End of Summer Resolution

I can't believe the summer is almost over. Think about it, today is the 14th of August! Where did July go? It feels like it only lasted three minutes. 

I've had a lot of fun this summer, there's been quite a few adventures. Of course, Florida Summer is a little different than the rest of the country. Mostly because our summers last pretty much all year. Whereas I'm accustomed to the Upper Peninsula summers, which is about three seconds long. 

With the summer months coming to an end and another fall upon us, I'm trying to make some changes.

I'll be starting Insanity in the next few days in hopes of losing some inches. I've never been a scale kind of gal, the number doesn't do much for me. I much prefer to track the way I look and how I feel. I'll be honest though, I feel pretty great lately. I don't necessarily look the way I'd like to when I catch a glimpse in the mirror. But since having my gall bladder removed last November, I have lost some weight. I'm back into clothes that were previously dwelling in the dark corners of my closet. That is a great feeling!

I've been working for a really cool company. They supply vessels with all kinds of things, from life jackets, nuts and bolts, to cigarettes! Everything a ship would need for several weeks at sea, we provide them with. It can be very fast paced throughout the day, and the days tend to run long. I really enjoy it so far. I am working as a temp, so I'm trying not to get attached, but I am hoping to be hired on permanently.
As well, I took an exam last week to qualify in the city as a Library Technical Assistant. I passed! Which is fantastic, and I'm really proud of myself for passing. So with having passed, I will be placed on a referral list for an open position. It could be months before I would even be asked to interview, but knowing I've completed a major step in the process helps with the waiting. 

I'm working really hard to get things where I want them to. It seems like the pieces have started to fall into place. It's a good start at least.

Part of making my life (and myself) better, I intend to start blogging more regularly. When I first disconnected the cable, I thought I'd be spending a lot more time reading and blogging. Maybe even (finally) working on more short stories. But that never really happened. So I'm going to make an honest effort now.

I've had a few great ideas already pitched to me, but I'd love to get some input from you! Is there anything you'd like to read? Any posts you'd like me to expand on? Please comment, shoot me an email, etc. All ideas are welcome! I can't guarantee I'll take every suggestion, but I'd love to know what you guys would be interested in reading!

The Time Pinterest Changed My Life

As you guys remember, I got rid of my cable tv. This was a huge life change. As if that wasn't enough, there has been a long list of other things that have changed since that time.

For starters, I switched jobs. This wasn't really a choice I had, working as a temp will do that to you. So I left one job and had about two weeks of unemployment before I started a new one. Still doing the same sort of thing, data entry and processing. Only instead of working for a Carpenter company I now work for a Ship Chandler. Neat, eh?

I also moved in with my beloved. This wasn't really that big of a change, we've practically lived together since we've been dating. I knew pretty early on that I didn't ever want to be without him. And now I don't have to be except in my working hours. It works out.

Since I haven't had cable tv to occupy my time, I've found other ways of being delighted. Mostly, reading Buzzfeed on my phone. Man, I love that site. So funny. So good.
We also got an XBox 360, which has ignited my long lost love of playing video games. Primarily, GTA IV. I'm addicted. And you can imagine, during those two weeks where I wasn't working, I didn't do much sleeping. I was mostly applying for jobs or going on crazy missions for the mafia. The nice part of an XBox is also the fact that you can access Netflix and Hulu Plus through it, so I've been able to catch up on my favorite shows I miss out on without cable.

No longer having cable has also allowed me to be a little crafty when it comes to things. So I've been spending a whole lot of time perusing the boards and pinning things. Especially for decorating ideas, man they have some cute things on there.

But recently I was looking up different ideas for painting my fingernails, and I stumbled upon a sweet little trick that has rocked my world. 

(Here's the part where this turns into one of those How-To Blogs)

I love painting my nails. Every Sunday, I get out this ridiculous case I have that's filled with nailpolish. I take off my current nail polish, clean, cut and file my nails. Then I paint them all over again. Depending on who might be around, their toes or fingers will also fall victim to my nailpolish.

On top of loving painting my nails, I have a fierce addiction to glitter. I. Love. Glitter. I wish it was still socially acceptable to be covered in glitter like some sort of fairy princess. I love it. So I try to incorporate glitter into my nails as much as possible. 

Every girl in the world knows exactly what happens when you use glitter fingernail polish, though. It's a bitch to take off. Fingernail polish in general sucks to take off. Its always stuck in your cuticles, you have a stain sometimes to your fingers depending on the color you've used. Glitter, though. Man. Sucks. You'll have glitter all the way up your fingers and arms sometimes.

Thanks to Pinterest though, I found a way to make it all so much easier you guys. And! It only takes ONE cotton ball to do it. One. Just one!

I was going to link you to the Pin that I found that helped me, but I actually took pictures of me using this process. That way you know it's legit. It's not one of those "Pinterest tricked me again!" things.

So, you gotta take some nail polish off, right?

 (I made sure I was wearing super Glitter)

Take a cotton ball, and pull it apart so its in one long piece. Then break it up into small pieces, like I did here:

I poured my remover into the cap, just about half a cap full. Then, taking a small piece, I dipped just a teeny bit into the remover. The cotton ball soaks it up quick, so you don't have to dunk it all the way in, just a small bit.

Then put a piece on your fingernail. I covered all of my nails and let the cotton ball sit until they were all covered. It looks weird, I know.

But surprisingly? When you go to take the cotton off, its a piece of cake! Just slide the whole piece from your cuticle, towards the end of your nail. Easy peasy.

                                                            No glitter mess here!


The best part, even after covering all of my nails, I still had bits of cotton left. So what was left over I was able to use to clean up my fingernails. It was so awesome. And a great saver! I used just ONE cotton ball, and half a cap full of nail polish remover. IT ONLY TOOK THREE MINUTES!

Normally, I end up taking like half an hour going over my nails when I take off my polish. Making sure it's all off, no leftover polish or glitter residue. This whole process only took a few minutes. It was so easy. And kind of fun, too.

I love that Pinterest. So much.

A Summer Experiment... In Torture

A lot has changed, folks.

For starters, I lost my gall bladder in a horrible skiing accident. Kidding, but I really did lose it. But we parted ways in a brutal break-up that was three months of horrific pain and is still lingering on, as all bad break-ups do.

I had switched jobs from doing customer service for a cable tv provider to selling auto insurance. I loved my job in the cable/phone/internet industry. I loved my co-workers and enjoyed what I did every day. But I figured I'd take a leap of faith (in myself) and take a position in sales. I had done minor sales in my customer service position, and really enjoyed it. 
Turns out I loved selling insurance. I thrived on it. There was no bigger high than turning someone around from a solid no to getting them set up with a new auto policy. It was a rush. Unfortunately, I wasn't really happy within the company I worked for. Not naming names, but I found that staying within that company was crushing my spirit, each day harder than the one before. I have some pals in a different department, and they love it there. But it just was not for me. So I took an even bigger leap of faith, and walked out the door in hopes of finding the perfect job for me.

And I have found that as a temp for a contracting company that builds trusses and panels for homes. I do mostly data entry, but on the engineering side so I get to play around with AutoCad and fun things like that all day. It was a huge pay cut, and there won't be much opportunity for overtime that I can tell at this point, but I love it. I'm excited to go to work every day, and when five o'clock hits, I wonder where the day went. Plus I get to listen to my ipod all day, and that ain't so bad.

So, hurray for me. I found exactly what I was needing. Unfortunately, in getting what you want there are some sacrifices that need to be made. And in this drastic pay cut meant one thing: I'd have to cut back on some of the frivolous things I've become accustomed to.

Now, if you've read my previous blogs, you know I am a tv junkie. There's no better way to put it. My DVR is my best friend. I'm a sucker for fall tv, I look forward to the summer shows that never last long enough (Rookie Blue!) I. Love. Television.

Therein lies the rub. Previously, I was getting a huge discount on my cable tv. This allotted me the joy of having a dvr in every room of the house and every channel that could possibly become available to me. And I wasn't good enough with JUST that. Heavens no, I also have a Netflix instant queue account that I take advantage of frequently.
So about a year ago, I lost that discount. But that was okay, since I was making more money in my sales position. However, now I also am no longer making the same income. And spoilers: Cable tv is expensive.

Which leads us to the title of this blog. I've decided to take the summer and try something completely different. We've disconnected all of our cable television. Not even basic cable. We knocked it all the way down. So any television watching will be done with Netflix, Hulu+ or any other internet streaming website if needed. I have a plethora of dvds, and of course there's a Redbox on every corner if I need something a little more recent.

I'll take the summer doing this. Because hopefully by the end of the summer, I'll have found a way to pay for cable once again, or I will realize I'm completely fine without cable.

I keep telling myself I'll do okay. I'll have more time to read, as well as write (Hey, first blog in months!). And plus, its summer! Now I wont have an excuse not to go to the pool, or outside in general. Though it does seem a little like the kid that wants to play video games all summer vacation. "You're a kid, go outside and PLAY!"

Wish me luck. Send me Netflix recommendations. Keep an eye on my blog for updates, because I'm sure there will be more as the summer progresses. And mostly, have a fantastic summer!