Almost 1 in 300,000,000

I like my name and I'm glad there are are so few of me out there - makes me feel special.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 3 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Getting A Life

I'm going to use this blog to answer some questions posited in Shut Up, Stop Whinning and Get and Life:

1. What would I like to accomplish before I die? I want a relationship with a man. Not just a sexual one - a real relationship where there's an exchange of ideas, compassion and some good sex without having to feel that I'm just a stand-in for what/who he really wants.

2. What do I want to own that I currently do not own. A house.

3. What kind of car do I really want to drive? One that doesn't break down, has air conditioning, automatic shift and probably a 4-door.

4. What kind of house do I want to live in? A house with character; arch doorways, hardwood floors, a small yard, garage, a basement that is dry and doesn't smell musty. A house with light coming in and a kitchen that has light and is easy to work in.

5. At which stores do I really want to shop? A store that I can afford and has merchandise that I can wear/use. I want to be able to buy clothes in the "regular sizes" though. That's the kind of store I want to shop - a store with normal regular ladies sizes - not the "women's" sizes set in the back corner.

6. What kind of clothes would I like to wear? Fashionable classics. In regular sizes!

7. What kind of jewelry would I like to wear? Understated jewelry. I don't find the flashy jewelry very complimentary or appeasing.

8. Which restaurants do I want to go to? I like the kind where I get my money's worth, which is why I'm fat!

9. Where would I like to travel? Warm and bright places. I'm also a sucker for good museums. But then I want to have somebody with me who appreciates what we're seeing and isn't just going "uh-huh", "that's nice" just to rubberstamp what I'm saying.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's official. I'm old. Yep, I'm 50. You should realize that I don't feel 50. I don't look 50 (really). And I certainly don't act 50. I was able to pass my birthday with friends both from group and work. I got a bunch of people together at a sports bar to watch Ohio State win another game. That's the first time I've watched a football game at a sports bar. It was enjoyable to cheer on our unbeaten team along with others.

Overall, life has been pretty good for the last couple of weeks. I've accomplished a lot of what I've wanted to in cleaning up my credit report and my efforts to get financing to buy a house. I was getting very frustrated dealing with one credit collection company/law office. After dealing with the unprofessional staff in his office in trying to pay off my bill three separate times, I finally just went ahead and paid the original creditor the original amount, saving myself over $700. So there Mr. O'Brien, if you had professional staff you would have made some money.

In the yearly birthday look back/plan forward, I've decided to finish buying a house, keep paying my bills and lose weight. I've been reading Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life by Larry Winget. He and my counselor should get together. But after 10 years of counseling, I'm finally in a position to hear it and now it's time to act. So here's what I'm going to do.

Make a budget and live within it.
eat less
move more

Three simple things -- let's see what happens...