So... I decided I needed to expand my PF blog perusal and thus ended up latching on to Make Love, Not Debt. ^_^ In the Debt Payoff-palooza that this year has been so far, I've been leaning to the "financial harmony within the marriage arrangement" side of things. I reread Debt-Proof Your Marriage, the book Aunt Teresa gave us as an anniversary gift a long while ago (pre-debt... ironic, really). I retained much more of it. Yesterday, on the advice of the Make Love, Not Debt-ers, I went to the library and checked out Smart Couples Finish Rich. Haven't started it yet, but this is where my PF education path is headed for now.
Anyway, what I'm really thinking about today is where we started. I was reading a MLND post from the beginning of their blog and they were transferring balances around to get better interest rates. That reminded me of back in the day when I had no clue... I can't even begin to fathom how much money I "robbed from Peter to pay Paul". So many many many cash advances were made with those handy dandy checks they used to send ALL THE FRICKIN' TIME (haven't seen any of those in a loooooong time...). Then I would pay bills and pay credit card payments. Egads. I don't think I can make myself go back and really think about that damage that did. We had our heads stuck in the sand for so long. We even had a motto: "Yay, debt!" We said it all the time and kinda laughed it off. *sigh* Blah. Never ever ever again.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
In Other Zen News
In other Zen news, I don't think we can really achieve "financial and domestic Zen" until our debt is paid off. So far this year, we've paid off well over half of the credit card debt. Looking back, I know that it wasn't exactly mathematically wise to pay off the interest free medical bills before the disgustingly interest FULL credit card debt. But that's where Zen comes in. If we had plugged along on our payment plan, we wouldn't have paid off the bills until March. And each time I had to pay them, it hurt my soul. I had to relive the reasons behind the bill and it hurt terribly. I have a sort of emotional detatchment from the credit cards bills. I wrote about this before but I'm bringing it up again cuz we just got over the hump and are on the downhill stretch of the credit cards. (*wiggle, wiggle*)Once these debts are gone, we have to either payoff the second mortgage or start in on the student loans. Gah. There's pros and cons both ways. The mortgage has the higher interest rate, it's secured (as in they could take our frickin' house if I flip my lid and stop paying), and it was a bad bad decision at a bad bad time in my life. One of the worst actually. I can see myself that day in my mind's eye. I'm sitting in the white room with the fake wood desk and the grey chairs and the flourescent lights. Sitting gingerly. I just damn near died and I'm on the beginning steps of some serious PTSD. We just drained the account that's been holding our down payment money... $30,000. We hand over the official check. We sign our lives away. They reiterate that to dodge PMI, we're doing a second mortgage at an ungodly rate (a smidge shy of 10%). $20,000. We'll pay that off fast, within a year, right? WRONG! Thus was our undoing and the undoing of Countrywide as well. (Don't let your customers dodge PMI!!! That's your safety net! Retards...) Hell, we couldn't even afford the regular mortgage on our salaries. They NEVER should've approved us. EVER. *eye roll* We were dumb, and so were they. Anyway, I lost my job. We went on an expensive vacation (to celebrate being alive). I got pregnant. The rest is history.
The student loans. They have a relatively low interest rate. They're unsecured (they can't come steal the diploma). The only con is they can't be wiped out in the event of a bankruptcy but I'm going to fight tooth and nail to make sure that never happens.
Ultimately, for once, the mathematical choice and the psychological choice are one in the same. The mortgage has got to go.
The student loans. They have a relatively low interest rate. They're unsecured (they can't come steal the diploma). The only con is they can't be wiped out in the event of a bankruptcy but I'm going to fight tooth and nail to make sure that never happens.
Ultimately, for once, the mathematical choice and the psychological choice are one in the same. The mortgage has got to go.
The Quest for Zen
This blog is titled "Desperately Seeking SereniDy". Even with the "misspelling", it's a double entendre. Serenidy is the girl that started out on the journey of adulthood and has gotten a little lost along the way. Serenity is what I'm looking for, really. A peace within myself to just live my life. Zen, if you will.
I have some zen examples...
* Even after all I said about cut flowers after working at the florist and even though I usually don't have much peace when they're in the house cuz the "tiddies" mutilate them and knock them over and make a general flowery mess, I love cut flowers. Billy got me a purple tulip/white daisy bouquet on Mother's Day. My two faves!! (I love all tulips actually, the purple was just gravy)Yesterday, I split up the bouquet and put them in different rooms. They make me smile every time I see them! They make the rooms ZEN. I was even inspired to clean the rooms around the flowers, just so they would look prettier. What's a glass filled with purple tulips on the bar, when the bar is covered in crap? Exactly. Boo-yah!
* New undies. I adore new undies. Cute new undies preferably boyshorts and hipsters. NO THONGS EVER. This week, I've been going through my new undies. I haven't bought new undies in TWO years and those undies sucked. I still have them and they're all stretched out and argh. Zen is new undies.
* Reading. I've been busting through books lately, old and new. I've kinda forgotten in the last few years how much I ADORE reading. I've read 11 almost 12 books so far this year. Is that a lot or not? I don't know. Either way, I just can't stop. I have kind of a geeky goal to read 100 books this year. I'm way behind but it doesn't really matter. I just love to read. Really the goal is to ReRead all my favorites.
I have some zen examples...
* Even after all I said about cut flowers after working at the florist and even though I usually don't have much peace when they're in the house cuz the "tiddies" mutilate them and knock them over and make a general flowery mess, I love cut flowers. Billy got me a purple tulip/white daisy bouquet on Mother's Day. My two faves!! (I love all tulips actually, the purple was just gravy)Yesterday, I split up the bouquet and put them in different rooms. They make me smile every time I see them! They make the rooms ZEN. I was even inspired to clean the rooms around the flowers, just so they would look prettier. What's a glass filled with purple tulips on the bar, when the bar is covered in crap? Exactly. Boo-yah!
* New undies. I adore new undies. Cute new undies preferably boyshorts and hipsters. NO THONGS EVER. This week, I've been going through my new undies. I haven't bought new undies in TWO years and those undies sucked. I still have them and they're all stretched out and argh. Zen is new undies.
* Reading. I've been busting through books lately, old and new. I've kinda forgotten in the last few years how much I ADORE reading. I've read 11 almost 12 books so far this year. Is that a lot or not? I don't know. Either way, I just can't stop. I have kind of a geeky goal to read 100 books this year. I'm way behind but it doesn't really matter. I just love to read. Really the goal is to ReRead all my favorites.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
{Saved from The Plot Hole}
ReRead: January 24-30, 2010
The one an only time I read this book prior to the ReRead was outloud. I also started reading the book when I was starting to die, so I didn't really retain the first few chapters. I was most excited to ReRead this one, out of the whole series. I remembered stumbling through the end of the Outloud, crying and grieving for the characters I had come to love.
After stumbling through the first five books, I was shocked to knock out the last two as quickly as I did. But I couldn't stop. I stayed up late at night, I read while giving Keiren her bottle, I read while she splashed in the bath. During these ReReads, I realized that just because I was a mom, it didn't mean I had to tiptoe through a book solely during the small snippets of alone time that I eked out. Since I've jumped into this journey of ReReads, I think she's been picking up on the idea of reading. She'll pick up a book and "read" to herself, laughing from time to time. Or she'll read aloud to her stuffies. It makes me smile and glow. I may not be up for the "Mom of the Year" award, but if I can make her love reading like I do, my parents do, my grandma does, and so many others in my family... I would be thrilled!
I want her to like other things as well and not just be the shy bookworm that I was. I think in that way, Billy and I are a good set of parents. I can do books. He can do sports. A good balance really. I think missing out on either side would be a trajesty (tragedy/travesty) for Keiki. She can be the best of both of us.
ReRead: January 24-30, 2010
The one an only time I read this book prior to the ReRead was outloud. I also started reading the book when I was starting to die, so I didn't really retain the first few chapters. I was most excited to ReRead this one, out of the whole series. I remembered stumbling through the end of the Outloud, crying and grieving for the characters I had come to love.
After stumbling through the first five books, I was shocked to knock out the last two as quickly as I did. But I couldn't stop. I stayed up late at night, I read while giving Keiren her bottle, I read while she splashed in the bath. During these ReReads, I realized that just because I was a mom, it didn't mean I had to tiptoe through a book solely during the small snippets of alone time that I eked out. Since I've jumped into this journey of ReReads, I think she's been picking up on the idea of reading. She'll pick up a book and "read" to herself, laughing from time to time. Or she'll read aloud to her stuffies. It makes me smile and glow. I may not be up for the "Mom of the Year" award, but if I can make her love reading like I do, my parents do, my grandma does, and so many others in my family... I would be thrilled!
I want her to like other things as well and not just be the shy bookworm that I was. I think in that way, Billy and I are a good set of parents. I can do books. He can do sports. A good balance really. I think missing out on either side would be a trajesty (tragedy/travesty) for Keiki. She can be the best of both of us.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
{Saved from The Plot Hole}
ReRead: January 2010
I blasted! through this book and the next. I read the last two in a week each. And they're pretty chunky, I must say. I really liked this book, especially since I've been looking forward to reading it again since we went to the movie (in IMAX!) for my birthday last year. I loved loved loved the movie. And I loved loved loved the book. The first time I read it, I was in the middle of reading the series aloud to Billy so I was in the middle of two Harry Potter books at the same time so I don't think I retained it as well as I could've. I think I preferred the post-Dumbledore death scene from the movie actually but the book touched on all the Penseive scenes in such rich detail... I'm such a sucker for these books... (Not as bad as the Twilight series... embarrassing to admit, but true... ^_^)
ReRead: January 2010
I blasted! through this book and the next. I read the last two in a week each. And they're pretty chunky, I must say. I really liked this book, especially since I've been looking forward to reading it again since we went to the movie (in IMAX!) for my birthday last year. I loved loved loved the movie. And I loved loved loved the book. The first time I read it, I was in the middle of reading the series aloud to Billy so I was in the middle of two Harry Potter books at the same time so I don't think I retained it as well as I could've. I think I preferred the post-Dumbledore death scene from the movie actually but the book touched on all the Penseive scenes in such rich detail... I'm such a sucker for these books... (Not as bad as the Twilight series... embarrassing to admit, but true... ^_^)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*
{Saved from The Plot Hole}
ReRead: January 2010
Egads, this book took me FOREVER to read. I put that I read it in January 2010, which is true for the most part. I read the majority of this book in January, but I started it like, at the end of Novemeber 2009. Then I put it down and couldn't exactly get myself to pick it back up.
This book, to me, is like the red-headed stepchild of the whole series. It needs to be there, I suppose, but Harry's at that angsty age that no one really wants to revisit in their memories and the DADA teacher isn't exactly a blast to read. Plus, it had been a really long time since I read the first four, so I read those happily. Then, prior to the ReRead, I had only read the sixth book twice and the seventh book once and one reading each was aloud. So I was really looking forward to those. But first I had to muddle through the brick that is book five.
Ultimately, It took me about 2.5 weeks to get through the remaining 75% of the book.
It's not my favorite for sure. But I read it (x5) and I'll read it again!! Damn Professor Umbridge to hell, but I'll read this book again someday. (To Keiren most likely)
*Later, I'll be putting the authors to the books I read. But it's a little redundant to list the author for the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series that I read afterwards. J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potterx7. Stephenie Meyer wrote Twilightx4. *shrug*
ReRead: January 2010
Egads, this book took me FOREVER to read. I put that I read it in January 2010, which is true for the most part. I read the majority of this book in January, but I started it like, at the end of Novemeber 2009. Then I put it down and couldn't exactly get myself to pick it back up.
This book, to me, is like the red-headed stepchild of the whole series. It needs to be there, I suppose, but Harry's at that angsty age that no one really wants to revisit in their memories and the DADA teacher isn't exactly a blast to read. Plus, it had been a really long time since I read the first four, so I read those happily. Then, prior to the ReRead, I had only read the sixth book twice and the seventh book once and one reading each was aloud. So I was really looking forward to those. But first I had to muddle through the brick that is book five.
Ultimately, It took me about 2.5 weeks to get through the remaining 75% of the book.
It's not my favorite for sure. But I read it (x5) and I'll read it again!! Damn Professor Umbridge to hell, but I'll read this book again someday. (To Keiren most likely)
*Later, I'll be putting the authors to the books I read. But it's a little redundant to list the author for the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series that I read afterwards. J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potterx7. Stephenie Meyer wrote Twilightx4. *shrug*
Intro to the Plot Hole
{Saved from the Plot Hole}
I'm a tad behind of my original goal... Here's the synopsis...
I'm a reader. It just is.
As I traipsed gone out into the big old adult world, my reading began to taper off. When Keiren was born... reading all but stopped altogether. I think in the first 13 months of her life I read four books. And I missed it terribly.
Just after she turned one, I decided to start reading again. I would start by re-reading my faves. I dived into the Harry Potter series for the fifth time. Correction... I waded into the Harry Potter series. From July to December 2009, I read the first four books. Approximately one book a month. The frost in my psyche started to melt.
Now I'm READING again! Hallelujah! And guess what? It makes me a decidedly happier person.
From the beginning, I decided to keep track. Books and the people in them are so real in my mind. And they stay with me for days, weeks! after I read them. In this odd time of my life, they keep me grounded while letting me explore out of my boundaries. (Self and non-self imposed). So this is The Plot Hole.
I'm a tad behind of my original goal... Here's the synopsis...
I'm a reader. It just is.
As I traipsed gone out into the big old adult world, my reading began to taper off. When Keiren was born... reading all but stopped altogether. I think in the first 13 months of her life I read four books. And I missed it terribly.
Just after she turned one, I decided to start reading again. I would start by re-reading my faves. I dived into the Harry Potter series for the fifth time. Correction... I waded into the Harry Potter series. From July to December 2009, I read the first four books. Approximately one book a month. The frost in my psyche started to melt.
Now I'm READING again! Hallelujah! And guess what? It makes me a decidedly happier person.
From the beginning, I decided to keep track. Books and the people in them are so real in my mind. And they stay with me for days, weeks! after I read them. In this odd time of my life, they keep me grounded while letting me explore out of my boundaries. (Self and non-self imposed). So this is The Plot Hole.
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