Can't win for losing....

I was all excited when I learned last month that my auto and home insurance would both be reduced since I worked from home now. Yippee, I thought, an unexpected bonus.

HA! I got my auto insurance bill today, and it was $40 higher. I called them to find out why. No big surprise - with no advance warning - their liability rates have gone up. Good news is that my increase would have been even more if I didn't have the work from home discount, as well as the no accident claim and renewal discounts, AND that their deductible rates were a bit lower. Great.

The nice customer service lady did point out to me that I could lower my bill about $50 if I took the online Defensive Driving Course offered through AARP's site. Of course, that costs $10! (EDIT NOTE: She said it cost $10; website says $15.95!!) But, I'd be even with last year's actual insurance cost, and that discount is good for 3 years.

Oy vey! I shouldn't complain, though. When I switched over a year ago from American Family to AARP/The Hartford for both house and auto, my rates dropped $670!

Be well, all!

I know it's good for me, BUT....

If I had a nickel for every time I've said that - "I know it's good for me, BUT...." - I'd be independently wealthy. One thing "they" tell me IS good for me is exercise, but lord I HATE doing it! I'm not sure why exactly. It could be the icky sweating, or maybe the extra laundry it produces, or the fact that I'd rather be doing (almost) anything else, or that I'm terrified of hurting myself, or the unanswered questions of "is it REALLY good for me?" Peanut butter, and eggs, and wine used to all be "bad" and now they're "good." So, I daily do "something" - run, walk, hike steps, weights, - for about an hour. Yippee. Why do I really do it? Because I have accepted the fact that it allows me to eat food and not weigh 200 pounds. I have tough Irish genes that always make my body think I need to have fat in reserve for some disaster. Pair that fact with a thyroid working at half-capacity, and my metabolism is slower than molasses in January. So, it's exercise and eat pretty well, or no-exercise, eat very little and and be fat. It is what it is.

Yes, yes - I've dug in to tackling the MAJOR project - but needed a break, so lunch and a little blogging can't be considered procrastination!

Take a walk. Breathe some fresh air.

And so it goes....

The one issue I'm having with this blogging thing - I can't decide on ONE thing to write about - and instead, I think of a bunch of things. Too much will clutter. So, the answer was not to write anything yesterday. lol Today, I elected to spruce up the ol' blog with a few new "gadgets," and make sure the email list works. Several new gadgets on Google's list are "broken" but I'll keep an eye out for when they are fixed. One is a gadget that shows you the marine observations for wherever you want - a bonus for Doug! - so I'll watch for that one for sure. I like the NASA pic of the day. If you think it would be better to add the info on what the hell it is a picture of - well - send me a comment. I just think the pics are pretty and remind me/you of how small we are in the universe.

If you figured out I'm actually procrastinating, you are right! I have a MAJOR project I need to do, and I'm avoiding it. Not usually my style, but I've learned that if I'm not ready to do something, then it's okay to let it stew for awhile. When I am ready, I'm in a much better mood to tackle it. And this one's a doozy, so I may put it off for another couple of hours by having some lunch, and reading a few chapters in my latest Clive Cussler book. (omg - I actually did the link thingy!!) If you haven't read him - JOSH!! - you should. Lots o' historical stuff.

Live long and pro$per. :)

Taking the Leap (feeling like a lemming)

I'm glad I waited these last *%&!~# years to start this blogging thing. It was intentional. Honest. You know they had to work the kinks out of it and I'm not a good guinea pig. I hate struggling to accomplish something. I want to to flow smoothly, easily, and not look a two year old designed it. If I knew a 5 year old, I'd have asked for help! :) I am quite proud that I've done it without help from my adult kids - though I'm sure they'll have plenty of comment to make. Minutes, I'm telling ya, minutes - to set this up. Amazing. I can see this would be a great forum for a group of folks with a common interest.

All kidding aside, my intentions are multi-purpose: to learn another skill; to practice my writing; to share thoughts; to revert to my childhood favorite pasttime of writing down whatever thoughts come to mind (to fine-tune them before verbal expression, aka putting foot into mouth); to reveal my occasional life mileposts.

Thanks for checking in. Stay tuned.