priceline

well, i just used priceline for the first time ever, fingers crossed that the car i booked will be where i need it when i need it for the low low price i just paid. if anyone has experience with them... well, i probably should've asked that before i punched in my credit card number, eh? despite my cheapo travel habits, they've never appealed to me. flight times are an issue for a problematic sleeper like me, and if you're dealing w/2 star hotels, as i often am, you really need more info than they give before committing. with the cars, though, they narrow it down to three major carriers, all of whom i've used before, so i felt confident. i actually lowballed for my first try, thinking it would be rejected, just to go through the process and see how it worked-- but lo and behold, i snagged it-- $17/day for a midsize. now i'm wondering if i should've gone lower-- but i guess that's sorta the point. at any rate, this way saved me about a hundred bucks. part two of the savings plan is to add comprehensive & collision to my current car insurance so as to avoid paying the rental insurance. when i was pricing the collision coverage online, i kept getting the "are you SURE you really want to do this?" message, which makes sense given the barely-there monetary value of my ride. but that's not the point. current coverage runs through may, and i expect to rent at least twice between now and then, for a week-plus each, so financially it makes more sense to just insure myself through geico instead of paying alamo or whomever. (plus, if god forbid a tree were to fall on my car while i'm off galavanting in a rental, well, i might get a couple bucks for my trouble.) the only catch is, i have to get my car inspected first by a geico-approved body shop. makes sense, to thwart folks who'd add it the day *after* an accident to fudge the coverage, but given the technical value of my car, it seems tedious. and the to-do list grows ever longer...

a private message to TAFKAMH

hey B, been meaning to ask: what's up w/your blog being all exclusive-like? am i invited? miss you, love you, hope all's well in your world... call me!! xo C

why i hate the holiday season

just back from target, where i bought the bookcase i'll be putting together as my t'giving project. and, holy smokes-- not even black friday yet, and already i want to slash the tires of everyone in the parking lot. people, seriously. stay to the right, slow down, and relax. look behind you before moving in reverse. unless it would be a legitimate hardship for you to walk a few more feet, quit blocking traffic to wait for the closest possible parking spot, when you can clearly see that woman has three rambunctious kids and eight million bags to load into her car. and for pete's sake, don't follow me out of the store with my cart. you sure as hell don't want my close-to-the-exits spot, and i don't want to walk as slowly as possible just to piss you off, but i can't help myself. i just hope i stocked the cupboards well enough that i don't have to go back there before january. and that my roomie will be willing to help me get the damn thing up the stairs-- not only is it heavy, not only did i rip the skin on my wrist getting it off the shelf, but the stupid box is open AT BOTH ENDS. i almost chose a color that would not even remotely match anything else in my house just to avoid dealing with the box, but alas, my completely nonexistent decorating skills chose that moment to rise up. on the bright side, i was also looking for a couple travel-sized toiletries for the 3 oz/ziploc baggy TSA nonsense, but instead found, on the endcap, some full-sized pantene stuff marked down to 87 cents (!!) with free travel-sized samples attached. big score, considering that similar (but less delicious-smelling) stuff was 99 cents for the travel size alone. (in retrospect, if i'd had my coupons with me, i probably could have gotten all of it for free. which unfortunately makes me want to go back... must resist.) now, to lift my mood: more bourbon bacon! it's definitely among the top five bacons i've yet tasted. sweet, with just enough fat to taste yummy but just little enough that i don't need to use the press. today i'm making bacon popovers, which i can't believe never occured to me before now. the beef bacon is going to be crumbled & put in mashed potatoes, with some cheese & spinach thrown in as well. a full meal out of what most people consider just a side dish-- brilliant. funny thing happened to me on sunday night... for the first time in my 15 years in the restaurant business, i had blind, deaf, and dumb people sitting in my section all at the same time.

wacky bacon

had an odd moment of something like nostalgia walking the block back from 7-11 this afternoon. felt almost like i was about to leave, and would really miss this place. thing is, i've had vague thoughts of changing apartments, but it would be silly to give this one up unless (until) i leave town. and yeah, i've been having the leaving-town thoughts (when don't i?), but even at their strongest, they still involve me signing at least one more lease here so i can finish a degree or two. (yep, i keep saying that...) haven't been able to stay awake past 9:30 pm for about a week. fell asleep on the couch tonight, fortunately roomie came in around midnight & the door woke me up, so now maybe i can get slightly back on track. told her i'd work for her tomorrow night, so i better. ordered some wacky bacon from father's, found mentioned in the back of my new bacon cookbook. tried the beef bacon first, and i "burned" it (like i like), but i'm thinking i should've cooked it "normally" for the first try. very meaty, peppery, reminiscent of jerky. not a big fan of jerky, but this was delicious nonetheless. next up is the vanilla bourbon bacon. how could that be anything but scrumptious?? roomie moves out in three weeks... mixed feelings, mostly it's a bummer. 2007 will likely involve a lot of working. not planning on looking for another roommate right away, tho it would be prudent to do so eventually, as i plan on being gone for most of march, and odds are i'll repeat to rhinebeck over the summer. jan/feb were remarkably good, $-wise, at the cafe last year-- hoping for a repeat. speaking of working, got a call asking if i wanted to work a shift while i'm in florida, which would likely net me the amount i paid for the plane ticket. and, if all goes well, get me an in for future work there (i.e. bike week). you bet i'm gonna say yes.

yet more rain... but inside???

i am such a bad weather wuss. if i'm going to live where tornadoes travel, i really shouldn't also live within earshot of train tracks. can you say paranoid? i sure can. but look-- a welcome distraction! it's raining in my kitchen! GRR.

just checking in.

lots to post about, but lately i veer wildly between "too busy" and "too tired." they're connected-- sleep issues are worse than usual lately, which is to say, they've completely taken over my free will. for now, i shall yank (and truncate heavily) a q'airre from my friend P, who i hope continues to reap the benefits of her current and well-earned happiness! 1. Do you have any big plans for November? only to work as much (and spend as little) as possible to pay for my december trip to florida, and prepare financially for my roommate's imminent departure. and also perhaps for those lucchese boots i have my eye on... 4. Quote something from last night: from a sort-of dream: "you think breaking his heart is FUNNY?" 7. Is there a vase in the room you're in? technically, yes-- it's full of southern comfort mardi gras beads that a former coworker brought me back from her trip to nola. 8. Any plans for today/this evening? i'll be working, and hoping the storm that's moving in doesn't knock out my power, since getting the work done requires having internet access. (obviously i hope it doesn't rip off my roof, either.) 9. Have you recently been insulted? well... about a month ago, a dear old friend asked me, after hearing about my jobs and not much else, if i missed my "wild days," assuming that just because i'm participating in what sounded to her like the grown-up world of commerce, that i no longer have any fun. i adore her, and i know she absolutely didn't mean to insult me, so i just said "sometimes," but it kinda stung. i *am* less wild than i used to be, but damn. 10. What is the radio in your car tuned to at this exact moment? the CD player. i can't stomach the radio here-- i know there's a good "underground" station, but my antenna doesn't work so well. 12. How many days a week do you work? sometimes all of them, sometimes very few. varies by the week. 15. Are you more like your mother or your father? i generally think i'm more like my dad, though lately i think i take equally from them both. 20. Are any of your myspace pictures alcohol related? as if. P answered this perfectly: "This question is part of the problem with myspace." 22. What was your most recent serious injury? my f*?!*ing tooth. see previous posts. 23. What were you most recently happy about? the plans i have for my december trip. oh, and the cornell exhibit at the smithsonian that opens tomorrow, which i shall go see in january. 26. What shirt have you not worn in a while that you would like to? the white pseudo-tuxedo shirt i bought on my june/july trip and then lost on my august trip. 27. Where'd it go? i think it's at the house in rhinebeck.