MythBusters Demolition Derby Part 1

06 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 6th,2011 | Mythbusters, Television |  Comments Off on MythBusters Demolition Derby Part 1

While my DVR claimed this was a new episode of MythBusters (and recorded it for me), I quickly realized that that was not exactly the case. It was a whole bunch of old “myths” repackaged for two themed episodes. Not that I can blame them, and I do like watching the crashes.

Of the complete myths we saw last night, my two favorites are the fruit stand- because driving through one in real life looks exactly like it does in the movies –and the instant convertible- because it’s plausible and the car went up the bern and jumped a fence.

Student Loan Frustration

05 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 5th,2011 | Budgeting, Debt Reduction, Finances |  Comments Off on Student Loan Frustration

Citibank owns my graduate student loans. In December, I called to complain that my auto-payment had been cancelled. They said it was because I had already made a payment that billing cycle. Well, I made a payment this billing cycle, so imagine my surprise when an auto-payment was taken from my account this morning. It’s what I wanted, but not what they told me, and there was no communication letting me know the terms of their auto-pay had changed. And worse, the amount wasn’t for my new minimum payment, my old minimum payment, or even the difference between the two.

Kitchen Gadgets I Love (1)

04 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 4th,2011 | Food, Technology |  Comments Off on Kitchen Gadgets I Love (1)

I am not the cook in the family, but I do occasionally have to do the cooking. To that end, there are some kitchen gadgets I could never live without. Number one is our rice cooker.

We used to have a small rice cooker, perfect for two people, but when it dies, we bought an industrial sized one that also doubles as a steamer. Most of the time, we make the minimum amount of rice required by the cooker, but its nice to have the option for more for lunches and dinner guests. We’ve never used the steaming function, though.

 

Updating Life by Pets

03 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 3rd,2011 | blogging, Writing |  Comments Off on Updating Life by Pets

I started Life by Pets because I was thinking a lot about Moree dog and reading about how “dogoirs” were currently so popular. So why not try to have my own “dogoir”, or more accurately, a “petoir”, a blog dedicated to telling stories about my life as it intersected with the lives of the pets I have spent my life with.

The problem has been, I have not been disciplined about making regular updates. The goal for the new year is to post on a MWF schedule. The current plan is to write the coming week’s posts on Sunday night.

 

Announcing the Fiction in 50 Contest

02 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 2nd,2011 | Microfiction, Writing |  Comments Off on Announcing the Fiction in 50 Contest

My microfiction site, Fiction in 50, is now running a monthly contest. I will pick weekly winners from the submissions, and then at the end of the month, readers will get to vote for their favorites in a poll. The poll will be open for one week. Monthly winners will receive a $5 Amazon.com gift card.

It is not much of a prize, but I’m hoping that the contest nature, and the fact that there is a prize, will help draw more readers and writers to the site. Sometimes, you have to take risks in order to meet your goals.

 

New Year Goals

01 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 1st,2011 | Microfiction, Writing |  Comments Off on New Year Goals

I rarely make New Year’s resolutions as they always seem like promises that you have permission to break. I did know one woman who made one made a resolution to give up chocolate. And she did, permanently. That will never be me.

But a new year is as good a time as any to evaluate my goals and make some changes. This year, I want to grow all three of my blogs. Here I need to maintain. On Life by Pets I need to get on a regular MWF schedule. Plus Fiction in 50 is turning in to a contest.

 

Women In Red

31 Dec

Erin Shanendoah |  December 31st,2010 | Budgeting, Debt Reduction, Finances |  Comments Off on Women In Red

On Dec 30, 2009, I decided I needed extra motivation and accountability when it came to paying down our debt. We didn’t know how long unemployment would last, and debts that had seemed like no big deal when we were both working loomed menacingly overhead.

I started with the Women In Red message boards whose purpose was to help women get out of debt (men are welcome). I became a Racer, someone with specific debt payoff goals.

Today, I’m linking to the new home of the WIR. It’s a nice place to visit, and a great place to stick around.

Goodbye, MSN Money Boards

30 Dec

Erin Shanendoah |  December 30th,2010 | Finances |  Comments Off on Goodbye, MSN Money Boards

MSN is closing its Money Message Boards. As of January, they will be gone, and years of advice, hundreds of ideas, will be memories.

Who knows why MSN is doing this. They’re a huge company, and I’m certain it makes business sense for them, but its leaving a community of people stranded. Luckily, one enterprising soul set up a new board for the MSN Money Board Refugees, and it appears the community will remain strong.

Now the challenge is to keep bringing in new blood. From now on, my Friday post will link to an interesting conversation happening over there.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (FINAL)

29 Dec

Erin Shanendoah |  December 29th,2010 | Discrimination |  1 Comment »

Separate is never equal. 51% of the people will vote to enslave 49% of the people 99% of the time. That’s why we have courts; that’s why letting the voters decide isn’t always the answer.

The repeal of DADT is a major step forward. And I appreciate that Congress actually voted for the repeal. But they didn’t have much choice. The courts had already invalidated the law.

This isn’t new; this isn’t liberal judges legislating from the bench. This is the courts performing an important part of their function. Sometimes society needs to be forced to do the right thing.

Braces (2)

28 Dec

Erin Shanendoah |  December 28th,2010 | Dental Care, Healthcare |  Comments Off on Braces (2)

Right before Christmas, I got braces. My two front teeth were slowly tilting their way inside my mouth, and my smile, something I used to get complimented on, had become something I did not even want to see.

Because I have a major overbite, I also got a bite plate, to keep me from biting off the brackets on my lower teeth. The bite plate works incredibly well, so well that I actually can’t bite anything. At no point to my top teeth touch my bottom teeth at the moment, essentially putting me on a liquid diet for 6 weeks.

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