If my current balcony actually had a ledge, I might be willing to put some small, decorative planters up. We’re about 3 stories up, however, so unless they were secured like a hanging planter is, I’m not sure I’d be comfortable just having them sit there, lest they get knocked over while the husband and I are out there. Some tenants have a hanging plant or two on their balconies. Those are probably best if you have a pet in the household, to keep them from digging it up, eating the plant or using the planter as a toilet.

I think having an indoor planter for small herbs would be real nice for now. I’m no absolute green thumb, but I know enough on horticulture to be able to have plants sprout and actually stay alive! I managed to successfully grow Morning Glories back in South Carolina at our house on base! The husband wanted fresh herbs, but he never took care of them, so we never got past the seedling stage for those.

When it comes to the backyard, once I have on again that is, I’d love to have outdoor planters all around, sporting some lovely flowers and plants and framing a nice hang out spot for friends & family. I want a pretty (but not totally forest-y) backyard that’s perfect for grilling and spending time together. A hot tub would cap it off perfectly I’ve always wanted one! Technically the pool in my parents’ backyard has a jacuzzi, but it has only a few jets and isn’t very comfortable to sit in, especially if more than two people want in. I’ll manage a decent dream backyard in the future, I’m sure of it! :D

What are your favorite kinds of plants to have around? Do you keep a garden? What about and herb or vegetable garden?

The husband and I are pretty lazy when it comes to getting our mail. When we finally decide to retrieve our mail from our individual slot in our apartment building’s commercial mailboxes, we have some issues trying to pry out everything, especially when it comes to several magazines and all the junk mail that the postal carrier has been having to shove in there. It’s not a good thing, either, when it comes to time sensitive items, like bills or invitations we might get! Luckily we do most of our billing through the internet and phone. I know some people like having a paper trail and record of everything, but for me, unless it’s SUPER important, a simple confirmation code and not having to worry about mailing in checks on time is more my thing.

I’ve noticed that commercial mailboxes tend to fall short on visual appeal and size, but considering their purpose, something streamlined and uniform works best. With so many tenants living in one apartment building alone (let alone how many there might be in one complex with several buildings!), they need to be smaller. It just sucks when you expect a large enough package and you don’t know who’s delivering it whether you’ll get the “tried to deliver” note, they’ll come up and leave it by your door OR leave it with the office. Any of which has their own set of pitfalls and inconveniences.

What I can’t wait for is when the husband and I find that one house we fall in love with and buy, is trying to choose between all the snazzy and fancy residential mailboxes available these days. I’m partially drawn to the old-fashioned looking ones, but I couldn’t tell you if I’d go for the curb-side box or one that attaches to the wall near the front door. Would I put our last name on it, or just leave it with our house number? What about the street name WITH the house number? Do I want it to lock? Will I want a specific spot for a newspaper and those unaddressed coupon periodicals? I guess I’ll make those decisions when it comes time to.

When it comes to owning your own place, what are the little things you’re excited about doing? Are there any “strange” or “quirky” items you’ll HAVE to have as part of your own home?

I don’t like working out. Not in the traditional sense. In my mind it’s the LAST chore I want to do because it’s just not fun! Not to mention how difficult it can be to get your butt over to a gym, especially if you have a weird work schedule like I can have. I don’t like going to the gym alone, either. It helps me so much when there’s somebody else there working out with me – because I’m a social creature and the gym is just not an activity I like to do alone. However, I might be willing to reconsider the social aspect of going to the gym if the it (or some of its equipment) were already in my home! Having our own workout bench would benefit the inherit laziness both my husband and myself have for going to the gym.

There are lots of different benches available, so choosing one would be a careful consideration for the both of us so that we can do the exercises needed to focus on the areas of the body we most want to improve. The husband has no problem with weight loss, but since he’s not very active physically like he was when he was younger, he’d probably most like a bench that has several features so he can build up his legs, chest and arms. I do have to say, strong arms are a major turn on for me! A multipurpose weight bench like the Phoenix Health and Fitness Power Bench Mid Width just might be the perfect fit for him to work all of those body parts! I would definitely encourage him to use it as much as possible

As for myself, I’ve always had a problem with extra weight in my midsection, even when I was skinnier. There’s that stubborn flab that I could never get to because, while I was into dancing in my youth, I never did enough area-specific exercises to get rid of the flab and tighten it up. Now, even more so, I need to really focus on that area! A bench that provides the ability to do exercises specifically for the ab area, like the Proform Abs – Total Core Ab Bench Abdominal Workout would be great for me! I don’t need all the weight lifting gadgets of a multipurpose bench, though I’m sure I’d end up trying to work out other areas after getting my ab muscles squared away! It would be increasingly an incentive if we were to get these benches for a deal & steal – which if you look in the right places online, I’m already finding some!

What encourages you to work out? What helps you keep UP the motivation?? Do tell!

I know feelings are split on paid & sponsored blogging. Some people make a living off it (or try), some people just don’t care (like myself), and others absolutely despise when people “sell out” and give into the trend of selling space on their personal blogs and the entries they write. To be honest, while I don’t care all that much, I have run into the times where I become agitated that most entries made by someone on their blog are because they’re trying to earn that money. I know a lot of entries have personal opinions and stories in them, but those stories seem tainted when that link rears its head somewhere down the paragraph.

I’ve gotten into product reviews a little over a month again, and you’ve seen the result of that. Now, I’m also trying to edge my way into some paid blogging. Why? Because I’m trying to get all of my bills caught up and to have some extra spending money for myself is needed. I think it’ll also get me blogging a little more often, helping me write entries inspired by whatever assignment I might have.

Also, again to be honest, I don’t think I have that dedicated enough of a following that I’ll upset too many people with this change.

Even with as big as it is now, I still would like to know: What are your thoughts on paid & sponsored blogging?

It’s been quite a while since I’ve driven a decent distance late at night. I used to do it ALL the time when I was younger. Primarily, being young with a driver’s license and a car just pushes you towards going out and doing anything and everything with friends. I can’t count the times I drove so much and would be out so late, I’d be so damned tired driving. Not OF driving, just… tired. Falling asleep, almost. It sounds bad and dangerous, and there may have been a few times where it really was.

The husband and I drove up to my parent’s house for our weekend (which consists of Monday & Tuesday right now) so we could attend the anniversary of a special weekly theme night at our bar here in LA. I didn’t get off work until 10:30pm, so we didn’t actually start heading up until 11pm or so. I took to driving since the husband was up early this morning for work and I slept in way too much.

It was pretty amazing driving so late up the 5/405 freeways and going through the various scales of cities along the way. The way the city lights are still bright as hell, but not as bright as they are earlier in the night. There’s something about the hours between midnight and dawn that puts a significant quiet on everything. You can still sense the bustling life of the cities after dark, but there’s a subtle change that I can feel even when driving around LA late at night where things go just a bit more silent.

There were certain emotions/memories I felt driving through the hills between San Diego and Laguna Hills. Then, reaching Irvine was a different set, next was the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach. And of course, up over the hills that separate the San Fernando Valley (home) from the major Los Angeles area and driving down, seeing the signs for the 101 interchange.

None of this was without music, of course. A decent mix of songs that just fit for night driving – though, not all on playlist or CD. Putting together a deliberate mix of night driving music has alluded me for quite a while. Those perfect mixes are pretty accidental – considering some may come off of a movie soundtrack, a mixed CD from a friend, or the radio. If you change over from one source to another, looking for an appropriate song or sound to fit how you’re feeling or your surroundings, you risk ruining the flow of how it all comes together in the first place.

Tonight, though I had some angry & melancholy emotions floating through me from time to time, was just right.

I’m a little overdue for an update about how my family vacation went. That’s partially because the husband came up Saturday evening and we did a lot of hanging out with each other and friends. I did manage to spiff up the site with a new theme and tweaked it to my pleasure, so if you’re reading this via RSS, I’d love for you to check it out and let me know what you think! Now, on to what went on during my vacation

July 2nd

We left the house a little later than what I’ve been used to. This was so we could stop by the Indian Wells Brewery around the time they open. Unfortunately, they weren’t open even though it was past their posted opening time when we got there. Calling them didn’t work. My dad was hoping to get some of their beer before we made the rest of our trip up to Silver Lake. We arrived to the resort after a total of 4 stops and checked into our usual cabin. Unpacking went fairly quickly and smoothly with five of us working on it. Since it was Friday, we enjoyed dinner at the Tiger Bar in June Lake. It’s a tradition for most of the folks who’ve been going to Silver Lake Resort (SLR from here on out) over the years during the summer. They have delicious Mexican food, and I usually get it, but this year I went for their meatloaf. It was pretty delicious.

July 3rd

The first Saturday of July is when SLR holds one of their horseshoe tournaments. This year there were more than twice the amount of participants compared to last year. While it usually last until the mid-afternoon, it was early evening by the time they finally announced the winners. The gentleman who the husband played with last year managed first! My dad and I were partners and managed the same amount of wins/losses at last year. I scored 3 ringers, though, and my dad got none :lol:

The family managed to score pretty good in the raffles, though. My mom got some wearable gear and a new fishing rod. I won enough fishing gear to have the start of a decent tackle box, including a nice reel, long needle-nose pliers, fish hooks and a floating fillet knife. The best, though, came when they finally did the “larger” raffles – the 50/50 and the “bear” raffle. We didn’t score in the 50/50, but both me and my uncle won wooden bears. Mine has a cute scarf and is holding a trout. My mom was jealous

July 4th

We drove 45 minutes further north to Bridgeport to have part in the pancake breakfast they were holding and then the 4th of July parade. The kids were out of control trying to go for the candy and frisbees being tossed out from a majority of the “floats”. There were a LOT of them and most of the parents didn’t do much to keep them from going far into the road or chasing the floats. It was pretty damn ridiculous. I managed to get a forgotten about Tootsie Roll midgie. On our way back, we stopped by the awesome Whoa Nellie Deli. Their lobster taquitos are absolutely delicious!

I went fishing once on the trip, and it was with my dad. We suited up in waders, sunscreen and bug repellent. I managed to catch one fish and hook (but lose) another. My dad did pretty well, catch half a dozen at least but he released them all. We ate ribs for dinner, which is one of my brother’s favorite foods. Unfortunately he didn’t keep it down for long since he smoked a cigar with my dad and it messed up his stomach.

July 5th

June mountain opened one of their ski lifts for the summer. It was m first time on a ski lift, though in the wrong season & weather We rode it to the top where they opened their café. We all got something to drink, my brother and his gf ordered burgers and my parents & I shared an appetizer of some pretty darn good ceviche. The view was unbelievable! We could even make out Mono Lake. I took a lot of pictures.

I actually sent out a couple of postcards this year! I’ll usually pick some up and put names on them, but I end up not writing anything and sending them out.

We finally had our first campfire of the trip. My brother doesn’t know how to get a fire started, so after his failed attempt, I got it going for him. I’ve been converted to using Nutella instead of a regular chocolate bar in my s’mores! The spread is already “melted” and creamy – the yummy hazelnut flavor with it just adds to it, too. I had maybe a total of two s’mores our trip up there, though.

July 6th

My brother and I took his gf to Bodie ghost town where I took tons of pictures, trying to pull off the artsy composition and angles. I don’t know how successful I was considering photography isn’t even one of my hobbies and I was using a temperamental point & shoot Sony camera. Apparently I managed a very similar shot of one of the shop interiors as my friend, N. She and her bf had gone to Bodie the year before (I think) and she took a ton of GORGEOUS photos. I had hoped to manage anything close to what she manages – but there’s no way I could since she’s active with her photography and she has a nice DSLR camera and is just that much more talented and artsy than I am. I think I manage a couple of pretty exterior shots. I also finally made the trek to the cemetery on the outskits of the town. I’ll have to do that first next time since it was actually a bit of a climb.

On our way back, we stopped at our favorite place to get ice cream at the Mono Cone. This time we actually got lunch and their deep fried pickles were AWESOME. The burger I got was pretty damn good too.

For dinner, we had a bunch of family & friends over for tri-tip. I ended up drink a LOT of wine, crying about grandpa and breaking my brother’s gf’s phone. Yeah, that was awesome… This was after everyone had left, of course. There may have been some drunk dialing of the husband.

July 7th

I slept in and recovered from the night before. I did nothing. Exciting, no? I went and stayed with my grandma in the trailer since my uncle was in Reno. I’d been sleeping on the (strangely comfortable) love seat in the living room of the cabin. This day also would’ve been grandpa’s 83rd birthday… RIP

July 8th

It was our last night and we had dinner at the Carson Peak Inn, which was grandpa’s favorite restaurant up there. I had a delicious filet mignon. It was like buttah.

The next day we headed home after saying goodbye to everyone and I drove the whole way. The end.

If you read that, good for you. I’m actually tired of typing :lol:

Wednesday I woke up early for a doctor’s appointment and ended up having to redo something that required narcotic pain killers so I had to call out of work. It was my last shift before going on vacation for 10 days so I felt awful about it – but I doubt they know or care

Before I headed home, I bought a replacement power supply for my laptop at Frys. It was very quick since I brought with me my other one. My new one, though, is a tiny bit loose so it’ll disconnect from the laptop and it’ll cause this shrill beep. I can’t, for the life of me, figure out how to turn off that sound since it’s not part of the normal sound schemes. It’s the actual system making the sound and it’s SO obnoxious.

I managed to NOT find my eyeglasses before leaving with my brother from SD to LA. Half-way through driving up, my husband calls and tells me he found them. I left them on our washer/dryer, but since I had the door closed to the area it’s in, I didn’t see them. I didn’t even remember putting them there until he told me where they were. I’m debating on whether I want to have him mail them to me (in their case!). I’ve got to mail him his asthma medication he left in my brother’s room on Tuesday… luckily I have some leftover Christmas stamps in my large wallet that I brought with me. Oooh! I also found some First Class stamps! Nice, I thought the husband took them. I’ll be able to send post cards & letters.

I say I’m going to send people post cards & letters but I never end up doing so. How sucky is that? I still have post cards address to people from YEARS ago. Shame on me!

I’m going to have quite a bit to read while I’m up there. I brought with me a few books and bought two more while I was out today. I just added them to my currently reading shelf on Good Reads. If you’d like to check it out (there’s only a handful of books on there that I’ve actually read) and/or add me me as a friend, go right ahead! http://www.goodreads.com/mikachu

I should get in a nap before we leave in a handful of hours. I miss my husband already, even if things aren’t great & perfect My loving him never changes *sigh*

PS: I’m embarrassed that I didn’t do the last day of Project: Blog! What a bummer! There are a few days I missed… That’s a bummer, too.

I’m back home in SD. The husband was out all day before our drive home with friends at a pub watching the damn World Cup. That’s cool, whatever floats his boat, but I thought we’d be headed back down earlier than 2pm! I mean, having to be at work by 4:30pm is kind of crunch and the later it got, the more likely it was we’d hit some sort of traffic. We hit patches of it and there were idiots in the fast & carpool lanes going slower than 60MPH which was ridiculous. Slow traffic stay RIGHT, assholes! Luckily I got home with enough time to hit the toilet, change quickly and head the 5 minutes down the freeway to work with a few minutes to spare.

We’ll be needing some maintenance to the car SOON. The brakes sound AWFUL and while we haven’t hit the average mileage for the first brake job, we’ve driven this car through a lot of LA traffic, cross-country and through all sorts of up & down terrain coming up & down between LA & SD. Not to mention some of the belts need to be replaced since they’re looking aged and cracked. We definitely don’t want something more expensive to occur because we neglected to change that shit out.

I’ve had my new laptop since, I think, March? Somehow the power adapter cord has melted itself through (or maybe it got under some other hot running electronic) and tonight the laptop wouldn’t acknowledge that fact that it was plugged in. Lo-behold, it’s melted enough through that it’s fricken smoking through the melted rubber/plastic on the cord. *sigh* Looks like I’ll be making a trip to Fry’s tomorrow morning since I’ll be wanting to use my laptop while I’m on vacation (hello movies!). Though it’ll only be half useful without Internet access, having a dead battery with no way to charge it would render it useless. It’d make for a great weight for when it gets windy, though!

So now I’m currently using a little battery power as possible (dim screen, no fancy desktop effects, as few open programs as needed). After I take care of some online business, I’ll be off to take a shower, get some clothes put together for my vacation and head to bed to wake up early for a doctor’s appointment. I have no hope of doing laundry efficiently here since our all-in-one machine takes forever with ONE small load! I’ll have to lug a bunch of dirty (though some clean!) to my parents’ house when my brother comes to pick me up. Thankfully they’ve got the family-sized efficient machines that are only a few years old (at least, the washer’s pretty damn new)

PS: I have a new theme up. I’ve made some personalized adjustments to it but I’m still working on it as a whole! I need to make changes to have it reflect a personal blog and not a “magazine” style website, since that’s what the theme was meant for. I can do this! It’s not like I’m making a theme from scratch and no experience

Jonathan Broxton and George Sherrill are dead to me. They threw away a perfectly awesome game. I’ve never been so upset over sports… UGH.

My cousin took me, the husband, and my dad to the last of the Dodgers/Yankees series today for the husband’s birthday. We were up 6-2 at the top of the 9th and out comes Jonathan “Iron Man” Broxton who, believe it or not, I was excited to have come out and close the game. Them Yankees fans were going to STFU and exit Blue Heaven on Earth with their pinstripe tails between their legs.

Fffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

That didn’t happen. Broxton allowed 4 runs alone, to tie up the score. Extra innings! Yay! Not… Out comes Sherrill (who?) and he allows the two losing runs to make all the awesomeness of that night just go away.

It was so damn disappointing. It’s bad enough the Dodgers have been on & off losing streaks for the past few weeks to increase the goading I get at work from all the Padres fans (FML), but to have Yankees fans get the last hoorah of the series and game this time around? FUCK.

You can bet that I’m not a fair-weather fan. I’m not into sports, but the Dodgers is the one team I grew up actually going to their games and baseball’s the only game I can really follow. That’s not to say I know anything and everything about the players and their stats and shit, but the game of baseball itself is awesome. Growing up, L.A. didn’t have a football team, and the Lakers weren’t as big of a deal (that I remember) then, and while I went to a couple Kings games, it was baseball that I was drawn to.

The atmosphere is just awesome. Going to Dodger Stadium, smelling the garlic fries cooking, having a Dodger Dog loaded with the works and now, spending $10 on a domestic beer, there’s nothing else like it. The cheering, camaraderie, singing… It’s one of my favorite things to do. Next to hearing Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” playing when we win

Next time, Dodgers… Next time…