It’s been snowing for hours and the grass is nearly covered. Argh! I have such mixed emotions about the weather/moving. I still say I want to go where it’s warm and get settled someplace for at least a decade ASAP so we can start building up equity. Yet I love the peace and quiet this miserable weather brings, and I too, like the variety and adventure of moving, even if it is a pain in the ass. And now we’ve got the sweeps to factor in, too. Just as long as we’re never connected to anyone again! White, black, Mexican; they all make terrible neighbors if they’re ours, although the whites aren’t as bad and can usually be reasoned with.

We’ve revised our money plans so we can move in March when the lease is up. I think I’ll want to do that even if it doesn’t get any noisier. I just hate the lack of space, the tilted floors and all the spiders the warmer weather brings, though it’s nothing compared to what we went through at the duplex, and therefore, not moving then won’t be such a big deal. Meanwhile, we’ll each take $50 a week for fun, plus anything we save in groceries, plus any overtime he gets. My next goal is a Tonner doll of some kind, and Tom’s going to get me tons of oils and a new camera in exchange for the guitar.

I’m not out of incense or oils, but I love variety so much that I can’t wait to order! I’ll be ordering in a couple of weeks. Plus, they’re running a sale till the end of the year where everything’s 25% off. If I do an order of $150, I get free shipping, plus 4 free samples. I’m going to try lots of new scents, plus grab a few of my old favorites. I plan to get: Aloha, Angel Cake, Angel Wings, Baby Powder, Banana Taffy, Berry Blast, Beverly Hills 273 Rodeo Drive, Blueberry, Brown Sugar, Bubble Bath, Buttercream, Candy Corn, Chestnut Brown Sugar, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Cinnamon Jasmine, Coco Mango, Coconut, Coffee Cake, Cotton Candy, Cranberry, Cream Brulee, Creamsicle, Creamy Sweet Floral, Dazzling Gold, Dazzling Silver, Deep Red, Downy April Fresh, Eat it Raw, Egg Nog, English Toffee, Envy, Fcuk Her French Connection, Fireside, French Toast, Fresh Baked Bread, Fresh Cake, Frosted Snow, Geranium, Giorgio, Graham Cracker, Grape, Green Leaf & Bamboo, Hazelnut, Hollyberry, Honey, Hugo (sticks for Paula), Hypnotic Poison, Iris, Jasmine, Jelly Bean Tarts, Licorice, Milk Chocolate, Minty Patchouli, Miracle, Mochaccino, Moonlight Path, Musk, Nut Medley, Nutmeg, Oatmeal Cookie, Oreo Cookie, Ocean Breeze, Orchid, Patchouli Ylang Ylang, Peony, Pineapple Supreme, Pink, Pink Lace, Pink Sugar, Pussy, Raspberry, Red #2, Red Door, Red Giorgio, Secret Crush, Smores, So Pink, Spearmint, Storm Watch, Strawberries & Champagne, Strawberry Cheesecake, Sugar, Sugar Cookie, Sugarplum, Sweet Mango, Swiss Miss Cocoa, Tulip, Vanilla Musk, Very Sexy, Very Vanilla, Violet & Yellow Silk.

I have a good variety of perfumes, fruits, sweets, flowers and more. I hope I won’t miss incense sticks, but if I do I’ll just get a bunch of blanks and put up with the residue they leave. It’s just that it’s not convenient to change scents as easily with the burner, and especially with the warmer.

I get $50 every Friday and have decided to put the $50 I get on the last Friday of each month towards a spring trip to the department store, which we’ll do in the middle of the night when there aren’t any crowds to annoy us. By then the truck will be up and running again.

Unbelievably, I’ve hit my 30th win. I started the month with 18 wins and last night I hit 30! I had two nights where I hit instant wins twice, even if most of it is crap I don’t want. I got another iTune, my fourth bottle of lotion, and a King Kong collectible poster. Sometimes you just gotta get stupid instants in order to be registered for the grand prize which is usually something everybody wants.

I’ve now supposedly earned a small iPod, but I still doubt I’ll get it from these people. The last thing we did to give me the 1000 points required was to do a 30-day trial of AOL. We figured that since it’s been since Phoenix since we’ve had AOL it would be pretty cool by now, but we weren’t at all impressed. If anything, it caused us computer problems.

Later…

I went out and shoveled the walkway and even the porch, since the snow is blowing into it, but will probably do it again before I crash with the way it’s continually coming down. It’s getting awfully MA-like, though I haven’t even heard a car stereo today. Just vehicle motors and train whistles.

She just came out to clean her car off so she could take off. Why it took 6 door slams to do it, though, beats me. Especially since she’s alone. And who the hell was she talking to? In the bathroom, I heard her speak a few times very softly and never heard a response, so I guess she’s just one of those strange self-talkers. She certainly appeared to be alone when she pulled out.

This rat gets around more than any other rat we’ve ever had. She’s still lots of fun, but she can be a downright pest! She’s always begging for attention and to be let out to roam around, and when she does, she falls in the toilet and climbs the microwave’s cord to try to get onto the counter. That one hasn’t been successful yet! Sometimes I wish her house wasn’t where I work and that she’d sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. At least she doesn’t piss like Blondie. I guess being a female and all, she’s not naturally as territorial.

I’m afraid my palm tree is dying. After doing so well for so long, I must admit I’m a bit surprised. It really sucks too, after I fought so hard to save this little tree. It’s a slow process, but I recognize the signs after losing two other palms. It will take several months, but it will die for sure. Next time around, I’ll get a fake palm for damn sure! I kind of miss having a banana palm, too.

Later…

I just got a win notice for the Court TV Clean Getaway Sweeps. It’s just a $10 cleaning kit, but it’s better than a damn King Kong poster! Besides, things always need to be cleaned at some point, so I’m sure I could use it. It was a 3-star premium sweep and I was one of 250 to get this prize. I had to print out an affidavit to fill out and send in. I couldn’t imagine why the affy for such a small prize, but then I realized it was in case I won the grand prize.

Some people say they win more premium sweeps, others say they win more regulars. Well, I don’t know just which I’m winning more of lately, but I do know that the $30 I spent to go premium was well worth it because I’m winning a zillion times more! A lot of them do seem to be premiums, too.

My ear has gotten so bad. Tons of popping and pressure. I hope I survive one more week till I can see the doctor! And I hope he helps me and doesn’t charge us a fortune to do so!