Budget. Bah.

The good news is that since I took charge of the budget in January, we (read, I) have been much more careful about staying within a budget, and we (again, I) have spent about $300/month less than when Tim was trying to manage it. Now it's like a game, staying within the budget. We did, though, get an extra unexpected check from relatives, which made it possible to pay the car insurance, so that helped out my budgetability a bit.

However, we're now at the end of the month and I'm going insane with being out of money, and cranky at March, because employees at my school may get furloughed, which means forced days off without pay, which is really going to screw the budget. Happily, though, my conference/vacation falls on the weekend when I get paid and start a new budget month, so I won't have to scrimp and save to be able to have fun in the Twin Cities - I'll just have to make sure not to blow all the money on that weekend and have to hate life through all of April.

Wow - April. Spring can't come quickly enough right now.

I'm headed to Philly this weekend to hang with mom and sister while said sister does her audition at U of the Arts. Does anyone have restaurant recommendations? Something in the $10-15 entree, not-too-ethnic so that the sister will eat there, category? Oh, and a good dim sum place, perhaps? I'm addicted, and as long as the mom is treating, figure I may as well try to sneak in some good eatin'.

I have officially made it through one skein on yarn on my sweater, which amounts to about half of the front panel of the thing. I'm using my wonderful Crystal Palace bamboo circulars, which makes up for the fact that the texture of the yarn is a little coarser than I like to work with. When I have money together again, I'm going to start an afghan to give my sister as a graduation/starting college giftie. First I want to find out where she's going, though, so I can even do it in fancy school colors.

Scrabble last night - won 3, lost 1, but lost big (97 points). Had bad tiles most of the way around the games, so I'm happy with doing as well as I did. I got to play HAIRLINES for a nine letter bingo (I had IRLINES on my rack, and played it after a HA on the board) - pretty exciting.

imagery mix

I'd forgotten how important song lyrics are to me. I was trying to figure out why none of the songs on recent mixes were really sticking with me, and my current hypothesis is that it's due to my not really understanding the songs or anything they're trying to say.

Flashing back to the last time I drove myself to work, I remember really hearing the words to one of the songs I was listening to (don't fix my faucet/i like it broken...) and how much more interesting the song was once I listened to its meaning.

So right now I'm copying all of these lyrics to songs that I've downloaded into a word doc. Also, now that the computer at home is upstairs, I've been listening to music more rather than turning on the television. That mp3 jukebox idea is getting more and more appealing to me...

And I've mostly finished my Imagery CD:
( Moving Forward, Looking Back Tracklist )

Lori McKenna Lyrics

I just found this song and it makes me think of a lot of people, and so I'm posting it:

As I Am

Well the sky might fall, and I'm Chicken Little yelling, while I'm floating out to sea.
Well I am tuggin at your ear for some Attention, don't you give a damn about Me?

I'll be the first to say there's a child inside my body, can't pay the bill but I can spend.

Will you love me, when I am torn and terrible, will you even know me then, I am a lion, I am a lamb. Will you love me as I am.

Well the earth is shakin' right below your feet you know, 'cause I am crawling underground. Say you love me, you can tell and I will show . Don't you even know what you've found.

I am a lion, I ama lamb. Will you love me as I Am?

You can take or you can leave me, I am not God so don't believe me. Tell me how you'd like to need me. Love is all. Love is all.

Will you love me for what is right before you? What you see is what you get.
Well, I am growing old, and life may be down hill.
Don't think I haven't reached my potential yet.

I am a lion, I am a lamb. Will you love me as I am?