked me for some money, I smiled and said that I couldn't spare $100 right now. Mumbled some excuse about this and that and tightening the belt...

What I felt like saying was, "Are you kidding me? Do I look like an idiot? I wasn't born yesterday in case you didn't know."

Ah.. friends.

My daddy got into town late last instead of this afternoon. He, my boyfriend, and myself ran a couple errands and had lunch. The three of us will be going to a local sandwich joint for dinner and then ice cream. Brother was in school while we had lunch and doesn't feel like joining us tonight. He's being a party pooper but oh well.

Tomorrow is the end of Feb.

I have made a total of 11 cents in interest on my savings and 6 cents on my IRA. I have not sold anything this month on half.com but I was expecting that. I've adjusted the price on all my items a few times so I am just going to sit back and wait. If I find anything else to sell I will list it but I am not optimistic on making money in March on half.com.

I went to church yesterday for Ash Wednesday but I forgot to decide what I am going to give up for Lent.

I gave up the internet last year for Lent and I no longer have a myspace or a facebook. I don't want to repeat that and there wouldn't be much internet to give up anyway.

I don't eat out all that much and I haven't gone to fast food in a loooooong time. I don't drink soda or eat junk food on a regular basis. The only thing I could think of was chocolate but that is cliche and I don't buy that much chocolate.

So I have been pondering and decided I am going to give up TV shows. Movies are ok to watch, but not more than a couple times a week. TV shows on DVD are not allowed. Boyfriend will be also giving up TV. I have gotten into the habit of turning the TV on when I start my homework. I don't usually pay attention to it but leaving it on like that is a waste of money and electricity.

Soo... here we go! No TV for 40 days!

Ahhh... today was a difficult day.

We finally received the death certificate today and after staring at the envelope for several minutes I finally opened it up.

Cause of death was determined to be an accident. Cause of death was multiple organ failure, drug intoxication, and the underlying cause was listed as the meds she had taken that day.

It was a shock actually having that piece of paper in my hand.

This Friday my dad is coming home and we'll have to go to the bank to get me on the account and the SS office so my brother can collect my mom's SS benefits. Saturday I work so Sunday we'll be celebrating my b-day.

Since I was 19 at the time my mom died, I am assuming I cannot collect her SS benefits? Or am I wrong?

Recently I mentioned that my dad's job has been secured until June.

And today we received some more good news. Several years ago my dad invested money in a company that later went bankrupt. They stilled owed use a lot of money and we were able to get a small portion of that back. Well, we just received another check from them! This check plus the previous doesn't add up to the amount that we are owed, but it came at a great time and is close to a year's worth of expenses.

Yay!! Sooo happy about this!

My birthday is the first week of March and I just found out that my dad will be coming home next weekend for several days. So we will be celebrating my birthday then. We are finally having some good luck. I don't know how long it will last, but I plan to enjoy it for as long as possible.

Today was a busy busy day. After my classes I ran some errands that I have been putting off.

I finally went to the mall to get my chain and while there I stopped by an eyeglass store to look at frames. They were having a sale; a complete pair of glasses for $99.95. I looked at the frames on sale and I can see why they are on sale. Most of the frames were ugly. Trying to be a good sport, I tried several on. A few were passable but most were blech.

I looked at the other glasses and found a frame that I loved and looked good on me. It cost $160 for just the frames so I didn't buy it. I might get it later, but there are other places in town having sales.

I just found out that my dad's job is secure until June, when his contract is up. We are relieved because a job he had applied for he did not get. There is also a good chance that in July or August he will get a job at Boeing. Keep your fingers crossed!

After looking at eyeglasses (yes, I know I am jumping around) I went to the DMV. My license is expiring in March because my birthday is just over two weeks away! I will be turning 20 soon! My dad plans on coming down either my birthday weekend or the weekend before and will take me shopping. I have been flip-flopping on what I want. I just can't decide.

I still have grocery shopping to do. I don't know if I want to do it tonight or wait until tomorrow morning. Walmart will be packed at this time and I hate dealing with those crowds. What I'll probably end up doing is getting some things at a store just around the corner and do the rest at Walmart tomorrow.

I received a notice from my B&N credit card that the terms have changed. The fee for a late or missed payment has gone up and the interest rate has been lowered. Neither I care about because my payments are always sent in early and my balance paid off in full each month.

After I finished paying the bills I did some cleaning.

I have been washing some dishes in the bathroom sink and really needed to clean the bathroom. I cleaned as much as possible and tried to organize everything. Didn't work well, but at least the house looks cleaner than it did this morning.

I just realized that I probably scheduled the maid service at the same time that some workers will be coming over tomorrow. The maids may not be able to clean the kitchen, but they will be able to clean the bathroom- a lot better than I can too.

I forgot to go to the mall to get my necklace so I will do that tomorrow. Probably right after I open up a new savings account at Wellsfargo.

I think I am going to watch TV and read for the rest of the night. There is a new episode of Chuck on and hopefully one of House.

The interest I have earned on my IRA has skyrocketed to 4 cents.

Woohoo! :P

Today was a pretty good day. My boyfriend and I slept in until 11 am (it is really rare for me to sleep that late) and then went on a bike ride. Afterwards, we went to a local diner for brunch. There was a surprisingly large amount of people exchanging gifts there. Our waitress even asked us why we weren't exchanging gifts.

Then we went to Walmart to look for a couple things. Boyfriend was looking for a game that the thinks has been discontinued and I was looking for a carpet cleaner and a shoe rack. I wanted one that stood on the floor and was tall but all I could find were ones that went over the door or were longer than tall. I found a carpet cleaner, a small one, for $37. My dad has given me the green light on buying it so tomorrow when I do some grocery shopping I will buy it.

I recently dropped my most time consuming class and had to repeal to get the money back. Instead of a 100% refund, I will be getting a 50% refund. That is still a couple hundred dollars, so I will take it.

Tomorrow I need to go to the mall to pick up my gold chain. Then I want to go to a few craft stores and look into sewing lessons. Then I need to hit the gym and I am hoping I drag my boyfriend along. He made plans to play Dungeons and Dragons with his friends tomorrow so I doubt I will succeed. But I can try.

Overall it was a good day.

The carpet cleaners that you spray on the stain and dab just isn't cutting it.

Last night my brother accidently dropped an entire bowl of tomato soup on our cream carpet. And the repairmen today tracked in some dirt today after it snowed.

Our normal cleaning chemicals work wonders on our smaller stains but for a job this large I am thinking of buying a small carpet cleaner or renting one for a couple hours.

I'll deal with it after the repairs are done. Which should be soon. We have our walls done (they have to be painted, but at least they are filled in) along with our sink. We still need the dishwasher, some linoleum, the cabinets, and the counter top. I'm thinking a couple more days, but that could be wishful thinking.

My cats were thrilled that the repairmen were coming and going today. Every time they heard the door they would run up to it and peer out, but they would never go outside (they were too scared!).

I'm still waiting for my tax return to be deposited into my checking. I don't remember exactly when I sent off my taxes, but I think it was two weeks ago. So I should get my refund in the next two weeks. I know it is silly, but every day that goes by I worry that I am going to get audited. I even had a dream about it. I know it is really silly, but I guess I am slightly paranoid.

I am going to change banks after I get my refund. My current bank is changing its fees and I don't want to pay them. One of the fees they are changing is for basic checking accounts. Starting in March, all checking accounts will be charged $8.50/month if you do not have at least one direct deposit each month. So I am switching to Wellsfargo.

The downside is that Wellsfargo does not offer as good interest rates as my current bank. But I want to keep my checking and savings at the same bank. I do not have my paycheck set up for DD and I don't want to drive to two banks every payday. My current bank does not do online transfers to other banks and I like to be able to easily transfer money between my checking and savings.

If I do not get my refund by the end of Feb, I'll wait until the end of March to change banks.

My boyfriend and I got into an argument just before he left for work. He has OCD and tends to obsessively worry and take things too literally. I have learned to be patient with him (which is quite a feat for me because normally I am the least patient person), but today I was already a little stressed and got snappy at him. It'll blow over by the time he gets home.

Things like to pileup at once.

1. School started last week and I still do not have one of my textbooks even though I ordered it awhile ago. I have tried contacting the seller a few times and he has ignored all of my messages. I checked the library and the book is not available. And I am not willing (just yet anyway) to buy the book from the school for $150 and risk not being able to return it should I receive my book in the mail. Luckily a friend is coming to my rescue and is willing to copy whatever pages I need.

2. I have a possible head gasket leak in my car. Or it is a leak in the power steering. I'm not sure and the mechanics at Pep Boys can't decide. I am taking my car to another mechanic recommended by my boyfriend's dad (who is a mechanic) on Tuesday to find out exactly what is wrong. I talked to this mechanic earlier today and he said that he doubted it was a head gasket leak (rare for my type of car apparently). But if it is, it will cost about $900.

3. We have mold or mildew. It has been raining the past 3 days and I just discovered the mildew/mold today. I don't know if it is caused by the rain or maybe a leak, but someone is coming on Monday to look at it. I decided to do some research on mold on the internet and freaked myself out when I read about toxic black mold. No more google for a few days.

4. And I am having my wisdom teeth removed next week. I hate needles. And I'm not fond of looking like a chipmunk either.

Writing it all down helps. I'm going to start dinner and then do some cleaning. I am the only one I know who is relaxed by cleaning.

Sometimes, it is nice to be away from them.

We spend the weekend at my grandfather's and while it was a ton of fun playing with all the kiddies, I am glad that I am now back at my grandmother's-the kiddies have been replaced by silence.

The holidays have been up and down, mostly emotional. I am very happy that in two days I will be back home. I have soo much to do once I get back.

I am taking a few more weeks off work to re-group and get caught up on my to-do list.

First thing first: my laptop is now making these weird sounds and I must get it checked out. On the flight here there was a ton of turbulence and I think my laptop got a little too rattled in my carry-on. I think the CD-drive was slightly damaged, at least that's what I am hoping.

I hope everyone is having a good Christmas day!

It feels very weird being in LA on Christmas: there is no snow! I have gotten so used to having snow on the ground come Christmas that it feels unnatural to have sunny (actually cloudy) weather on Christmas.

So far Christmas has been good. We went to a friend's house for dinner last night then opened up our presents and went to a midnight mass. Today we are doing nothing until 3 o'clock, when we will head over to my uncle's for the rest of Christmas.

My "haul" so far has been pretty good. Grandma took me to Ross and bought me some clothes. My daddy got me Daisy by Marc Jacobs perfume and a Louis Vuitton purse. I got the speedy 25 in damier azur.

Ever the trickster, my dad had to play another joke on me when we were opening up presents. He handed me a gift bag and in it was a Louis Vuitton bag. Not a purse, but rather the bag that the store puts your purchases in. He said, "I know you've always wanted one and it was much cheaper than I thought."

And in other news, we have completed building Notre Dame. The 3-d puzzle. The flying buttresses were very difficult to put in place.

I hope everyone is having a good Christmas day.

My dad knows that I have a thing for purses. So he asked me what designers I liked and what purses of theirs I would want for Christmas. I told him and compiled a short list.

Today he called me and told me that all of the major designers' purses were being recalled because of some toxin in the ink they were using.

I was speechless for a few seconds and then my dad started laughing.

My dad is so mean to me.