On A Side Note...

Thank you America for voting Barack Obama in as your president!

Chicken Wangz Are Back!

BF and I used to go for chicken wings every Thursday with friends. We probably did it for over a year before I got tired of the pubs we went to and so we started doing wing night at home. A few weeks ago there were no chicken wings at the grocery store so I picked up some frozen guys that you just pop in the oven.

They were disgusting! Nothing beats making them by yourself. People who are eating these boxed wings..... stop!! We've been so turned off we haven't been able to eat wings for a month! We didn't even eat many of the wings I bought. They all went in the trash can.

Tonight I've decided to grant BF's wish to go back to the Pub for one night of delicious wing goodness. He's really happy. So he'll pick me up after work and we'll go together to meet friends. I can't wait to have my lemon pepper wings. Yum. BF prefers "tough man" wings. Haha

BF loves having wing night on Thursday. He says it gives him something to look forward to near the end of the work week, lol. Hopefully these wings will inspire him to start making them at home again because I miss the deep fried broccoli he makes to go with.

Happy Hump Day

The week is half over and I'm ready to get the rest over and done with. On to payday Friday I say!

Tonight we had an unexpected family dinner out. I got a text message from my aunt who is visiting from Ontario today to come out for Mexican. My grandfather, some aunts and cousins were there. BF and I went and had a really good time for $20/person. I picked up the tab because I forgot my wallet the other day when we went out on his birthday (yes, I know.... I'm a dumbass.. how bad is that?).

Flu Season

Last Tuesday my pharmacy held a flu clinic at $25 a shot. It was a very hectic and crazy day. At the end of it I just wanted to run away. Today we are holding another clinic and it will be the final one.

There has been some pressure from some other pharmacy staff to get the shot done. I know my boss and his wife (both pharmacists working in the dispensary) both feel very strongly about getting the shot done.

While some people have decided to get it (free for RX staff) others have decided not to. I am not going to get the shot. I keep getting asked about it but I'm standing firm. I never get flu shots done. I don't really like the idea of it. Growing up my parents didn't seem to care either way and my doctor has never felt that strongly about it. I like that about my doctor. He gives me the information and then lets me make my own decisions on everything which I think is great.

While I have heard some good points about getting the shot done I'm still not doing it. To be honest I'm more into holistic healing and natural alternatives. While I see both sides of the spectrum I am very cautious about what goes into my body. I don't even use anything when I have a headache. I'm a firm believer in drinking a big glass of water instead.

I know that if I change my mind I can probably get it done free still through the health clinic because I have asthma. So the option is still there. I just refuse to be talked into it when I wasn't going to do it in the first place. It's kind of awkward debating it at work but it's not going to make me change my mind.

So what about you? Are you getting a flu shot this year?

$4 Staff Love?

When I signed all the paperwork for my current job I was kind of thrown off guard by the last paper in the bunch. It was a permission form for whether or not to have $4 deducted from your paycheck to go towards the staff fund. Hmm...

The form stated the fee was $2 for part time employees or $4 for full time. The money goes towards staff parties, birthday card, condolence cards, flowers for sick staff etc. The money is deducted each cheque (biweekly).

At first when I saw it I was not going to fill it out at all. Then I started to think about it and I started to feel like I should. I mean I'll probably get to know these people pretty well over the next year. I know that if you are a staff member that pays the into the fund you get into all staff events free. Not that I really care that much because I'm not really a staff event kind of person but maybe I'll feel differently later. It kind of stumped me but I decided to be a good sport and sign the form.

So if I work there for a year thats $104 of my hard earned buckaroo's. I want to seem like a team player and so I don't mind the fee but part of me feels like its kind of a waste of money. I don't want to be a person who cancels the deductions either.

What would you have done if you were in my shoes?

Turned Down the Hospital Job Offer

So I just got off the phone with the lady in hiring at the local hospital. She called to tell me she is having a problem getting a hold of one of my references. Hmm... maybe because she's trying to call the business we no longer work at rather than the home number I supplied on my references... geez.

After talking things over with BF and my mom I had already decided that the offer was not for me. I would have to start casual and then work up to part time permanent which can take up to a year. The pay is good but you are on call every day. I don't like that. Some of the hours start pretty early and would be really inconvenient for me since I take the bus so I would have to cab there. Yikes! That could seriously off put some of the money I'd be making. Also, there are no benefits. This job would take a few years to get me anywhere which is time I just don't have right now. It would be a great stepping stone to other hospital positions once I gained seniority which is why it killed me to turn her down.

She was rather rude sounding when I did though. I was honest and told her that over the weekend we had talked about it and I am not in a position financially right now to take on the job and that lack of a vehicle would make things very difficult. Then I said I hoped it wouldn't impede me from applying there in the future.

She responded with something like I'd better be sure of what I wanted next time I applied as to not waste people's time. WTF?!?! OK, I interviewed Thursday. She was away all weekend. It's Monday morning at 9:30am. It was the soonest I could have let her know anyways. Besides, when I applied it was for full time and when she called me she said full time. Then later she told me it was casual.

What can you do? I think I handled everything well. I was honest and straight forward. It's not like I was hired and then didn't show up or anything. Some people!

Happy Birthday to the Sexiest Guy I Know

It's BF's birthday today. Last night he had me make him a dessert I had never heard of before. I made an Oreo Pudding Pie and it was pretty good but not my kind of dessert. BF loved it and thats what counts. I even lit some candles and sang happy birthday.

Today he's not giving any clues as to what he wants for his birthday dinner. I have no idea what to make him. I offered to take him out but he says he's happy with leftovers. Bah! No leftovers on birthdays, thats what I've decided. He's picking me up after work so I'll have to figure it out by then.

We're dropping our pumpkins off at Sleepy Hollow tonight (I'll post some pics later if they are all lit up when we go). Then I plan to steal him off to dinner.

He was so excited to open his gift this morning that he didn't even wake me up. I heard him taking it out of the box. It's a remote control flying helicopter and he charged it up and played with it before going to work. Men are just boys but taller and hairier.

I hope I'm feeling better by tonight. I've been feeling really tired and have had a lot of headaches the last few days. I've been trying to rest and drink a lot of water.

November TCOB

Hello November. Want to be friends?

I am thinking November and I are going to get along great. I have some big plans to get my financial house of chaos back into smooth running order. Over the next two months I'm going to wipe out the last of my debt entirely. I desperately want to be debt free for the new year. Last year I became consumer debt free and this year I will destroy those nasty student loans and be completely out of the financial grave!

Financial Goals

As of today my student loans stand at $1734.24. It's going to take some heavy debt payments to get rid of this bitch before the end of the year. Luckily I am in a position now to get this done. I am hoping to pay off a total of $1200 this month in two $600 installments. It's going to be a challenge for me but I'm determined.

I am not going to commit myself to any other obligations financially until this is debt is done. 2009 will be the year to save. 2008 is the year to become debt free. I feel good about this choice.

Personal Goals

Take learners test again on or before November 15th. I get that day off with pay instead of November 11th. It would be a great day to get the test done. I have been slowly reading the learners manual and occasionally taking the online practice tests so far. I plan to keep doing this to prepare myself for the test.

Talk to my family about having a monthly dinner and game night for everyone. BF has made me realize how important family is and we've been spending more and more time with everyone. He feels its my role in the family to bring everyone together and make these things happen. I think he's right. When I think back over the last year or so we've really made the push to make things happen with everyone and it really makes me feel good. We only have one year left until Australia and I want to make every moment count.

Create a chore list for myself. I notice other bloggers come up with weekly chore lists for themselves where they designate each day of the week to a different chore. I'm going to try this out.

Organize family Christmas plans. I believe my mother is hosting dinner but there is also the gift exchange to keep in mind. Usually we buy for our parents and any kids and then draw for siblings. I like this tradition. It saves a bundle and nobody feels financially strapped. I want to get this decided in November to avoid the crunch and stress of December shopping.


My November goal list is a lot shorter than other months but very specific and directed towards getting me onto the right path to make the new year amazing.

October Goals Review

Personal Goals

• Reserve for BF's birthday - DONE. The entire weekend was an amazing success. Yay!
  
• Host Thanksgiving Dinner/Birthday Party (there are 6 family bdays being celebrated) DONE. Dinner was great and it was a fun evening with family.
  
• Send handmade "I love you" card to two friends (didn't do this last month) - NOPE. Geez, I'm a bad friend.
  
• Reorganize and set up personal office - NOPE. This room is starting to mock me as I walk by. Hmmm.
  
• Find out about changing spelling of business name - NOPE.
  
• Book off two days for birthday fun - SORTA. I was only allowed one day.
  
• Decorate house for Halloween Spookfest ( I love trick or treaters) and Family game night. - Yes, well I did decorate but there was no game night because I had to work until 730.
  

Financial Goals

• Save $100 for Australia - NOPE.
  
• Pay off a minimum of $200 on Student Loan (I'm going to aim higher but we'll see). NOPE
  
• Purchase bus pass to save $$$ since new job is across town - Wasn't necessary.
  
• Bag lunches everyday! - UM..... shoot.
  
• Assign everyone a food to bring to Thanksgiving (already figured this out weeks ago) DONE
  
• Shop with a budget for Halloween ( I go a little crazy) DONE!!
  

The Butterfly Award

Thank you Arual for selecting me as one of your two choices for the Butterfly Award. I'm very touched to be given this award and will display it as a permanent feature on my blog.

Arual and Canadian Saver (Arual's other choice) are my two favorite bloggers in the PF blogosphere. While I love so many of you dearly, these two have hit a special place in my heart.

I feel some sort of cosmic connection with Arual and am happy that we have found each others blogs and have been able to support each others aspirations and successes.