Finally got around to taking a picture of my Diesel Viker jeans I got for Christmas. Although I love the jeans, I think I maybe should have gotten a smaller pair as they seem to be a little loose on me compared to when I first tried them on back in December.
If you have not yet seen, but still plan to see the movies Eagle Eye and/or iRobot you may want to stop reading this post. I remember the first time I saw the appetizer of a trailer for Eagle Eye, it looked like it was going to be an amazing movie and I was hungry for the entrée. Unfortunately once the movie revealed who was making the calls to Jerry Shaw (Played by Shia LaBeouf) I felt like I was watching a remake of I, Robot, which came out not too long ago. I would have enjoyed Eagle Eye a lot more had I not seen I, Robot prior, because comparatively Eagle Eye was a much better movie, but the Déjà vuish experience ruined it for me.
If you've kept up with the Blog lately you may have noticed that I have been posting progress pictures. Obviously the word progress indicates an onward movement to a goal, which if you read last year’s edition of The ToddyLive Digest, you will know was to join a gym so that I could "Bring Toddy Back". I thought that the best time to join a gym would be in January, as I imagined that many gyms would be offering incentives aimed at those of us making New Year's resolutions that would require use of their facility. Turns out I could have gotten a better deal had I joined in December. I didn't let that discourage me from joining though, I just had to dust off those good ol' negotiation skills of mine and put them to use. In the end I managed to get what I feel was still a pretty good deal.
The insurance on my 2005 Chevy Cobalt is set to expire on February 20, 2009, so I decided to finally get around to taking care of renewing it today. Even though I have been with Progressive since 2002, I decided to see if any other auto insurance companies could give me a better deal. As a reference point I would like to state that my last 6 month policy from Progressive cost $467.00.
First on the list of alternatives was Liberty Mutual. They mailed me a letter stating that "...since our research shows that college-educated people tend to be safer drivers, we're able to offer college graduates like you a special College Education Discount of up to 10% on our already-competitive rates." Their full 12 month quote was for $1,947.00. Next up was State Farm Insurance, which is who I have my renters insurance with. Unfortunately they were unable to give me a quote as I was told that a representative wouldn't be able to contact me until tomorrow. I'm a very impatient person, so having to wait until tomorrow is unacceptable. Blame it on President's Day if you want, but Liberty Mutual, Geico, and Progressive had a representative available. Next up was Geico. Their full 6 month quote was for $427.90. I had contemplated switching to them considering my last 6 month policy from Progressive cost $467.00, but I held off and made one last call to Progressive, just to make sure I was going to get the best deal from all of the companies I had called. Surprisingly their full 6 month quote was for $382.50, so I'm really glad I held off. I would like to point out though that the representative from Geico was one of the most friendly people I have ever spoken with, so snaps to Geico for that, but unfortunately that 15-minute call didn't save me 15% or more on car insurance.
I posted an entry a little over 2 months ago (See "Scylla and Charybdis") and I thought I would give a little update on how my first post-college job is going. Unfortunately I still don't have any good news to share. I still have yet to receive the amount of ads proposed by the firm and although I originally had planned to have said something to them about it by now, I still haven't. I'm starting to think that having a full-time day job while continuing to do the ads in the evening would be a more lucrative situation. So as my time allows I have been applying for other jobs, which has yielded little success so far.
I think yesterday was the first Valentine's Day that wasn't spent alone, which was really nice. Even though it was pretty low key, me and the same guy from the day before went to Blockbuster and rented Saw 5 and Burn After Reading. Saw 5 was alright, although I wouldn't consider it the best of the existing series. Burn After Reading was hilarious and I definitely recommended renting that if you have not done so already.
So last night I went on what I suppose you might say a date. A DATE! We met through a mutual friend on Tuesday at a small lil' get together. I contacted him the next day on one of the social networking websites that he was on. We exchanged numbers and decided to hang out last night. The movie wasn't until 10:35pm so we grabbed a bite to eat first before heading over to AMC to see The International. Starting off the movie appeared that it was gonna be a really great flick, however after this big climactic scene in the Guggenheim Museum, the movie got both boring and confusing. It may be one of those movies that you have to watch a few times before fully grasping, so I am sure I will rent it when it comes out on DVD/Blu-ray in an attempt to do that. In addition to the trailers I told you about last Sunday (See “Bring your own popcorn”), I also saw the trailer for I Love You Man, which looks really good too!
"Your urge to get closer to someone may be becoming so strong that it's unbearable, but before you make any moves, you need to stop. Pay closer attention to the clues they are sending -- they might not be quite ready to open up to you just yet. To test the waters, keep your conversation light. Resist your urge to ask them to spend the rest of their life with you! Baby steps will get you closer to their heart than giant leaps. So take some time apart and make them miss you."
All I have to say is whoever wrote this really hit the nail on the head today!
One of the main concerns I had prior to moving was what to do with my then monstrosity of a TV. Initially I didn’t even think I would be able get it into my new apartment, due to the configuration of the stairwell and breezeway. I later found out that there were additional stairwells, which alleviated that concern. Given the increasing popularity of flat panel TVs though, I felt that I should still attempt to sell it if given the opportunity. After multiple attempts to sell it on Craigslist proved unsuccessful, I posted a flyer in the mail center of my then apartment complex and was fortunate to find a buyer.
After the transaction was complete I ordered a 46” Sony Bravia Z-Series LCD flat panel TV from Amazon, since the price was less than the local brick and mortar stores, they don’t charge sales tax, they offered free shipping, and I was able to quality for 0% APR financing for 24 months. Although I downgraded from a 57”, I am very happy with my purchase. A few days after it was delivered I went to IKEA and purchased some items from their BESTÅ system so that I would have something to set it on as well as store all of my components and DVDs. Once I get a Sony Blu-ray Disc player and a Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote, both of which are on my Amazon wishlist, my home entertainment center will be complete.
Got my 2009 Room & Board catalog earlier this week. I have been drooling over their Perspective bed which I would like to pair with their Copenhagen six-drawer dresser and nightstand. Unfortunately given the state of my finances it doesn't look like I will be placing an order with them anytime soon, but a boy can dream.
I apologize in advance if this post makes anyone hungry, but if you are in the need for a new recipe might I suggest this one for Cheddar Chicken & Rice Skillet. It's one of my favorites!
