Due to skattered access to this site I have moved my blog to here: http://nkcreativetitle.wordpress.com/.
That is until they decide to block that blog too...or until we get Internet at home.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Ozarks Bazaar
So, you know how my dream has always been to write for either a television show or a magazine. Well, a friend of mine started the webzine Ozarks Bazaar and asked me if I would like to write for it. Yay! I'm excited. So, go to the site and check it out! Thanks!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sunny Day
I love being able to walk to work. It almost makes me feel like I'm back in London walking to class instead of walking to...well...work. At least I still have a job to walk to, making me one of the lucky ones nowadays.
Nicholas is still doing great! I called Bryan earlier this morning and could hear Nicholas in the background. I thought he was fussing he was being so loud. "Nope," Bryan said. "He's just pooping." Haha! Only a boy could poop that loud. Seriously!
That little boy makes me feel like a kid again. I don't think I've been excited for holidays in a long time. I enjoyed them, sure, but I wasn't really excited for them. Now I can't wait for the 4th of July to get here. We're going to take Nicholas to Salem so he can smile at everyone. We might even take him to see the fireworks. Fun times!
We finally finished decorating Nicholas's room over the weekend. Here are a few pictures of his Superman themed room:
Nicholas is still doing great! I called Bryan earlier this morning and could hear Nicholas in the background. I thought he was fussing he was being so loud. "Nope," Bryan said. "He's just pooping." Haha! Only a boy could poop that loud. Seriously!
That little boy makes me feel like a kid again. I don't think I've been excited for holidays in a long time. I enjoyed them, sure, but I wasn't really excited for them. Now I can't wait for the 4th of July to get here. We're going to take Nicholas to Salem so he can smile at everyone. We might even take him to see the fireworks. Fun times!
We finally finished decorating Nicholas's room over the weekend. Here are a few pictures of his Superman themed room:
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Things Are Getting Better
It's probably just hormones (post pregnancy hormone swings are really shitty, just so ya know), but I've been in a much better mood the past couple of days. Everything in the new apartment is working, most things are put away (we just have the living room and nursery left mostly thanks to Bryan who has been working his ass off to get everything the way he knows I'll like it...he really is the best husband in the world), and Nicholas is doing great!
We took the little guy for his 2 month appointment yesterday. I was really worried about him getting his first round of vaccinations. I read way too much on what bad could happen, and it still bugs me the number of vacs they give to kids at one time anymore. He's doing great, though. He cried until we got him out to the car, but then he went to sleep. After he woke up it was like nothing happened. He was a little extra clingy during the night, but he's been feeling fine.
The doctor seemed concerned that Nicholas weighs too much. Um...she's seen his parents? Does she think he's going to grow up a skinny kid? So what if 15 pounds is in the 97th percentile for his age? He can't be anything but a big boy. We tried last night giving him his formula without rice in it because the doctor said (he's getting too many calories). Well, he was hungry every two hours instead of every 4. So, in the end he just ended up eating more because we essentially tried to make him conform to the norm for babies his age. We aren't going to do that anymore. If our only worry is that he likes to eat too much and is a chunk for his age...then I'm not going to worry. He's my perfect little boy.
We took the little guy for his 2 month appointment yesterday. I was really worried about him getting his first round of vaccinations. I read way too much on what bad could happen, and it still bugs me the number of vacs they give to kids at one time anymore. He's doing great, though. He cried until we got him out to the car, but then he went to sleep. After he woke up it was like nothing happened. He was a little extra clingy during the night, but he's been feeling fine.
The doctor seemed concerned that Nicholas weighs too much. Um...she's seen his parents? Does she think he's going to grow up a skinny kid? So what if 15 pounds is in the 97th percentile for his age? He can't be anything but a big boy. We tried last night giving him his formula without rice in it because the doctor said (he's getting too many calories). Well, he was hungry every two hours instead of every 4. So, in the end he just ended up eating more because we essentially tried to make him conform to the norm for babies his age. We aren't going to do that anymore. If our only worry is that he likes to eat too much and is a chunk for his age...then I'm not going to worry. He's my perfect little boy.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Movin on Up
Well, the repairs have been made to the new apartment and everything works. Yay! I haven't heard anything about the money issue, but for now I'm ok with that. One step at a time.
In one hour I will be off of work and start packing some more. That means I have time to down probably two more cups of coffee. How sad is that that I measure my time in how much coffee I can consume. I don't know if I'm just that addicted or that sleep deprived. Five hours a night wears on you after a while. Hopefully once we get all settled in the new place Nicholas will decide to start sleeping better again. I think right now he's afraid that he's next to go into one of the boxes. Poor little guy.
Dad (now Grandpa) will be here in about two hours to help us with the moving. Yay! A girl never gets too old to get excited about seeing her daddy. I hope Nicholas will still be that way with me when I'm known as "Grandma."
In one hour I will be off of work and start packing some more. That means I have time to down probably two more cups of coffee. How sad is that that I measure my time in how much coffee I can consume. I don't know if I'm just that addicted or that sleep deprived. Five hours a night wears on you after a while. Hopefully once we get all settled in the new place Nicholas will decide to start sleeping better again. I think right now he's afraid that he's next to go into one of the boxes. Poor little guy.
Dad (now Grandpa) will be here in about two hours to help us with the moving. Yay! A girl never gets too old to get excited about seeing her daddy. I hope Nicholas will still be that way with me when I'm known as "Grandma."
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Moving. Ugh!
We're moving into a two bedroom apartment this week and...well...just read below what I had to send to the company this morning:
I have had nothing but problems since I first decided to rent this apartment from DEBCO.
First, the manager of the apartment told us the deposit was $150 and the first month’s rent would be free if we signed the lease right then. We thought the apartment was just what we wanted and signed, writing a $150 check in the process. Then, we get to the DEBCO offices the lady there tells us that actually the deposit is $250 and the first month’s rent isn’t free because we are moving in more than two weeks. We explained to her what the manager said and her response was, “I’m sorry that’s what she told you, but this is how it is.” I was flabbergasted, but we forked over the money anyway because we really want the apartment.
Forward on to this week…move in week. I arrive at the apartment yesterday and the air conditioner doesn’t work. It was 91 degrees in the apartment. The sink in the main bathroom doesn’t work and the refrigerator doesn’t cool properly. Also, the manager said they would provide us a microwave. No microwave is to be found in the apartment.
I have called maintenance and they are supposed to be fixing the repair issues today. I have an 8 week old baby. I really hope it is fixed today because I cannot safely have an 8 week old baby in a 91 degree apartment! I am still infuriated about the bait and switch that was pulled on me about the deposit and first month’s non-free rent, and now I am paying rent for an apartment that is unlivable because of the heat. I still want this apartment because the location, size, and rental price are exactly what I want, but I have a really bad taste in my mouth about DEBCO properties because of all this.
I am writing to see what you can do about any of these issues. I would like the air conditioner to be fixed and some sort of restitution for the problems I have had so far with this apartment. I would like to start off my rental relationship with DEBCO on a better foot, but I will be contacting the Better Business Bureau if these problems aren’t amended.
I've actually received a reply already:
The air conditioning people will be their today, the refrigerator also, and the sink and microwave. I'll look into the other issue our policy is always if we hold over 2 weeks not to do the move in special. But I will look into this and reply.
I'm going to ignore her grammar and be nice and for now just be happy I received a reply that at least the repairs are going to be made and I don't have to buy a microwave. I can't help but be irritated, though. Maybe I've been sheltered...ok, more spoiled, but I've never had these types of issues before with any business (execpt with my health insurance and Cox, but that's different...those people are just evil). I feel like an idiot for not getting the deals in writing in the first place and for not checking the air conditioning when we did the first walkthrough of the apartment. I guess I just expected too much.
I don't know if I should still fight for the first month's rent or just leave well enough alone as long as they actually fix everything today. Ugh...this is way too complicated.
Anyway, lesson learned: Buyer beware!
I'll keep you updated.
Update: I replied.
Thank you for getting back to me. That is wonderful that the repair people will be there today! Thank you!
As far as the other issue goes, I understand now that that is your policy; however, I was not aware of that at the time I agreed to take the apartment. I feel that I was told one thing so I would take the apartment right then even if it wasn’t true. Basically, I feel lied to and that is an unfair business practice. It may simply have been the fault of the manager and not the company, but at that time she was acting as a representative of DEBCO and thus the fault also lies with DEBCO as a whole. The manager knew exactly when we would be moving into the apartment, so she should have told us the first month’s rent was not free and that the deposit was $250 instead of telling us “first month’s rent free and $150 deposit,” but that’s not what happened.
I look forward to hearing your conclusions on this matter.
Yeah, the more I think about all this the angrier I get, but I can't just reply, "Bitch, give me my money!" Well, I guess I could, but I doubt that would work any better.
I have had nothing but problems since I first decided to rent this apartment from DEBCO.
First, the manager of the apartment told us the deposit was $150 and the first month’s rent would be free if we signed the lease right then. We thought the apartment was just what we wanted and signed, writing a $150 check in the process. Then, we get to the DEBCO offices the lady there tells us that actually the deposit is $250 and the first month’s rent isn’t free because we are moving in more than two weeks. We explained to her what the manager said and her response was, “I’m sorry that’s what she told you, but this is how it is.” I was flabbergasted, but we forked over the money anyway because we really want the apartment.
Forward on to this week…move in week. I arrive at the apartment yesterday and the air conditioner doesn’t work. It was 91 degrees in the apartment. The sink in the main bathroom doesn’t work and the refrigerator doesn’t cool properly. Also, the manager said they would provide us a microwave. No microwave is to be found in the apartment.
I have called maintenance and they are supposed to be fixing the repair issues today. I have an 8 week old baby. I really hope it is fixed today because I cannot safely have an 8 week old baby in a 91 degree apartment! I am still infuriated about the bait and switch that was pulled on me about the deposit and first month’s non-free rent, and now I am paying rent for an apartment that is unlivable because of the heat. I still want this apartment because the location, size, and rental price are exactly what I want, but I have a really bad taste in my mouth about DEBCO properties because of all this.
I am writing to see what you can do about any of these issues. I would like the air conditioner to be fixed and some sort of restitution for the problems I have had so far with this apartment. I would like to start off my rental relationship with DEBCO on a better foot, but I will be contacting the Better Business Bureau if these problems aren’t amended.
I've actually received a reply already:
The air conditioning people will be their today, the refrigerator also, and the sink and microwave. I'll look into the other issue our policy is always if we hold over 2 weeks not to do the move in special. But I will look into this and reply.
I'm going to ignore her grammar and be nice and for now just be happy I received a reply that at least the repairs are going to be made and I don't have to buy a microwave. I can't help but be irritated, though. Maybe I've been sheltered...ok, more spoiled, but I've never had these types of issues before with any business (execpt with my health insurance and Cox, but that's different...those people are just evil). I feel like an idiot for not getting the deals in writing in the first place and for not checking the air conditioning when we did the first walkthrough of the apartment. I guess I just expected too much.
I don't know if I should still fight for the first month's rent or just leave well enough alone as long as they actually fix everything today. Ugh...this is way too complicated.
Anyway, lesson learned: Buyer beware!
I'll keep you updated.
Update: I replied.
Thank you for getting back to me. That is wonderful that the repair people will be there today! Thank you!
As far as the other issue goes, I understand now that that is your policy; however, I was not aware of that at the time I agreed to take the apartment. I feel that I was told one thing so I would take the apartment right then even if it wasn’t true. Basically, I feel lied to and that is an unfair business practice. It may simply have been the fault of the manager and not the company, but at that time she was acting as a representative of DEBCO and thus the fault also lies with DEBCO as a whole. The manager knew exactly when we would be moving into the apartment, so she should have told us the first month’s rent was not free and that the deposit was $250 instead of telling us “first month’s rent free and $150 deposit,” but that’s not what happened.
I look forward to hearing your conclusions on this matter.
Yeah, the more I think about all this the angrier I get, but I can't just reply, "Bitch, give me my money!" Well, I guess I could, but I doubt that would work any better.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Just Pull the Sucker
I'm giving in. Yep, for the first time in I don't know how long I'm going to the dentist tomorrow. It's not that I'm scared of dentists; I just don't want to spend the money going to see one. I have pretty decent insurance even, but in my opinion things like fillings and getting a tooth pulled...basically anything to get this horrible pain out of my head...should be 100% covered. If I had some sort of weird decay in my elbow, that would be covered, so why not in my tooth? Greedy bastards.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Frick of the Day - How I hate the post office.
We are moving to a two bedroom apartment (finally!) the first week of June. So, I finally get on top of things and fill out the online request form to have our mail forwarded to the new place starting June 4. What does the post office do? Yep, you guessed it. They started forwarding our mail four days ago! We don't even get the keys to the new place until June 1. My husband called the post office this morning and here's how it went:
Hubby: We're moving, blah blah...haven't gotten mail...blah blah...could you have already forwarded it.
Post Office Guy: Yeah, that's probably what happened.
Hubby: What ya gonna do about it?
POG: We'll see if anything's saved back for you.
Hubby: And...?
POG: That's it...thanks for calling.
Gah! So, since I still hate paying stuff online and still pay most things by check (yes, I'm old fashioned when it comes to that stuff), I had to call UMR, then fax them my payment, call CU and pay them, and try to figure out what other important mail we might need before June 1. I have now figured out why the post office is losing money. It's not just because more people do business online...it's because they suck.
Frick!
Hubby: We're moving, blah blah...haven't gotten mail...blah blah...could you have already forwarded it.
Post Office Guy: Yeah, that's probably what happened.
Hubby: What ya gonna do about it?
POG: We'll see if anything's saved back for you.
Hubby: And...?
POG: That's it...thanks for calling.
Gah! So, since I still hate paying stuff online and still pay most things by check (yes, I'm old fashioned when it comes to that stuff), I had to call UMR, then fax them my payment, call CU and pay them, and try to figure out what other important mail we might need before June 1. I have now figured out why the post office is losing money. It's not just because more people do business online...it's because they suck.
Frick!
Good Grief...Feminism and Facebook
Warning, serious post ahead. Well, sort of.
I just read the article "Get Your Kid Off Your Facebook Page" by Katie Roiphe where she asserts that having your child's picture as your profile picture on Facebook is equivalent to saying, "I don’t matter anymore," and essentially removing your identity and replacing it with that of your child. I'm all for feminism. My friends know I'm the first one to ask if you want some sort of feminine subjugation pointed out. However, as far as equating having my child's picture on my Facebook profile as cyber-suppression, I call bullsh...
First, when did my Facebook profile move away from being a fun little page used to help me waste time and turn into a symbol for my entire being? As much as I fight it, I am aware that modern life is getting closer and closer to Neuromancer every day, but I think that for most of us (at least I hope) our entire identity is not wrapped up in Facebook and that give little thought to what others think of our pages.
Assuming that people do actually put that much thought into their cyber-personas, I still don't see it as taking away from myself to have a picture of my kid as my profile picture. I grew up with a mom who did lose her identity in being a mother. I know what that looks like. One picture simply does not equal that. To me, having a child, the whole process (no matter how difficult and strange it might have felt to me) was the most empowering experience. Putting my child's picture as my profile picture is just showing off...a "look at what I can do!" assertion. If I put a picture on my page of me in a blue dress, does that identify myself as a person who only wears blue? Just because I want to show people what I incubated for 40 weeks doesn't mean my entire identity is wrapped up in him.
What do you think? Is my Facebook profile really that important when it comes to our identities?
I just read the article "Get Your Kid Off Your Facebook Page" by Katie Roiphe where she asserts that having your child's picture as your profile picture on Facebook is equivalent to saying, "I don’t matter anymore," and essentially removing your identity and replacing it with that of your child. I'm all for feminism. My friends know I'm the first one to ask if you want some sort of feminine subjugation pointed out. However, as far as equating having my child's picture on my Facebook profile as cyber-suppression, I call bullsh...
First, when did my Facebook profile move away from being a fun little page used to help me waste time and turn into a symbol for my entire being? As much as I fight it, I am aware that modern life is getting closer and closer to Neuromancer every day, but I think that for most of us (at least I hope) our entire identity is not wrapped up in Facebook and that give little thought to what others think of our pages.
Assuming that people do actually put that much thought into their cyber-personas, I still don't see it as taking away from myself to have a picture of my kid as my profile picture. I grew up with a mom who did lose her identity in being a mother. I know what that looks like. One picture simply does not equal that. To me, having a child, the whole process (no matter how difficult and strange it might have felt to me) was the most empowering experience. Putting my child's picture as my profile picture is just showing off...a "look at what I can do!" assertion. If I put a picture on my page of me in a blue dress, does that identify myself as a person who only wears blue? Just because I want to show people what I incubated for 40 weeks doesn't mean my entire identity is wrapped up in him.
What do you think? Is my Facebook profile really that important when it comes to our identities?
TGIF
I haven't been this happy to see a Friday in a while. This was my first week back to work after a ten week maternity leave (four weeks of bedrest and six weeks of recovering from pushing an eight pound human being out of my body). It's been a good week. I didn't mind coming back to work because the hubby is taking care of baby Nicholas during the day, and work is actually a mental rest. It takes a lot out of you to essentially have another life in your hands for hours at a time, so only having to focus on work is now a totally different kind of "work." However, I am still ready for the weekend and to be able to spend a full day with my little boy again.
Sunday we are travelling to Salem with him for the first time. Hopefully he will sleep the whole way there. It's only a three hour drive (usually two hours, but I'll probably drive as slow as a little old man this time), so the plan is for Nicholas to take a good three hour nap in the car and then be awake enough once we get there to entertain the family for a while. They are all really anxious to see him, and I can't wait to hear everyone say how perfect my little baby is. Is that bad? I mean, he is perfect!
Happy Friday to everyone! Ignore the gas prices and the crappy economy this weekend and go do something fun.
Sunday we are travelling to Salem with him for the first time. Hopefully he will sleep the whole way there. It's only a three hour drive (usually two hours, but I'll probably drive as slow as a little old man this time), so the plan is for Nicholas to take a good three hour nap in the car and then be awake enough once we get there to entertain the family for a while. They are all really anxious to see him, and I can't wait to hear everyone say how perfect my little baby is. Is that bad? I mean, he is perfect!
Happy Friday to everyone! Ignore the gas prices and the crappy economy this weekend and go do something fun.
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