Life in the country?

My secret is that I love listening to country music (my friends all make fun of me for it), but I like how the songs tell a story. Anyhow, I listened to Sweet Southern Comfort from Buddy Jewell, and the chorus is just so beautiful.

From Carolina down to Georgia,
Smell the jasmine and magnolia,
Sleepy Sweet home Alabama,
Roll tide roll,
Muddy water, Misssissippi,
Blessed Graceland whispers to me,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort carry on

I’ve lived in big cities all my life, I’ve only visited the 2 coasts (and Dallas… if you count a layover), I don’t know anyone who’s even FROM the South. I’d really love to visit Charleston one day, though, just to see if it live up to its reputation of being the “best-mannered city in the U.S.“

So, I guess, if I have any readers from the Southern states, what’s it like? What are some common misconceptions? What do you love about the South? What do you dislike? Is the pace of life really slower? How does a city in the South (say, Atlanta or Austin) compare with LA or San Francisco?

Why is In-N-Out that good?

So one reader, Amy, asked what is so great about In-N-Out burgers…

and… I’m at a loss for words. I can’t really put it in words. They just ARE that good. In-N-Out is the only burger joint I frequent. I don’t fool myself - hamburger is not a health food, but In-N-Out seems like the most healthy, genuine, all-beef burger I can get. The beef patty is good, the lettuce crisp, the tomato slices fresh, the grilled onions plentiful. And you can get a hamburger for under $2.

The sides are also yummy. The milkshakes are thick and creamy (my favorite flavor? Neopolitan swirl). The fries are delicious Animal Style (lots of grilled onions, please). In short, In-N-Out is my favorite fast food place. The giant safety pins are adorable, too.

But, because I don’t think I did In-N-Out justice in this post, I’d like to invite fellow In-N-Out lovers to chime in on why exactly is In-N-Out so good.

Going meat-less

But only sometimes.

I’m not the most adventurous of eaters, but I love eating meat - chicken bits in fried rice, In-n-Out burger, slow-roasted beef brisket, or lamb stewed in Morrocan spices.

(An aside: if you are ever in Buenos Aires and have a hankering for lamb, go to Bereber - it’s an Argentine-Morrocan restaurant with AMAZING lamb stewed with onions and figs. They’ve also got a nice mint iced tea. And the restaurant is adorable, embroidered cushions everywhere and ambiant lighting).

But I know that eating meat ALL THE TIME isn’t the most healthy of practices. So… I’ve decided to make a conscious effort to cut back. I’m not rejecting any type of meat in particular (’cause I love them all), but it wouldn’t hurt if I had 3 or 4 meat-less meals a week. It’s healthier and it’s cheaper.

So, tonight, my dinner will be stir-fried veggies with sauce (from Trader Joe’s, of course!) and wheat bread (also from TJ’s).

Answer: Costs nothing but is so great

Question: Random, off-the-wall, sincere compliments.

Have you noticed that a nice compliment really makes your day? It does mine.

In high school, I volunteered at a political hearing. At a rest moment a lady came up to me and said in that I looked like “la muneca,” which means ”doll” in Spanish (well, it also mean “wrist”. But, you look like a wrist doesn’t have the ring of you look like a doll). So pretty, she kept repeating. In that moment, I believed in the magic of good lighting, lipgloss, and well-behaved hair.

A couple years ago, CB and I were crossing the street when a guy in the car behind the crosswalk poked his head out and yelled to CB, “she’s beautiful man!”. It was a beautiful, sunny, California day, and I felt like a beautiful, sunny, California girl. I looked over at the driver and gave him a huge smile. For the rest of the day my step had an extra bounce to it.

So both of these instances happen years ago, but I still remember them. And they still bring a smile to my face. Sincere compliments cost nothing at all, but they are like little bursts of sunshine.

What’s the nicest, random, compliment you’ve received?

Remember how I lamented over $3.40/gallon gas?

Silly, silly me.

Only 2 months ago, I was filling up for less than $3.50 a gallon. Now the gas in my area has shot up to $3.85+, and on the way home I saw some stations with $3.99/gal. (I use regular unleaded).

I think I can handle $4/gal gas (but the pain… the pain!). But $5 a gallon? $6? Who knows how high gas can go. The upshot? Maybe people will start driving less, so… the roads will be clearer!

Just another sign post on the road

Without realizing it, I’ve already surpassed my year-end retirement balance goal for 2008 (see sidebar).

I originally set my goal at $22,500. I contributed $4,000 each to the Roth for 2006 & 2007, then $10,000 in 401(k) (later rolled over) for 2007, and I have $5,000 to contribute to the Roth for 2008. That adds up to $23,000 in contributions… but I adjusted it downward to $22,500 to account for negative market performance.

Now I still have around $1,000+ to go before I max out 2008 Roth, so I think that I’ll exceed $23,000, maybe even by $1,000, depending on how the market performs. In Freedom Fund news, I’ve at ~$9,000. Can’t wait ’til it crosses into the five-figure territory.

This makes me happy, obviously. Another thing that makes me happy is the fact that I have finally gotten a copy of Liz Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love from the library.

What I did this weekend

Danced. Napped. Ate. Strolled. Watched movies. Studied (but far less than I should’ve). Talked. Loved. Played. Joked. Laughed.

Prayed.

Dear God, thank you for all my blessings.

Something I realized: I’ve been looking for unconditional love in the wrong places. CB is wonderful, but he’s a man. He’s imperfect. I’m imperfect. Perfect love doesn’t belong to us, but human love, imperfect as it is, is worth it.

Dear God, I pray I’ll never be so hurt or so jaded as to stop believing that.

TGIF

Thank God It’s Friday!

I don’t know why, but as the day went on little things just grated my nerves, and I finished the night in a not-so-good mood.

So, I decided to go shopping (for necessities!). I stopped by CVS to pick up up a shampoo, and as pleasantly surprised by all the organic lines available. (Trying to avoid sulfates/parabens/phthalates as much as possible). I got an Avalon Organics clarifying shampoo that smell deliciously like lemons ($9), a sugar scrub from Aromafloria ($14), and Alba lip tint with SPF 18 ($4). As an aside, I’ve been pretty good about wearing sunscreen every day, but I have to admit I neglect my lips. Well.. not after I read this article about lip gloss and skin cancer.

The products were pricey for drugstore brands, but they all had beautiful packaging and good, organic ingredients. They wouldn’t look out of place at Sephora or at Macy’s. In the past couple of years I’ve really noticed that drugstores are offering more “upscale” lines. When I was a kid, I lived in the middle of suburbia where the only store within walking distance was a Sav-ons. The only things I remember seeing then were the old standbys, Neutrogena, Maybelline, Revlon. I didn’t even know if Aveeno was there then!

Now there are so many great brands available. Style AND substance for a lower price? I’m all for it.

Money Story #8: Seasicksquid in New Orleans

This is the story of a girl in New Orleans… trying to go back to school after some time away.

I’m a 23 female living in New Orleans, LA. I went to school for 4 years and stopped after I was in a bad car accident last spring. I moved back home to get back on my feet. I also was unsure of where I was going and not doing so well in school, which I have discovered is due to recently diagnosed ADD, so I decided against immediately returning to school. I live rent free at home. In return for free rent, I am obligated to clean the house from top to bottom twice per month. Good deal, if you ask me.

It was about 9 months ago that I moved back home, and in that time I’ve impressed myself quite a bit – I paid off $3,000 in credit card debt, purchased a car with my own money, saved money, and held down a full time “real” job and been very successful, overall. I also have a 30 hour per week part time job. After taxes, 8% to my 401(k) at my full time job, and health care, I take home about $2,100 or so depending on my hours at my part time job.

My monthly expenses break down something like this:
Car Payment: $300
Tolls: $40
Gas: $150
Personal Care: $250 (includes entertainment, toiletries, food, clothing, pocket money)
Student Loan Payments: $200
Savings: $1200

About my auto expenses…they are high and they drive me crazy, however, I am overpaying on my car loan by $75 automatically to reduce the term of my loan so I can own my car sooner. I have a 40 mile commute, but if I didn’t commute, I would not have a job.

I would love to move out on my own, but following Katrina, rents have skyrocketed in New Orleans and I don’t feel paying 50+% of my income for a hole in the wall in a not-so-nice neighborhood. Despite the successes I’m having, I am not too happy with my current job or situation. Part of the reason I am saving so much in lieu of getting an apartment on my own (or buying anything for myself) is because by August or January, I want to go back to school to finish the year and a half it would take me to complete my degree. I think I’ve finally figured out what I want to do and am ready to commit to it. I wasn’t before. I think it took getting me out in the real(ish) world to figure out what I wanted my life to be and focus me.

In college, you can be as optimistic and dreamy as you want, but I don’t think anyone really knows what their goals will be once they step out. Personally, I think that will make me even more marketable once I get my degree. My degree will be thoughtful, not forced. I’m sure there are many people who know exactly what they want to do from the start and are able to do that – I’m not one of them. I’ve also decided that my life is going to be about happiness and success, not about working a job I hate (like I am now) for the sake of paying my bills and having stuff. I have dreams, and I finally figured out how I can do it. Or at least try it, anyway.

My parents have agreed to let me live with them rent free, but they’re not going to help pay for school again. My goal is to have at least $10,000 before I go back to school, although I’ll be more comfortable with $15,000, which I can accomplish if I wait until January. Since I plan on going to LSU (Louisiana State University) where rent is actually affordable, I should be able to live somewhat comfortable on that for a year with part time income supplementing.

As for my career aspirations, after I graduate, I actually don’t want to start working right away – I think I might go into the Peace Corps. I hope to find contacts and friends there who will help me find a job in the international realm working with emerging markets – specifically Africa. I spent half of 2006 in South Africa and hope to move back there on a more permanent basis eventually. I’m now willing to work for it – in college, frankly, I wasn’t.

That’s my story and I’m definitely sticking to it =)

Wow… Seasicksquid is working 70 hours a week (full time real job + 30 hour/week part-time job) AND has the time and energy to clean her house twice a month. I am impressed… that’s a hard schedule. I wish her the best of luck!

Getting my Grey’s

I am so happy that Grey’s Anatomy is back!

Also, can anyone answer this… why can’t Meredith and Derek just be happy together?

I’m just wondering… if I have any readers out there who is (or studying to be) a doctor or a policemen or a firefighter or lawyer (regardless of all the lawyer jokes, when you’re in trouble you want the best!) … do you think you’d find these jobs more satisfying that other professional occupations (corporate lawyers, consultants, bankers, marketing executives, etc. etc.)

I’m just thinking… if you are a doctor/police officer you KNOW you are helping people, you are saving lives. And every day you encounter situations that reaffirms that (even if you fail sometimes). Every occupation contributes value, but the impact on people every day is less visceral, less individual.

For example, I can contribute to helping a company arrive at a solution for a particular issue, and that’s value being created. But somehow, it doesn’t have the punch of Meredith & Co., saving lives all day and all night (and somehow, still have the time and energy for various romantic complications!)