Leavin' on a jet plane...

Photo Credit: Wired Destinations

But not today.

Later this month Big Red and I get to go to California for a week, and then upon our return I'll unpack for a day, then get back on a plane to go visit my friend and her new son in North Carolina. Two wonderful trips to round out Summer 2012.

But, because there's always a but, I can't help but wistfully daydream of all the places I still want to see. Big places. Like destinations that require a valid passport. I haven't used my passport since 2006 when I surprised Big Red with a trip to Ireland for his 30th birthday. Yeah, I know, awesome gift, right? I took a second job working at Ann Taylor in the evenings and on weekends, saving my paychecks in a secret bank account. The trip took two years to save for, but when all was said and done, we had a fabulous vacation in Ireland that was paid for in full. 

And that's how I like to do things, or at least spend my money. I like to save up and then pull the trigger. I hate debt, which probably doesn't differentiate me from most, but I'm pretty vehement when it comes to paying things off. Except for my student loans; those bastards are permanent barnacles affixed to the underbelly of my life. And my income. Whatever. One day they won't be there. End of story.

Besides Ireland, I've been to Cuba, Mexico and all over the United States.  While I've seen a substantial portion of the US thanks to two cross country moves, there is still a healthy list of places I'd like to see:

• Portland, Oregon
• Seattle, Washington
• Sedona, Arizona
• Savannah, Georgia
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• Cape Cod, Massachusetts
• Vermont
• Maine
• Hawaii
• Alaska

Then there's the wish list with destinations outside of the US:

• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Spain
• South Africa
• Bora Bora

Impossible list? I don't think so. Plausible? Definitely. What's my biggest obstacle? 

Money. 

Photo Credit: Hotel Connoisseur

Stupid, stupid, money. The almighty dollar. Coinage. Dough. Funds. Funds. I need funding. Traveling doesn't fall out of thin air, not to these destinations. I don't play the lottery, and I'm pretty certain of what I'll be making as a public school teacher from here on out until retirement. I'm not going to be anywhere near skid row, but there aren't going to be Benjamins raining from accounts. Not even close. So I find myself returning to what makes me most comfortable: saving. Squirreling away money when I can find it.

I'm going to set a goal. Yes, it may seem like a long ways away, but I'm going to shoot for it. If I get to it sooner and it should work out, then bravo, if not - the end date is 2018. The year I turn 40. Either before or in the year 2018, I want to take a big trip either to Europe, a France/Italy combo, or a vacation to Bora Bora. It may be with Big Red, it may be with girlfriends. At this point, the details are irrelevant. All I know is I want to go.  So, with my budding photography business, I plan on socking away what I earn in hopes of funding a 40th birthday trip.

Who's coming?

Trimming the Fat

As per my last post, the theme for 2012 in our household is less is more. And we're sticking to our guns. This morning, I made the call to Comcast and had our land line cancelled and our cable viewing reduced to just -deep breath- basic cable. I think I just threw up a little in my mouth, which is incredibly pathetic, but I've made no bones about my addiction to television. I'm convinced this will not only benefit our overall monthly expenses, but it will help get me out of my TV quagmire. Time to dry out my brain, so to speak.

In addition to the overall cable bill, we also went and updated our cell phones. Because we knew these would be our only forms of telephone communication, Big Red and I wanted to make sure we had the proper equipment.

No. We did not get smart phones. Sorry. We refuse to do so. Neither one of us feels the need to have the Internet at our fingertips. Our wireless and individual laptops will suffice for now. And if our overall goal is to spend less money, getting smart phones would blow that up quickly with a data plan. So no, no smart phones. Just a simple Blackberry-esque looking phone without all the bells and whistles:

We revamped our cell phone bill which included a 15% discount to our monthly bill thanks to my employer. So even though we added unlimited texting to both our phones, with the discount, our bill will actually be cheaper.

We win.

Hanging in the Strip

I've finally found my way back to this blog. Truth is, there hasn't been much to mull over. I guess I could tell you the story of how at this year's staff holiday party, a colleague mistakenly thought I was pregnant. Yup. Actually put her hand on my belly, eyes all lit up and asked if I was pregnant. My response: Nope. I'm just really f*@$ing fat right now, but thanks for coming! Yeah, that was pretty awesome. I didn't go jump off one of the many bridges readily accessible to me, instead I reacted as any female would - I proceeded to stuff my face for the rest of the evening. And then the very next day moved the elliptical out from the corner of the storage room (which has since become overrun with construction crap) and into the family room. I aimed it right at the TV. The social faux pas happened a week ago. Since then I've been eating better, walking the dog, and riding the elliptical. I guess sometimes we need someone to overstep themselves to shake us out of our slumps. It's not like I haven't noticed; I've just been in denial. That's all I'm going to say about that.

As for the rest of my life, the usual has been going on - the hyper gluttony of Thanksgiving, pulling out the Christmas crap (I personally LOVE Christmas crap), and counting down the days until Winter Break when I get a respite from my students, and they get a break from me. Cause let's be honest, as much as they get under my skin, I'm sure they'd chirp in with a similar vein of thought. Or would it be a tweet instead of a chirp? I don't tweet, and I don't plan on tweeting. I don't even own a smart phone. I still have a flip up the front lid type of cell phone. Do I really need the Internet right at my fingertips at any given moment? Really? Nah. I'd rather spend my money on a digital photography class at the local center for the arts. T really wants to take the class and thinks it's a good idea. I think it's a great idea, but the tuition is a tough pill to swallow at the moment. I told her I'd be up for it (and the cost) this coming spring.

Speaking of photography, in my last post I mentioned a possible opportunity to photograph a couple on their wedding day. They chose to go with someone with a little more edge. I was SO okay with that. Like I said before, the idea of doing a wedding, even if it was just going to be the couple and no one else, makes me incredibly nervous. Perhaps someday down the line. Right now, I'm just content photographing newborns, pregnant ladies, and of course, Miss Daisy, T's daughter. I went over there recently and took some holiday pics of the little one. She's just too freaking cute. It's almost painful how cute she is. Her eyelashes are insane. That girl will never need to buy a tube of mascara.

I still have a lot to learn when it comes to snapping pics. That being the case, T and I decided to head down to the Strip District this morning. The Strip is about a half mile of shops, wholesale food markets, and all kinds of eateries, bakeries, and sidewalk food. We brought our cameras with us and had another go at practicing our art. Before heading to the strip we went to the West End Overlook, a great spot for getting an awesome shot of our little city.


I shot in RAW this time around. It's my first time shooting in this format. In the post-editing process, I did notice a difference. My ability to control the colors was much more acute. I dig it. I like how the images turned out.

I'm trying not to let myself get overwhelmed with how much there is to know in the world of photography - cause let me tell you, there is A LOT. At least if you want to do it right. I know much of pulling the trigger on a good image has a tremendous amount to do with the photographer's eye and instinct. I think I've a little bit of that in me. It's the technical stuff that I've got to study and practice. I'm hoping to add another lens to my bag, and a bag for that matter, this Christmas. Hopefully, Big Red - err, Santa, brings me the bag I've asked for. I sent Santa an email last week with a link to where to purchase said bag. It sure would be nice to travel to California for Christmas with my camera  tucked away safely in the perfect camera bag...

dollars saved

It is a well-known fact, and no secret kept, that I thoroughly enjoy watching television. Call it what you want - an addiction, a problem, a time-waster, a brain musher - I still love my beloved television and the host of horrible shows that come along with it. Cause let's face it, The Real Housewives of ______ isn't exactly quality TV watching. Nor is Kendra, or Teen Mom, or Dance Moms, or Gene Simmons Family Jewels. There are, I believe, a few shiny moments in my TV lineup like Breaking Bad, Modern Family, Frontline and the newest additions: Up All Night, Suburgatory, and Pan Am. Somewhere in between are the competition shows like Top Chef, Top Chef: Just Desserts, The Amazing Race, and Project Runway.

I know. It's exhausting just reading over them all. And slightly embarrassing. What can I say, TV is my vice. That having been said, what I DO NOT like about all this television is the bill. Big Red and I have a bundled service. We get the TV, cable and telephone all lumped into one bill in an effort to save some scratch. The reality of it is that we've been paying quite a bit for our luxuries. Because our cable subscription included every channel under the sun except maybe one or two premium movie channels, our bill each month was $193. A bit sickening. I'm always looking for ways to save us a little more money, money that could be used for Roth IRAs, home projects, or even vacations. A few weeks ago I made it my mission to cut down our bundled services bill.

One thirty-minute phone call solved the problem and I was able to execute my mission. I have to admit, as pathetic as it may seem, while on the phone with my cable company, I was actually nervous. Nervous about losing channels that housed my most beloved programs. In some quick editing, my fabulous operator was able to lower our monthly bill by $60. The best part? I didn't have to sacrifice a single channel. Well, totally not true. I did have to give up HBO. What am I losing? True Blood. The good news is that if when True Blood starts up again next year and I feel I really, really need to see it, I can order HBO for those months while it's on, and then cut it out again. Or, if I'm really slick, I'll just wait for the missed season to come out on Netflix. I'll have to wait longer to see it, but I will be able to see it.

All my other shows remain intact!!

We can lower our bill even further if we were to cut out our land line, but I hesitate in doing so. I'd really much rather talk on the house phone than my cell phone. The sound quality is better and it's much more comfortable. Perhaps someday down the line we'll get rid of it, but for now, we're keeping it.

So there you have it. One phone call = $720/year savings. More money for Big Red's retirement, more money to put into the bathroom remodeling, and possibly more money for vacation.