more random thoughts from the annals of my brain

i totally used the line about slot cars today. i.e. "did it smell like slot cars?" (wrinkled nose)

**warning** i took nyquil fifteen minutes ago. just so you know, it could possibly get a little crazy soon.

i woke up this morning and my nose was funky. as in, it needed blowing, but the stuff that needed blowing was way back in the back and wouldn't come out when i blew it, but constantly "snags," if you will, when i breathe. anyone who gets sinus infections regularly should know exactly what i mean. it's that higher-up-than normal blob of snot that also makes your throat feel a little off and makes your ears stop up a little. the one that warns you, "i'm not fucking around. you better take some damned cold medicine OR ELSE." hence the nyquil. we shall see if it helps though, cause technically i should have taken claritin and sudafed and mucinex this morning when i first noticed it, according to the First Law of Amanda's Sinuses. (yes, you can mix those meds. just not nyquil with those. the only one you can take with nyquil is claritin. my dad's a pharmacist).

i have come to the conclusion that the only difference between teenage angst and twenties angst is awareness. when you're a teenager, hormones and inexperience allow you to be blind to the fact that you're angsty (most of the time) and you think it all really matters. god. but when you're in your twenties, you know there's no real reason to hate the world and be all emo and shit, but it happens anyway. and there's nothing you can do about it. i KNOW i need to take a chill pill, and i do have methods of self-calming, but sometimes? sometimes i WANT to be pissed off at all the stupid people/assholes/people whose philosophies are unlike mine because they are closed minded. alas, knowing why people piss me off doesn't help me not be pissed off.

oh god. i just sneezed. then i had to blow my nose, and it was semi-productive, but the way-back-there-blob just got bigger and more constrictive of my nasal passages. hurry up, nyquil.

i have decided to use mint.com to keep track of my finances. it's pretty cool, and the interface is much more user-friendly than wesabe. in my humble opinion, anyway. i got a pretty graph from it. (pie graph). and it tracks your spending in various areas month to month, so after a few months i'll actually be able to see progress or lack thereof ALL ON ONE SCREEN.

and! i realized i'll be getting a pretty substantial refund from federal taxes this year! all you people who are about to jump on my case for giving the government an interest-free loan, shut it. if i hadn't had this money taken out of my paycheck i probably would have spent it, not saved it, and this way, i'll get a big check and immediately stick most if not all of it in savings. i MIGHT allow myself a pedicure. and i need new tires (but that is a NOW need--and is a NEED--especially if it rains, so i might not be able to wait that long). however, the refund will be almost enough to pay tuition. grin. but my mom offered to lend me the money (interest free) and then when work reimburses me in may i can pay her back...which i am seriously considering doing (and giving her interest, at least as much as she would've earned had she put it in her money market account).

now that saving approximately 200 bucks on gas every month is a very real probability, i am practically giddy with excitement about how that means i can build up an emergency fund and pay off my credit card that much faster. :)

most blogs i have read say it takes about a year between wanting to live frugally and actually realizing the state of living frugally...if that is the case i've got about four to six months left...i hope it isn't that long. i can tell i think differently about spending money now though. grin.

it has been almost two weeks since i have purchased a meal at any type of restaurant. i am so proud of myself, and strangely, i have no desire to go out to eat to celebrate. go me!

and i think i will crochet scarves for the relevant people for christmas. if i do relatively skinny ones i think i can do enough. plus, who doesn't love a really great, soft scarf?