Value of Networking....?

I had gotten tickets to go to a "convention" this coming weekend. The venue is about an hour drive (one way) for me and tonight I got an email informing me that parking at the venue is $10.  Well, that put me off the Friday portion of the conference because $10 for parking for 2 days is sadly right out of the budget right now.

Ok, then I got to thinking about Saturday and the conference starts at 8AM which means I should leave home no later than 6:30AM , which means I am going to have to get up about 5AM... And I am just SO not a morning person.

Yes, this event would be a good networking opportunity...but there is a similar event in a couple of months closer to home.  True, I am probably NOT going to score free tickets to that event and thus will probably not be able to attend but I am just less than enamoured with the idea of spending the gas money right now and then having to pay for parking and it's something geared towards Moms and perhaps not 100% appropriate for me.

Ugh... I hate having to make these decisions. I wish that I didn't have to decide things based on budget.

And completely unrelated... can someone PLEASE explain to me what preschool children are doing running around outside screaming at almost 1AM?  No, I didn't think so.  On that note, I'm going to bed.

Singin' the Blues

Work will be really busy this week since I have Monday off and then will have only 4 days to get work done.

Tomorrow I am having lunch with a friend who has to work (since she came up and had lunch with me on MLK Day when she didn't have to work and I did).

I am starting to get my annual pre-birthday blues.  I get to this point where I start looking back on the last year and then at my life and realize what a colossal waste of time everything has been and wish that I was doing something fabulous with my life.  I think if I can make it through this year, things will be better. I know that sounds stupid seeing as how it is only February, but if I can just keep things on track and have no MAJOR upheaval, a couple of things are set to happen later this year that will make my life significantly easier. And they aren't things I can rush, they are linked to specific calendar dates.

I also have to remember to run an errand in the early part of this week even though a significant issue has not resolved yet as I had hoped that it would.

Let's hope that there is not another power outage tonight.  It is very hard on the computers and the microwave.  Not to mention that it doesn't do fabulous things for the fridge.

I'm off to bed.  I do have to get up and be ready for my lunch tomorrow, which is more work than you'd think (hanging out with pretty girls is a lot of work y'all... but she's worth it!  *gag* I sound like a haircolour commercial)

V-Day Wrap-Up

Today was Valentines Day...

There was no great romance, no boxes of fancy chocolates, no tiara.

There were no cards with hearts and gushy sentiment.  There was no fancy dinner. There will be no lingerie. There will be no sexy rumpus (Oh How I Love The Oatmeal!)...

I had cuddly kitties. I had a wonderful compliment on Facebook. I had a nice txt chat. There was a domestic dispute in my apartment complex that was very loud and public and involved gunshots (no injuries/fatalities).

But public domestic dispute aside (it wouldn't be Valentines Day without some woman screeching at her man about "that slut"... well, at least not in MY neighborhood), I am ok with how today went.  It's the first Valentine's Day in a long time that I felt neither sad nor angry.  It was just a day.  And honestly, that's ok.

I DID screw up my first giveaway (on my other blog)... and I am relatively certain that at least one person will conveniently lose my contact info if I ever want to participate in doing a giveaway again.  I know that the whole thing made me look like a bumbling idiot but it was new territory for me and I learned from it.  I learned how Rafflecopters work and how to find a decent prize when you don't have people chomping at the bit to be sponsors for you.

I think it shows how much of a crazy cat lady I am that I asked Miz Poo to be my Valentine.  (She said as long as I am ok with her sneezing in my face, we're good to go!  Robyn speaks fluent cat and is an excellent translator!)

So... although the day lacked romance, it was an ok day.  I think I'm making peace with a day that has always made me feel unlovable (V-Day and I have a LONG history).

And tomorrow... tomorrow is cheap chocolate day! BRING IT ON!

Cheap Chocolate Day Is Coming!

It was cold this weekend, so I mostly stayed inside and worked on cleaning/organizing. I managed to finish up the home office and the kitchen is close to done. The bathroom is also close to done. Yes, I am aware that close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades but it's a process and I'm working through the process.

The week ahead will be semi-chaotic.  Monday and Tuesday are going to be quiet. Wednesday I have a class and then my writer's group in the evening (switched from Tuesday for the next couple of weeks) and Thursday is a Kitty Volunteer night (when I go and volunteer for the cat rescue) then Friday and the weekend things will be quiet again (at least, as far as I know...)  Since we haven't discussed it yet, I am thinking that this month we will not be going to the Friday Late Night at the Art Museum... but there is always the possibility it will come up on Wednesday night.

So, I am happy that I got some things done this weekend, disappointed that I didn't get more done and wishing I had another day or two to get things done without a five day interim period... But, wait... I THINK that NEXT Monday is President's Day and that's a holiday so I will have three days next weekend so...YAY! (Honestly, it's always really the little things with me).

Oh... and Tuesday this week is Valentine's Day which is nothing I am really excited about EXCEPT that it precedes CHEAP CHOCOLATE DAY (because Valentine's candy is usually marked down the day after).  So I will be keeping my eye out for good deals on apres~VD chocolate!

Now... when is it Free Tiara Day??

Home Office Reboot

I am back to cleaning.  I started with my home office this time.  Mainly because it drives me nuts to be in there and feel distracted because there is chaos.   I know I shouldn't be so distracted by things in my environment but I am.  And so I need to keep things decluttered in the office or I end up getting nothing done (the lack of blog posts here lately? Because I've been distracted....)

Four weekends left until I have out-of-town company coming.  So, I basically have 4 weeks to totally get my sh*t together and make order of my chaos.  Easier said than done, let me tell you.

Tonight I cleaned my desk off. There is actual visible work surface now. It's pretty amazing.

I'll do some more catching up with blogging this weekend. I have things to talk about. I just need to get my space organized and then I'll get my thoughts organized.

Muffins and Bacon

It's Sunday morning and I'm full of delicious blueberry muffins and bacon. No, I didn't suddenly have an attack of domesticity, POSSLQ is home from being a road warrior and made breakfast.  And he's making pork roast for dinner tonight.  The kitchen will be confused as lately the only appliance that really gets any use is the refrigerator. (Yes, I just anthropomorphized my kitchen... it's my blog, I can do that if I want to).

I should work on making things less chaotic today. I am already in a panic about company coming in March. I suppose I should go and get the mail but that'd mean leaving my apartment and I am really just not that ambitious today.  I will consider it a miracle if I manage to get anything done.  But I suppose I should do SOMETHING so all this yummy food I am eating won't turn into another five pounds taking up residence in my posterior.

Also, you should go and check out this Giveaway... and take the opportunity to hop to some other great blogs that are also giving away groovy stuff (yes, I just used the word groovy... for I am old).  I promise, the things that are being given away are really great and well worth the time to check out plus you might find a new blog or two to read.

Guess I am off to start on some chores. Although I'd rather sit here sipping coffee and eating delicious muffins. Ahhh, it was nice while it lasted. Now back to reality!

Want vs. Need and Tiaras

So, as you might have guessed from my last post, I have been thinking alot lately about tiaras.  And I've wanted a tiara for nearly 20 years.  And it probably seems ridiculous to you that I don't just go and buy myself a tiara already...

In the last 2 days, I've gone to Amazon.com a dozen times and looked at the tiara on my wish list.  And every time I do I am flooded with thoughts about how I really need to get tires for the car and there will be repairs needed to be able to pass the State Vehicle Inspection this year and Mr.POSSLQ will likely not have the means to make that happen.  And I know that The Girl needs things.... As I think all of those things, I close the Amazon.com window because a tiara is too frivolous, too self-indulgent even if it is less than $20.  Because it's not like a book or something that I can justify by telling myself it's expanding my mind.

I know that The Bloggess says that Joy is always worth it. And I can't lie and tell you that the Joy I'd get from a tiara is unimportant, but there are just some things that are really ingrained in me  and that you don't buy stuff like tiaras when you have bills to pay and debt and car repairs and your kid needs things.  And yes, I know that I piss away money on other things ... But, here's the thing.... I don't want the tiara to have even a tinge of guilt associated with it.  I don't ever want to look at it and think about all of the other things I SHOULD have done with that money.   I don't want a bit of regret impinging on my Joy.

And that's why there won't be a tiara. Not now.  Because a tiara is more to me than a passing fancy.