Facie’s Ramblings

Happy 2015, everyone! I wrote my first check of the year just two minutes ago, and I used the correct year. Already 2015 is off to a good start! :-) Regarding the check, I have to give a shout-out to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . For only $13, I can get 52 weeks of the Sunday paper. Yes, the Trib leans right. So do I, sometimes (I lean left about as often nowadays, much to the disappointment of my family and a few friends). Regardless, once the P-G raised its rates to something like $60 every quarter to get the Sunday and Thursday papers, I bailed. I do think the PG has a good product, but I could think of many other things I would rather spend that money on. With the great Trib price, I can tip my carrier, donate to the NIE, and save myself several hundred dollars a year. As is typical, I did nothing for New Year's Eve. Well, I did get a lot done during the day. I dropped the kid off at a friend's house. I got four new tires (my third replacement set since I bought the c...

On Facebook this week, a handful of people said good riddance to 2013. The self-absorbed person in me was surprised to read that. What? People had bad years? But then I remembered, it is not all about me, and others have had crap handed to them. At the end of 2009, I am pretty sure I would have called it a good year. Yes, I was laid off after almost 13 years at the same place. But I had unemployment comp, subbing, and a tiny bit of freelance work to keep us going, and, more importantly, I got to spend time with my kid! But, just as significant in my mind, both the Steelers and the Pens won championships! That was seriously such a fantastic year for Pittsburgh sports. I still smile when I think about it.:-) I don't have strong feelings about 2010-2012. I don't recall anything too great or awful; and nothing really significant must have happened. Oh, wait, I just remembered now, my mom was sick in 2010. But, hey, she got better! I guess time really does diminish some memories...

I don't typically do resolutions. Not exactly, anyway. I try to use the end of one year/beginning of the next to think of ways I can do things better or differently (or eliminate or add some things). But coming up with a list of (lofty) things almost always leads to some disappointment or failure. Last year (in late January, in fact), I decided to write two thank-you notes per month . Unfortunately, I did not quite achieve that goal, but I did send out notes of appreciation in instances when I might not have normally. And times when, for whatever reason, I did not put pen to paper, I at least made sure I thanked people via the phone or email. Back in December, I called my aunt to thank her for the birthday card she sent me. She said she was touched that I would take the time to say thanks for a card when most people would not think to do that. I told her at my age, I hardly get any cards, so I was appreciative. I also sent that same aunt a thank-you note a few weeks later for ope...

This post is kind of like a "Random Ramblings" post (interesting that I just capitalized the "r" in "Random" when I refuse to use initial caps in my blog or post titles), except it is specific to things as of late that either I don't get or I find interesting. Here goes: With all the technology out there, one might think (one being someone other than I) that when you click on the "Find product in store" icon on a company's website, and an "in-stock" notation pops up for a selected store, the product might, oh, I don't know, actually be in said store . Since I am not "one," I don't think that to be true. Mostly because it has not been true for Walmart, Target, and Walgreen's the few times I have used this feature in the past 30 days. Third grade seems a little young to have an i-Phone, don't you think? Well, I do. But apparently quite a few parents of other third graders do not agree if I can believe ...

If I were a betting a woman, I would bet that I have used the above post title before. I will try to remember to check before I post this. Here it is, another New Year's Eve. Unlike Barry Manilow, I don't feel the need to make it the best. This night really is just another night for me. My guess is that I have stayed up past midnight only once in the past decade (old-cough-old). Tonight will probably be no exception. I will be going out to dinner with my mom and the kid. We waited until yesterday to make a reservation, so we will be dining at 4:30 (speaking of old). My guess is if we had tried this in the Burgh, we would have been out of luck (we are at Mom's in Indiana County). But the worrier in me likes to be off the roads pretty early anyway. Mom has been in PA since Sunday night, just before midnight. For some reason almost an hour elapsed from the time her plane landed (around 11:50 p.m., not exactly a prime flying time) until her suitcase made it on the luggage...

Years ago, I gave up making new year's resolutions. I pretty much never keep them, at least not for more than a few months, so why set myself up for failure? This year, I decided to instead list resolutions I should make, but won't (except for number 3, which I clearly need to do). Here goes: Eat better Exercise more Find a job Spend less time on the computer Be a more consistent parent when it comes to discipline Read books Volunteer some place in addition to Jordan's school and my church I am sure there are others I can come up with if I spent more than a few minutes thinking about it. But since I don't plan to do any of them (again, except for number 3, which I would love not to do, but probably cannot avoid), why tax my brain coming up with them? Anyway, I wish all of you a great 2010 (I am pronouncing it twenty-ten, by the way. How about you?)! Oh, and wouldn't you just know it, I checked and at the end of 2008, I wrote a post entitled "Resolutions I shoul...

Today we took down our past-its-prime Christmas tree. I normally like to keep it up the weekend after New Year's Day, but it was looking pretty pathetic, and it was my last weekday off, so I figured I might as well get it done. Besides, with live Christmas trees (at least in our house), we will be discovering needles probably through the middle of February, so the season will keep going! I did manage to stay up until midnight for NY's Eve this year, and it felt good and bad. I am trying to be hopeful for this year, and I am somewhat, but the pessimist in me thinks things will probably get worse before they get better. Penn State started off the year in the wrong way, but what can you do. Hopefully the Steelers will do better, but I am not so sure there either. Mostly I am just glad the Steelers end up in the playoffs more often that not. Like most of Steeler Nation, I expect it. I also ended up coming in third for fantasy football, but you can't win the Super Bowl every yea...