Health
So, there’s financial health. I mentioned before that I was signing up for SmartyPig, and I have since registered, opened an account, and set up my first savings goal. I decided to save for a down payment on a new car – it’s getting to be time to replace the ol’ Spectra. She’s been a good car for a cheap, Korean piece o’ crap, but I’d like something a little nicer.
I have also finally, finally linked all my accounts to Mint, which is this nifty online financial management thing. You can set a budget, it sends you alerts, and it downloads all your account information so it’s visible in one place. There are some drawbacks to using it rather than, say, MS Money… you can’t enter transactions you’ve made and scheduled transactions don’t show up – it’s more of an “actual” than a “forecast”. I don’t like keeping all of this information in more than one place, but I imagine it’s only a matter of time before they upgrade the tool and charge a fee for that kind of functionality. Oh, did I mention it’s free?
I’ve also increased my automatic savings plan at ING Direct to help bulk up my emergency fund. I haven’t had ANY emergency fund until this month, but I had my tax refund direct deposited there, and it gave me a bit of a boost. Now I just have to keep my hands off of it. I’m terrible about leaving money alone…
… and here’s an example. I paid off a high-interest credit card with part of my annual bonus. I’m not going to close it, because that can actually hurt your credit rating by lowering your overall available credit. Anyway, wouldn’t you know that card is just burning a hole in the desk drawer where I stashed it? I mean, there’s tons of things I could buy… I need (want) new shoes, I need (want) a new purse/bag, I need (want) some new clothes. But this is the year I become more financially responsible, right?
And then there’s physical health. You know, the Feather family is just not having a great year, so far. Mom has been diagnosed with uterine cancer – her appointment with the oncologist is this Thursday, so we’ll find out more about what type of cancer it is and where we go from here, but it’s kind of rough. She is, after all, over 800 miles away from me and RC, so it’s just her and Dad down there, goin’ it alone. As for me, I’ve been battling this ridiculous stye now for the past week, and it just doesn’t want to go away. I hate styes. There’s no reason for them, no reason at all. And there’s no cure for them… just put a hot compress on it, they say. BAH!!
On the physical fitness front, though, I’ve been going to the gym regularly since they opened in February – at least three times a week for cardio work. I am SO out of shape… I made the mistake of glancing at the treadmill next to me the other day to see what the little chippy was doing, and she was walking at a brisk 4.0 miles an hour. Hmm. I’m really hoofing it at 2.8 miles an hour, on an incline, even, to get my heart rate up. But it’s more active than I’ve been in a long time and it feels fantastic. I actually *like* going to the gym. And as soon as I hit 3.0 miles an hour, I’m going to start adding some weight-training into my routine.
Now if I can just keep my mental health on an even keel… I think I’ll be alright.
Filed under budget, indignities, me | Comments (3)Sandal weather
It’s the first day of spring, and I guarantee that somewhere in central Indiana there’s at least one eejit wearing shorts and sandals today. It seems it only takes the slightest hint of warmer weather to bring those people out of the woodwork. Personally, I think it’s a little silly to go all out and haul the summer clothes out of storage before it’s consistently over 70°, but I will admit that even with long pants, I start thinking about adding cute sandal-type shoes to my wardrobe. Right now, I’m looking at these:
1. Keen Calistoga sandal, $83.95 at Zappos.com
2. Dansko Sela, $110.00 at Zappos.com
3. Clarks Dylann, $60.00 at Zappos.com
4. Dr. Martens Penny Ring Sandal, $84.95 at Zappos.com
5. Merrell Siena, $70.00 at Zappos.com
6. Naot Rachel, $129.95 at Zappos.com
What is it with me and clunky sandals? I’ve never been one to wear “skinny” sandals… give me the Doc Martens, and I’d be thrilled. My all-time favorite pair of sandals were Doc’s, and I completely wore them out. They were my summertime concert shoes; they saw me through Horde Fest, X-Fest, Dave Matthews Band (X2), Sheryl Crow, Counting Crows, Jewel… and several others I can’t remember.
One year
This is Angus. He was my heart bunny, the bunny love o’ my life. Today is the one-year anniversary of his passing, so I thought I’d write a little about him.
Angus was “rescued” by a well-meaning samaritan. He was housed in a feed trough at a local pet store/nightmare, and because he was missing some fur over his shoulders, she thought he had mites. She bullied the manager into giving the rabbit to her, but she wasn’t going to be able to keep him. At the time, there was an email list for local HRS members, and she posted there looking for a home for him. I had always wanted a rabbit, and had moved into an apartment earlier that year, and decided that it was the right time.
Angus was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. He was about four months old when I brought him home in October 1999, and he was actually quite healthy… just overgroomed by his litter mates. He was bouncy and fun, very entertaining, in those early days. I did everything I could to make his life happy – he had tons of toys, I built him a ginormous cage, fed him salads that I weighed (HRS recommends 8 oz. of greens per 6 lbs. of rabbit – I just wanted to make sure he was getting enough!), and bought him the best hay and pellets money could buy. I even adopted a friend for him – Benny – though he and Benny weren’t interested in being roomies. We went through lots of things together… 2 different apartments, and finally, a house; several different cages; MANY new bunnies coming in and out; emergency, life-saving surgeries and all of the nursing that came with that. He was the undisputed king of the bunny room, and knew that I belonged to him.
Angus was the bunny that started everything for me – I became involved in rabbit rescue the next year, and started my fostering “career”. I can’t imagine living without a rabbit now – there’s something about earning the complete trust of a prey animal that makes the relationship seem more special. Angus’ passing left an Angus-sized hole in my heart that no other bunny could ever completely fill, though they certainly do ease the ache. I miss him every day, and I hope he enjoyed our almost-nine-years together as much as I did.
Love you, sunshine boy.
