Toilet paper isn't the only thing lacking in there...

Maybe I'm old school when it comes to bathroom etiquette, but people really need to learn proper manners for a public bathroom. There are some things that are obvious: replacing toilet paper or notifying the next girl coming in if toilet paper is out, avoid drenching the counter with excess water while washing your hands, courtesy flushes, etc. Others aren't so obvious, but this one should be:

If you're already on the pot and your phone rings, DON'T ANSWER.

Last week, I went to use the restroom which is shared by other tenants in our building. After I did my business, I went to go wash my hands. While I was singing the ABCs in my head (because that IS how long you should be soaping your hands), I heard a cell phone start to ring from one of the occupied stalls. I fully expected it to keep ringing so you can imagine my surprise when SHE PICKED UP THE PHONE AND ANSWERED, "HELLO?" EWW. There are several things wrong with that situation since I'm a germ-a-phobe, but isn't there some kind of rule or commandment where you are not supposed to answer the phone while you're sitting on the pot? I guess it would be okay in the privacy of your own home (I don't do it because it's just too weird for me), but in the public restroom of an office building? She even picked up the phone mid-stream. I know she was sitting there literally butt-naked talking on the phone about her plans for the night.  It obviously wasn't anything urgent. She could have simply finished what she was doing, wiped, washed her hands, and called the person back. FUCKING EW.

This one is a little bit different, but still has to do with cell phone/bathroom etiquette. This morning, I was in the restroom again. Just as I was finishing, one of my coworkers comes in while she was ON THE PHONE already. She gets in her stall, sits, and starts peeing all while advising her friend on the phone about what she should do about some lame ass she went out on a date with this past weekend. OMG people...is it that serious that you need to talk to people while relieving yourself?! FUCKING EW. I flushed the toilet with the hopes of it being overheard by the person she was talking to and maybe that person would have enough decency to ask my coworker to call her back. My coworker actually stopped talking and started again once the flush was done. So I guess whoever she was talking to was okay with the whole thing.

I know people use their phone to have reading material or play games while in the bathroom. For some reason, that's more okay in my head than actually having a conversation while you're peeing. But, to pick up the phone while in the act of using the bathroom or continue your conversation while using the bathroom is dirrty, dirrty , dirrty! Being drunk and doing the above is more excusable because your judgment is impaired and people might be calling to look for your drunk ass, but my coworker and the other lady have no excuse.  I'm going to say it one more time so you know how truly grossed out I am by people carrying on  phone conversations while sitting on a toilet in a public bathroom...FUCKING EW!

A Change is Gonna Come

The past couple months have felt like a punishment that I've endured kicking, and screaming, and crying the whole way through. In many ways, it was a punishment for making bad decisions and being an irresponsible, carefree twenty-something. Of course, I'm referring to having to work 7 days a week, sacrificing time with family and friends, and not indulging in unnecessary expenses like I used to. Now, that I'm getting an idea of the changes that lie ahead of me in the next couple months, I'm thinking what I've been going through wasn't a punishment but more of an experience in being a grown up with actual responsibilities. Hopefully, I was paying attention because I'm going to have to apply what I learned to the upcoming situations:

- No weekly paycheck from Macy's. Yes, you read right. I'm not working at Macy's anymore. I've managed to get out of the financial hole I dug for myself and felt good enough to let go of the second job. I turned in my resignation letter yesterday. However, I'm just out of the hole. Now I have to fill it in and plant a tree that will bear yummy fruit and help lessen air pollution (hey, I'm just going with the analogy). Basically, I'm at zero right now (instead of negative) and now I have to build up. Thanks to April and her financial plan for me (she's so smart!), I have a strategy to pay down credit cards, take care of the bills (car, utilities, mortgage, etc), and start saving. I'm not going to be perfect at this, I know, but I'm going to be a helluva lot better than I was last year.

- The Mama Bear might be moving back in with me. My mom isn't the best planner. She likes to have a Plan A through Plan AB and then will let you know at the 11th hour what plan she's going with. I chalk it up to her being a Gemini and wanting to have a gazillion options to choose from. Well, one of those plans is to move back into the condo at Diamond Bar with me. As of yesterday, this has a 60/40 chance of happening (60 in favor of coming back). I actually welcome her coming back (although she already drove me crazy yesterday, and that was just lunch). I'm able to save even more money, I get a freshly cooked meal every night, and I'll have someone to talk to at night. I'm okay with her not coming back too because I know it will be hard on my brother because he will have to commute to his school in Corona. The logistics of that is going to be insane for everyone. What do I want to happen? Good question, I guess if I really had to say, I would want them to come back for a little bit and then move back out when my grandpa and his wife come back from the Philippines (that, of course, is one of my mom's many plans too). We'll see how it plays out.

- Officially buying my car next month. The lease on my car ends on March 9th. I want to buy it and have been doing research on how to do that and get a good deal for it. I'm very intimidated by anything having to do with loans, financing, etc. Part of the problem is I'm not educated enough to really know what I'm talking about in negotiations. Hopefully, I can figure out all the terms and what I need to do in time. I really do love my car (his name is Max, by the way), so I hope I can keep him at a great price! The car websites say to shop around for car loans. If I can figure that one out, I'm buying myself some jewelry for conquering that monster. I'm hoping I don't have to negotiate this by myself, but I don't know anyone else who's had to buy a car at the end of their lease, so for now it looks like I'm going at it alone.

Well, those are the three major "tests" that are coming up where I can prove to myself I don't make the same mistakes twice and that I've grown up a bit. I feel somewhat ready to face the challenges ahead, which is cool because I usually feel like a chicken with my head cut off. I tend to panic and worry, so this is an unfamiliar, yet refreshing change of pace. 

Hopefully, at the end of this, I can listen to "Miss Independent" (by Ne-yo) and fee like he's talking about me ;)

Playing Catch Up

I know, it's been a while. December seems to have blown right past me and I was barely able to keep up. Unfortunately, this blog was one of the first things to fall by the wayside. However, it's a new year, which means I have a clean slate and fully intend to keep up with one blog a week (at least). Now, that I'm at work and there's not much to do (...correction, there's not much I WANT to do), it's a perfect time for us to get caught up.

Christmas 2009: Christmas Eve was spent with my mom and her family at her house in Corona. Albert and I decided to go wine tasting before the party. Good idea or bad idea? A little of both. I was drunk and terribly hungover in a matter of hours at a family party. It was great being drunk, not so much being hungover while opening presents. I felt like throwing up on everything. Christmas Day was spent with my dad's side at my Auntie Flor's house in Buena Park- watched the Laker game, then the Charger game. The Cousins' gift exchange was awesome becuase Mare gave me stuff I really wanted: The Hangover DVD and $20 to Barnes and Noble. There were a couple other gift exhchanges with Albert's family and his high school friends. Albert's family had a White Elephant exchange with some pretty interesting presents. Albert ended up with a LIVE hamster and I ended up with a foot and neck massager. As for Albert's high school friends' exchange, I think I did a fabulous job of giving a first impression of being an alcoholic - that was probably a bad idea, but no way to take it back now. Below are pics courtesy of Albert's camera:

Christmas Presents: I got some pretty cool Christmas presents this year and want to brag (LOL!). Hans painted my living room wall- something I've been meaning to do since May. I absolutely LOVE how it turned out and took before & after pictures. Unfortunately, I can't find the USB cable and dock to upload the pics, so I have to show you in a separate post. Albert's family got me a KitchenAid Chef's Chopper, which is PERFECT for making Lasagna Roll-Ups because it'll chop the onions for me! Again, Mare got me just what I wanted for the gift exchange. And, although this wasn't his official Christmas present to me, Albert got me a Zebra print Snuggie. He spent all day going to several stores and finally found one at Spencer's! Even though temperatures are starting to warm up, I use that snuggie every day :) 

Albert and I didn't really give each other Christmas presents this year, we decided to save up for our trip to Thailand instead. In the off chance we don't make it to Thailand, then we're celebrating Christmas in July...but we are determined to get to there so it's great motivation for being smarter and saving our money. 

Working Two Jobs: As most of you know, I picked up a second job working part-time at Macy's to help with the bills and have some extra money to play with. The first month was pretty easy to handle, maybe because I was so excited to actually have some extra cash. December was a bit harder to get through. I was working shifts that ended at 12:30am, which meant getting to bed around 1:00am and having to wake up 4 hours later to make it to my full-time job. Working two jobs has been a real challenge and a blessing in disguise. The tough part has been getting enough rest, staying healthy, and losing my weekends. I've been sick every week in December and still have a nasty cough to deal with. Plus, it sucks having to go into work on a Saturday or Sunday while everyone else sleeps in or makes plans to meet up and go places. I just remind myself this two-job deal is temporary and I have to correct my money mismanagement somehow...so I basically made my bed and have to lay in it. On the upside, I do have extra cash and actually don't mind working in retail. I can go out now and then and spend money that I actually have instead of being overdrawn all the time. Most of my coworkers at Macy's have been really cool and welcoming and I've been doing well with my sales goals. In fact, I've been asked to stay on past the holidays. I said yes (for now) because the extra money will help save for the Thailand trip, but being healthy is also pretty important to me and that's been hard to do with last month's schedule. Since the hours have gone back to normal (no more midnight shifts!), I'll have more time to rest between jobs and more days off between shifts at Macy's. In a perfect world, I wouldn't have to choose between money and my health, but we're obviously NOT in a perfect world. 

Goals for 2010: Well, I have lots of goals for this year, but they're all related to one goal. If this one goal is completed, then that means all the other goals have been completed or are on their way to being completed. I'll keep you updated on the progress of goals every now and then, but the top priority is this:

*Be financially stable enough to stop working 2 jobs*

 
...and now we're caught up. Well, to be more accurate, you're caught up with me (for the most part). Hope your holidays were relaxing and you got what you wanted for Christmas. I am really blessed to have the boyfriend, family, and friends that I have because they've filled my life with so much love and support. Thanks to them, I have much to look forward to this year! Best wishes to everyone in the new year!

For The Love of Scrabble!

Playing Scrabble all day is tiring...let's start a blog! This was supposed to be a blog about all the things that I am doing to live a "greener" life. However, I've been trying all sorts of things to change my lifestyle that I decided to do away with that blog and start anew. I think opening the blog to broader experiences will allow me to have more things to want to blog about. So far, I have stories about using public transportation in Orange County, trying out new recipes, being part of the "working poor," and just stuff I've been up to that people might be interested in. I've inherited a condo (no one died, my mom and younger brother just moved on to a bigger and better house), so you can expect to see entries about my ventures in home improvement and decor in the future.

As for the whole "Word Slinger", "Love of Scrabble" thing...well, I play A LOT of Scrabble...A LOT (even at work...shhh!). It's become so bad, that I've stayed late at work just to finish a game (I'm salaried, so it's not like it matters- well, other than the whole corporate time robbing problem) and I randomly calculate how much words are worth when I'm out and about. That's pretty bad. So yes, I consider myself some what of a "Word Slinger" and now that I have this blog I can sling words on the scrabble board on on this blog...HOLLA!

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Stay tuned!