Tuesday, May 26, 2009

beware verizon customers

Verizon has once again proven to be totally incompetent, evil and just sneaky. It took about 7-9 phone calls when we first signed up 2 years ago to get our triple pack (phone, dsl, directv) discount straight. We literally called every month to get the credit. Then it worked for about 9 months. Suddenly a few months ago our bill increased $15 and then another $15 this month....

Three calls later (full of the typical BS and non-answers) they finally tell Ben today that you have to sign up EVERY 12 MONTHS to receive the triple pack discount. Nowhere does it say this. Never did anyone tell us this.

It's such a load of crap to make a buck that I had to post so you can all keep a better eye on your bill to prevent any nonsense.

Monday, May 25, 2009

zoorific weekend



We had a pretty tame weekend that included yard-work and planting more flowers. The highlight of the weekend was our visit to Miller Park Zoo to see the new wallaroo and otter.

The wallaroo napped and the otters swam. The sea lion was definitely the liveliest of the bunch!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

recommendation

I read a really interesting home design-related article in the Trib magazine a few weeks back, and I finally got around to visiting the blog of the featured do-it-yourselfer. Making it Lovely has tons of interesting, artistic, fun ideas. And most of the blogger's ideas won't break the bank either.

Making it Lovely and 4 other bloggers are all featured on BHG.com for a 48-hour outdoor challenge too. LOTS of fab ideas to be inspired by!!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

the worst thing about a yard

Weeds. You pull them and you spray to prevent more. They sprout anyway, mocking your hard work. And then you pull them again. Victory (temporarily, at least)! And so the cycle continues all summer long.

My fingers are sore nubs from pulling so many weeds. I pushed the reel mower around today too (love that whirring!). Ben planted a few tomato and pepper plants.

Now we're getting ready to grill some turkey burgers and relax. Good eats and a great-looking yard. Not bad for a Sunday.

Friday, May 15, 2009

weekend

We're getting a lot of rain (to the point of flooding) which totally stinks. It's the sort of easy breezy weekend that rarely comes along, and I don't want to spend all my precious free time indoors.

Our (tiny) Farmers Market opens tomorrow so that's the first thing on my to-do list. I want to see Ghost of Girlfriends past (no matter how mediocre it may be) too. I also see an ice cream outing in my near future.....

The weekend options are endless!! Have a good one!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

now what?

Graduation weekend has come and gone. Bloomington-Normal is a lot quieter minus 20,000 ISU students.

Ben's new job is looking for a job. Our first choice is to stay in the area while Ben gets started in the finance world. It'd be hard to move right now considering the economy. Plus, my job is going well. And we have our lovely house. It'll be hard to give all that up.

We do, however, really miss Chicago. I don't know if we'll end up back there sometime in the next 5 years or even 10. We'll see. We've never been the kind of couple to make and stick to major life plans. That works well for us. We try to embrace the unknown and enjoy adventures. We also like financial security and stability. Hopefully we'll be able to balance the two. C'est la vie!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

graduation

It's Mother's Day weekend in Bloomington-Normal which can only mean one thing: ISU graduation. Thousands of parents will descend on the town, celebrate, and then depart (with a kid who probably doesn't have a job, a car-load of crap and loans out the ying-yang).

It's a weekend full of bittersweet endings and the start of new adventures.

Ben wrapped his last class yesterday so he's officially done. We now have three Redbirds in the family (including Ben's mom) which is fun.

Our next adventure: a job. Stay tuned (and say a prayer).

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

bobby in bloom

Have you heard about 31-year-old Bobby Scales getting called up by the Cubs? It's my feel good story for the week. Bonus: he's a Michigan guy. Go Blue Bobby! Make us proud.