Thursday Thirteen (13) Good Memories

1. Walking the snowy trails in Stowe VT with Neptune and Jazzabelle.


2. My husband planned all of our wedding day except my gown and hair!! It was great. We had mostly our friends there, and close relatives. We did it buffet style in a country club house room. Mostly we had amazing appetizers and plenty of them. After the ceremony and reception, our guests and ourselves got into bathing suits (late night) and played pool games.


3. Picking up our new puppy, Leon, at the airport!! He was so cute and shy in his crate. On the way home, my husband was stopped for speeding, the cop took one look at the puppy staring back at him, and just gave us a warning (and this would be a Boston or State cop---unheard of!!)


4. Going to Disney World with my grandparents when I was 9. My uncle and aunt (Ralph & Priscilla) also came along with my cousins Kaya, Chris, and Shauna. We got grampa sick on the teacups, and he was egging us on!! I also rode with my grandpa on the new Space Mountain ride!!


5. Picking Clyde up at the pet store, while walking home with groceries. He came home on the top of a grocery bag (couldn't drive, not much money). He was the only orange kitten in a cage filled with black kittens. He was feisty too!! He wailed the whole time they clipped his nails before he came home. When we got home, he was shy at first. I went to work, when I came back he hesitated for just a moment then ran right up to my face (I was crouched on the floor so I wouldn't look too big).


6. First dog that I volunteered to handle and socialize at the shelter. Solomon was a yellow lab. Very hyper, but also very loving. When he jumped up toward my face the first day, I was thinking "I hope this is a friendly dog". Then after walking him, I was drenched with sweat through my winter coat from all the pulling. He was adorable, and he had epilepsy. I would spend time in his kennel afterward just petting and talking to him. I did learn to take him out last if I wanted any energy for the next dog .


7. A pink valentines cake my mother made for me when I was 7 or 8. It had little candy hearts on the rim and all around the cake.


8. Last night of the RV trip from hell. My husband and I were miserable, but laughing hard at the predicament we had gotten ourselves in. We had tears streaming from our face. (Note: Don't rent Rvs, first of all, and also really make sure you like the destination you are going to. Finally, these are like big buses, you can't just park anywhere you want or do a U turn on the fly.)


9. My friend Patty farting over the intercom at work. Or belching.


10. A Christmas Catcus that was presented to me at Paul Revere for being a good team leader. That was a nice day, and completely unexpected!!


11. Eating at Bintlifts here in Maine for the first time for supper, and then for brunch. So great to find "the restaurant" for special occaisions. I would never have tried it, but a good friend of ours insisted it was worth it. Awesome food. I have a thing about not wanting to go to restaurants for so so food. I will go less often and pay more for really incredible food.


12. Thanksgiving on the beach this year and last!! Both times it was sunny, beautiful, and 60 degree weather. We walked the dogs and had a great time. For that matter, both Christmases were similar.


13. Boogey boarding with my husband. I always ALWAYS catch the most waves. Well, he really doesn't do well, but I try to coach him.

Duh, Save as Draft

Okay, I finally figured out that you can cheat and prepost on Blogger. Wow, that was one of the things I was hating about Blogger, and now it's going to be gaining on Typepad as my more favorite Blog service, and it's free!! I just don't know if I can take copying all my blogs back over hear again even to save 150.00 per year. Course, the other thing I like about Typepad, is I have so much space and have unlimited blogs that I can set up. Good for business, so I probably need it anyway with the video I am downloading and such!!

The other thing Typepad just started doing, which is a huge help, is placing the pictures on the portion of the page that you want them. So that one does not have to drag them down the page. Especially helpful if you have a really long post, because ultimately it screws with your paragraphs when you drag, and then you have to go back and reformat everything.

It's a Skating Rink Outside/Investing

Our new home (a bit over one year now) came equiped with our first garage, and it's a huge two car jobber!! You gotta love it when you have ice storms, as there is no chipping out or shoveling out that needs to be done. One can just get in their car and go.

Not that I am going anywhere today. Luckily, Nan took over for her client's visits yesterday, and brought Nikki home with her through this. So I am off for today too to finish up business contracts, liability forms, make sales calls, and finish up the web update for http://www.mannerlymutts.com that is almost done. So it's a working day, but I am staying pretty much in my pjs. I am not venturing out anywhere today on car or on foot. Except I am going to need to chop out an area for the dogs so they can pee and poop by getting a footing on the ground. I didn't realize this morning, and everyone took a tumble out the front door, then had a hard time standing just to do their business. I had to rescue poor Jazz who has wobblers, and couldn't get her legs from being splayed. When I went to pick her up to bring her in, I figured out we were both going down hard if I did that, so we just took it slow to the door as I tried to support her backside. Poor girl, it just sucks getting old. Leon fell into the ice with his legs splayed, and then was afraid to come into the door afterward.

Investing, hate it. I do it though as I always make money in the end, but I am only so so at it. Worst past story is that I had a good chunk of Martha Stewart stock right before she went in the clinker. I had written it off, and put my bid in fidelity. The great thing about fidelity bids is that when a future event happens, and your busy, the transaction will automatically be done. However, 9am one morning, I realized that was a baaaaaad thing too. You see they had announced Martha's new apprentice show (even though it ended up being a dud, it was a very favorable view of what it would be then), and the stock soared. If I had left it as is, I would have made something like over $10.00 a share. I basically almost took a header trying to charge from the second floor of my house to the first floor, and still didn't manage to get to the computer fast enough!!! Heartwrenching, but I got over it.

Now it's easy to make money investing when you actually have the money to move around. Not so much when your money is tied up in other avenues, like payment of the mortgage of your new house near the beach. Well, the new house near the beach gives me more pleasure, so I am not bemoaning that. It's this Siruis stock that I have, and I totally believe in. It's been a rollercoaster ride though and I am so far on the unearned losses list (ie value down, and I am holding strong). There is nothing wrong with Siruis, but XM's shananigans were the first to bring the stock down low well below my buying price. Then I swear these people who write articles for investors play games so that they can rise or lower the stock at a whim. Every friggin time, just by reading some article, I can tell whether it's going to go up or down that day, and it has nothing to do with company performance just what this bloke says at so and so broker house. That is what is irritating, because that's what you have to use to hedge your bets then, not the actual accomplishments or assets of the company. Oh well, so the stock has raised 215.00 this morning alone, bringing my unearned loss up to 2000.00. Perhaps if some yahoo investment writer doesn't play the games, I a may be able to earn on the first 250 of those shares that I bought lower. And perhaps if the merger goes through, I win big time.

So the reason why it's easier if you have more liquid cash, is that you can distribute the fees over more shares and by more expensive stocks that are going to go up and down. It's easier to pull out of a stock like this and ride the wave to maximize your profits or minimize your loss. Instead, I feel like I will loose out if I sell, also if I try to ride the waves, I will only be increasing the fee ratio as I don't have that much liquidity to go for the stocks I would replace it with. I also have some preset prices in with fidelity (reminiscent of MSO) so I feel like I need to be checking in now that it's on the upswing, in case I need to cancel one out quickly (if something big goes down). But not doing investing, means not having my money grow at all, which is also not an attractive option to me.

Freezing Rain

Pelting frozen droplets of water are pelting the ground and forming a crust of slickness. I should have bought the infomercial shoe modifiers. The equipment strapped onto your shoe, and had metal dots on the bottom that adhere to the ground.

Unfortunately, I most likely need to find a way to go out this afternoon to Nan's client's house. Nan is a pet sitter in the area that has referred to me a good amount of business, so I try to help her out when she asks. I took the afternoons for her with her client in Kittery, which is first of all a bit farther on a good day than I want to drive, and second of all we are now in the middle of an ice storm.

Poor Pearly's owner was not able to get here yesterday. I don't know how well she is going to be able to get here this morning. Luckily, Pearly is very easy to take care of.

I have nothing else to write about now, but ice storms take the power out all the time, so I figured I best get my blogs updated (although I keep forgetting that this is no longer my priority blog).

Typepad is Messing With Me Today

So here I am all chipper and early in the morning. Actually pulled myself away from my cuddly puppies. Groggily wondered who that fourth creature was, until I remembered I am boarding Pearly. Pearly gets to sleep in the bed, which is a service not offered all clients .

Go to typepad to dutifully get my business blog and middle aged princess blog done. Picked today, of course, to try Youtube video on my blog that I pay for. Interestingly enough although you get scads of room on typepad, good luck using it. Video does not upload to their site!!! You have to go through a service like Youtube which allows only 100MBs of video. Pictures and text just don't make a dent in my typepad service, even though I have like 15 blogs for all my clients and my personal ones.

Any way, I think the video I am practicing linking to my blog is making my blog out of wack. Takes me awhile to realize, no it's Typepad messing with the template designs!! Or perhaps they are off for the day, and something is corrupting the files. Geez Louise!! Why must this happen everytime I try something new or am feeling particularly energized. Ugh.

Have lots of interesting videos and pictures on these blogs today (should they correct the templates any time soon). Jackie, our young Doberman, brought us a bit of a present yesterday. Proudly prancing from the woods, he delivered a deer leg.

Yup, that's what is displayed in the tree. Too cold to dig it a proper grave yesterday, and so we are waiting for garbage day to dispose of poor Bambi's leg.

Lovely video of us playing on the beach at this blog.

Disgusting pictures of deer remains at this blog. This blog and possibly the other blog might not look right as Typepad staff is busy messing with templates, UGH. But if you scroll down, you will see them.

155 Million Powerball Drawing Tonight

How many other people have this disease? Whenever I play powerball (and I never play unless it's over 100 mil, cause let's face it that's the minimum I need to survive LOL) I am sure that I am going to win?

I will even let the anticipation build by not checking the number for a few days so that possibility continues to exist, which would point to the fact that I know I am going to loose. Fantasizing about how I am going to spend the money or what we are going to do:

1. Let Robert know when the money clears the bank so he can quit his job (I would still continue my business of training dogs. I might even buy my dream car (not his as he would want to pick it out himself) to pick him up somewhere in finery so he knows I am not kidding this time . Not that I have ever fooled him, this would just be the proof needed. Probably the deposit slip and copy of our bank transactions would help. My dream car, by the way, would probably be a new Range Rover, although I really prefer the 1981 used one that I had. Later on I would probably get the classic Range Rover that I really wanted (love the big windows, no blind spots, and just love the look of that truck), plus three or five dogs can all fit comfortably in the back.



2. Pay off all our debt and mortgages. Clearly.



3. Buy a house in Stowe VT. Nothing fancy, just something comfortable with some land (for the dogs of course) when we go and ski, which would probably be all the skiable winter.



4. Buy a house on the ocean with some land, and make this house and land all for the dog school possible shelter and kennel. Perhaps a couple of guest houses on the property.



5. Buy also all the acreage around this house, so that we can have 40 or 50 acres devoted to the dog school and shelter (we have that available now, but it would protect it so no one would buy it and build on it as they are prone to do here). Fence that in (just in case one gets loose as I will have a staff). Also build safe areas that staff can use to quickly isolate a dog or themselves if trouble breaks out. Building of a training room and kennel (possibly). I don't like to use kennels for dog boarding, but for isolating during a short portion of the day I don't mind. Or in a shelter situation, you really don't have much choice if you want to keep everyone healthy and safe.



6. Pay for the maintenance and paving of our street, so the neighbors won't complain about the business. Not that there is much they could do, but some might try to complain if it got busy. Paying for the maintenance and paving the street (and including speed bumps) would go a long way to keeping everyone happy. And if you could convince the city for public water and sewer, well then......



7. Probably come up with some kind of family trust fund or gifting for nieces, nephews, bothers, sisters, and Robs dad. Rob's dad is doubtful to say he would need anything, but specially make sure that he is all taken care of. He's very set in his ways, loves where he lives even though it's difficult to climb the stairs, and has shown no interest in moving here with us , but we will check again and again. His disorder (similar to mine) would make it difficult to actually live in the same place with him, but he is a loving and wonderful man. He's been a great dad to Robert, and I am sure is responsible (as is Robs mom) for his compassion and kindness.



8. Personal trainer for both of us.



9. Personal nuitritional chef for both of us.



10. I will NEVER clean again, but my house will be like my grams was in cleanliness. Now would just need to find someone to hire that can do that . Dogs leave a lot of hair and dirt, especially when they are allowed as much leeway as mine are.



11. Vacation to Hawaii for the husband. We have never been, and he always thought he wanted to retire there (until he met me). I'm not so excited about the destination, but we have fun wherever we go, and I am sure that if we pick the right location (and the volcano there does not erupt) I will enjoy it. Not a house there, as your dogs need to be quarantined for six months, and that just ain't happening.



12. Big old party at the ocean house. All my family is invited EXEPT mom, dad, and step monster. To her credit, mom wouldn't expect to be invited. I make it crystal clear to all family members that dad and step ARE NOT INVITED. Additionally (in my fantasy) all come, as his siblings all pray to the alter of money and material things. The most wealthy ones win. Well, that would be my step-brother, his family on his father's side, and his wife's family (talking almost bill gates rich there). Nevertheless, money shall lure all that dad is related to, and leave dad and step seathing with envy and regret for their now favoritess of daughters. Probably would get calls of apology from both on the press release of the Powerball play. Course, I would not accept the false apologies.



13. Oh I almost forgot, to die for wardrobes. Well made clothes anyway, not necessarily the most extravgant and expensive. Perhaps a stylist to help me put it all together.



14. Definately designers to put my houses together and furnish them. I know what I want, I just don't always know the best way to go about getting there. It's helpful if you have someone you can connect with, that does this everyday for a living.

There it is. My fantasy of instant wealth.

And then there is this guy, who started giving out money when he was poor, and then became "secret santa". Does that put my musings to shame or what? Not so good news is that he died, but if you check out the bottom of the story, he has left his legacy and nice doings in place. We could all contribute to the secret santa cause.