what a bad blogger I am. Have I made good on the post I made at the end of 07 about adding more pictures? NOPE!
I blame laziness, but I also blame the camera itself. The camera kills batteries faster than I can take any pictures.
I really want a new camera. I bought the current 4 mega pixels powershot a couple years ago with best buy gift certificates, and christmas money and some of my own money too. I got it in New Hampshire, tax free. It was maybe $300.00 and it's now archaic!. For the same price, I could get this:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8791097&type=product&id=1205537513525
I would like to be a good photographer. I'd like a digital SLR but I also don't want to spend the money if the camera fascination is a passing fancy.
Hopefully 2009 will be a better year for pictures!!!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Kristen - Do Gooder
I have been volunteered to be in charge of the "Morgan Stanley Annual Appeal." Basically, what that is, is MS's giving campaign. Morgan Stanley has the Morgan Stanley Foundation, if you donate to that, they will match you 100% and give you what they call a "CSA" or charitable spending account and I can donate that matched money where ever I'd like it to go. You can also pick a charity/organization of your choice, but they only match 25% into your CSA. Another nice thing is that you can have it deducted directly from your paycheck. Either all from one check, or a little from every check.
I've decided to give some money to the Morgan Stanley fund (just for the match) Sacred Heart University's political science department, and some animal-related fund; either FONZ (friends of the national zoo) or WWF (world wildlife fund).
However, if anyone has a suggestion for a charity with a good cause, I can be persuaded to change one of these.
I was also asked to monitor the canned food box. I made the above sign with sharpies and a picture of campbell's soup that I printed from some website.
Not that I have a large readership on this blog, I'm going to take a moment to stand on a soap box and tell everyone to donate time or money to a cause you believe in, whatever it may be.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
hooray for "cheap" gas
I remember, (and this was a few years ago), very specifically the first time I paid over $2.00 for gas. I even remember the station. I was MAD! I also remeber paying over $30 for a full tank. Again I was upset.
This morning, I filled up my tank. It wasn't quite empty, but the light had just gone on maybe a mile before I got to the station. I filled the tank for $26.00 and thought "is this right? it can't be". I checked the sign, it said $2.59. And I thought, "should that be $3.59?". Nope. $2.59 was right. Yay for the little things!
Anyway, We moved into the new place. It's sort of in shambles. We successfully put together the IKEA dressers. They are pretty stable. Yay as well :-)
This morning, I filled up my tank. It wasn't quite empty, but the light had just gone on maybe a mile before I got to the station. I filled the tank for $26.00 and thought "is this right? it can't be". I checked the sign, it said $2.59. And I thought, "should that be $3.59?". Nope. $2.59 was right. Yay for the little things!
Anyway, We moved into the new place. It's sort of in shambles. We successfully put together the IKEA dressers. They are pretty stable. Yay as well :-)
Friday, October 10, 2008
the good and the bad
i'll start with the bad since it's always nice to end on a good note. As everyone knows, the stockmarket is tanking big time. Not that I have all that much to lose, but as I work in a financial institution, it's depressing. Clients call in, and everything is Doom and Gloom. Every transaction is the end of the world. It's a little hectic and I'm not particuarly upset about the market, but the attitudes are weighing me down. Today was particularly bad.
I decided to go get my oil (car) changed and the dealership said that it would take a half hour, so I thought OK that is perfect. It took a lot longer than I expected, and I got snide comments when I got back. It sucks because people take longer lunches all the time, I just took one at a particularly bad time. So maybe I F-ed up a little, or had bad timing, but when I got back I made a trade error. Fixable, but still made me frazzled. One of my brokers is in Aruba, and clients are crazy wondering where he is. I can't tell them he's in Aruba, that's just not right. People in suits are sprinting in the halls! It's madness.
Today I got an email from Lucie saying how much she loves her new job and how happy it makes her. It made me think. It's MISERABLE here, especially the last few weeks. But it's true that you can love your job. I want that. I should have that. I need to take steps to have that!!!
On the upside, it's 4:00 on a friday and the weekend is just about here! The real upside is that Dan and I have a new place to live!!!!! It is a nice townhouse in Fairfax, VA. 3 floors. 3.5 bathrooms. I can't wait to paint and decorate. I believe closing should be next week!
Another upside is that gas prices are going down and so is the Euro. Maybe I can finally put that passport to use.
I decided to go get my oil (car) changed and the dealership said that it would take a half hour, so I thought OK that is perfect. It took a lot longer than I expected, and I got snide comments when I got back. It sucks because people take longer lunches all the time, I just took one at a particularly bad time. So maybe I F-ed up a little, or had bad timing, but when I got back I made a trade error. Fixable, but still made me frazzled. One of my brokers is in Aruba, and clients are crazy wondering where he is. I can't tell them he's in Aruba, that's just not right. People in suits are sprinting in the halls! It's madness.
Today I got an email from Lucie saying how much she loves her new job and how happy it makes her. It made me think. It's MISERABLE here, especially the last few weeks. But it's true that you can love your job. I want that. I should have that. I need to take steps to have that!!!
On the upside, it's 4:00 on a friday and the weekend is just about here! The real upside is that Dan and I have a new place to live!!!!! It is a nice townhouse in Fairfax, VA. 3 floors. 3.5 bathrooms. I can't wait to paint and decorate. I believe closing should be next week!
Another upside is that gas prices are going down and so is the Euro. Maybe I can finally put that passport to use.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
so....
So we put in an offer on the house with a loft in the bedroom. No go! The lady wouldn't even make a counter offer. Looks like it's back to the drawing board. I can't imagine why she wouldn't counter! Her price or no house. That doesn't make any sense. Oh well, maybe it wasn't meant to be and there's something better out there.
Monday, September 08, 2008
So...I'm definitely a bad blogger.
My last blog entry said that I would blog more. Since that entry was from June, I have obviously failed. And that picture thing....I haven't even taken any pictures!!!
Over the summer, Dan and I have been looking for a house (a townhouse actually) to purchase. This weekend, I think we finally found one. It's 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms (I want to build another one in the already finished basement). It could use some TLC, in the kitchen, the cabinets and counters look older, but cosmetic stuff is fixable. What I like the most is that the master bedroom has a decent sized loft. I would love to make it into a little library. I could get some book shelves and one of those Love Sac things http://www.lovesac.com/supersac.asp. I also can't wait to paint and decorate.
My last blog entry said that I would blog more. Since that entry was from June, I have obviously failed. And that picture thing....I haven't even taken any pictures!!!
Over the summer, Dan and I have been looking for a house (a townhouse actually) to purchase. This weekend, I think we finally found one. It's 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms (I want to build another one in the already finished basement). It could use some TLC, in the kitchen, the cabinets and counters look older, but cosmetic stuff is fixable. What I like the most is that the master bedroom has a decent sized loft. I would love to make it into a little library. I could get some book shelves and one of those Love Sac things http://www.lovesac.com/supersac.asp. I also can't wait to paint and decorate.
Friday, June 20, 2008
So far in 08
2008 is just about half way over. I thought I'd check on some of my new years resolutions. There were 8 of them
1. Update my blog regularly - I'm not entirely convinced that anyone reads this thing, so why should I update? Maybe I should adpot the mantra "if you blog it, they will read".
2. Take pictures - I've taken pictures, but haven't uploaded them on to a computer or found a photo hosting site. They are no good to anyone while they are still on the camera. My next order of business will be to purchase a photo printer. I realized that I have dated Dan for 4 years and have 0 pictures of us in a frame.
3. Get in shape - This one is semi-successful. I get to the gym between 3 and 5 days a week. I get on the treadmill, do some machines. However, I'm not the butt-kicking machine I thought that I would be. I did lose about 5 pounds. That's something, right?
4. Run a marathon - Not quite yet. I did run a 5K (3.1 miles), so that's just 23.1 miles to go. The max I've run in one sitting with no break is about 4 miles. That's about 3.75 more miles than a year ago...so I'm on my way. My stamina is better and I can run faster, which is good.
5. Eat less candy - I do love the sweets. Not gonna lie. I try to resist, but it's my achilles heel!!!
6. Eat fish - While I was at a wedding last week, I ate a bite of seared tuna. I knew I didn't like sea food for a reason. But, I'll keep trying on this one. Maybe tuna isn't for me. My only problem is that I don't want to go to a restaurant, order a fish and then want to vomit after 1 bite, and I've paid for the meal. Maybe we can go for sushi. Everyone loves sushi.
7. Get my financial licenses - I took the test once and failed. At least I took it. Brad, my co-worker who took the study course with me, didn't even do that. I'll take it again soon!!! It's a 6 hour test of rules and regulations and options and bonds. Ugh! Not fun.
8. Visit a place that requires a passport - This one is a big fat NO. Asside from visiting Boston, and NYC (places I usually go), I've only been to Orlando (to be stuck in the hotel/airport for work) and Vermont (for a wedding). Looks like this one will have to wait until next year, as my vacation time is at a premium and mapped out until the end of the year. Mom and I were supposed to go to France, but alas, the Euro has killed my dreams.
Perhaps some new goals for 2008?
I think a 10k: 6.2 miles would be more realistic than a marathon. As for my travel plans, it looks like Boston and Boston....how exciting?! I hate that I spend all of my vacation time going home! I have 3 trips planned to visit and it will take all of my vacation time for the rest of the year.
On the bright side, 2008 hasn't been a total failure. Dan and I have been in his parents basement for 6 months (that is most definitely not the bright side), but what is: a ton of money has been saved!! I bought a brand spankin' new car. Financed not leased, so it's mine all mine. Another great thing is that we're going to start looking for a new house to purchase! A house of our very own. I can't wait!
1. Update my blog regularly - I'm not entirely convinced that anyone reads this thing, so why should I update? Maybe I should adpot the mantra "if you blog it, they will read".
2. Take pictures - I've taken pictures, but haven't uploaded them on to a computer or found a photo hosting site. They are no good to anyone while they are still on the camera. My next order of business will be to purchase a photo printer. I realized that I have dated Dan for 4 years and have 0 pictures of us in a frame.
3. Get in shape - This one is semi-successful. I get to the gym between 3 and 5 days a week. I get on the treadmill, do some machines. However, I'm not the butt-kicking machine I thought that I would be. I did lose about 5 pounds. That's something, right?
4. Run a marathon - Not quite yet. I did run a 5K (3.1 miles), so that's just 23.1 miles to go. The max I've run in one sitting with no break is about 4 miles. That's about 3.75 more miles than a year ago...so I'm on my way. My stamina is better and I can run faster, which is good.
5. Eat less candy - I do love the sweets. Not gonna lie. I try to resist, but it's my achilles heel!!!
6. Eat fish - While I was at a wedding last week, I ate a bite of seared tuna. I knew I didn't like sea food for a reason. But, I'll keep trying on this one. Maybe tuna isn't for me. My only problem is that I don't want to go to a restaurant, order a fish and then want to vomit after 1 bite, and I've paid for the meal. Maybe we can go for sushi. Everyone loves sushi.
7. Get my financial licenses - I took the test once and failed. At least I took it. Brad, my co-worker who took the study course with me, didn't even do that. I'll take it again soon!!! It's a 6 hour test of rules and regulations and options and bonds. Ugh! Not fun.
8. Visit a place that requires a passport - This one is a big fat NO. Asside from visiting Boston, and NYC (places I usually go), I've only been to Orlando (to be stuck in the hotel/airport for work) and Vermont (for a wedding). Looks like this one will have to wait until next year, as my vacation time is at a premium and mapped out until the end of the year. Mom and I were supposed to go to France, but alas, the Euro has killed my dreams.
Perhaps some new goals for 2008?
I think a 10k: 6.2 miles would be more realistic than a marathon. As for my travel plans, it looks like Boston and Boston....how exciting?! I hate that I spend all of my vacation time going home! I have 3 trips planned to visit and it will take all of my vacation time for the rest of the year.
On the bright side, 2008 hasn't been a total failure. Dan and I have been in his parents basement for 6 months (that is most definitely not the bright side), but what is: a ton of money has been saved!! I bought a brand spankin' new car. Financed not leased, so it's mine all mine. Another great thing is that we're going to start looking for a new house to purchase! A house of our very own. I can't wait!
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