Yadda Yadda Yadda

[nightdog_barks]

Partly cloudy, about 80 degrees but very humid -- we had a nice line of thunderstorms come through early this morning, with lots of thunder and lightning, and it's still very wet outside.

Paying bills, still drinking some coffee -- $166.11 for water and sewer, $249.00 for electricity. Gas bill hasn't come yet, although it's been going down lately. Last month it was $26.33. So have to go to post office and grocery store. Should also vacuum and wash kitchen floor, seeing as how it has muddy dog prints on it now. Heh.

Finished Day of Battle -- just excellent. Not much else at the moment.

Comments

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

$249 for electricity

Ah, yes. The summer air-conditioning bill strikes again.

Have just posted two more photos from my new neighborhood; finished Coffee #2; now must get cleaned up, dressed, be responsible. Bank accounts, grocery list, all that stuff.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

The summer air-conditioning bill strikes again.

*nods*

Yup. And we keep our thermostat set at 78. I can't imagine what it would be if we were those people who still insist on setting theirs to 68. Eeep!

[perspi.livejournal.com]

OMG there are people in Texas who DO that? *CRAZY!!*

We keep ours set at 74 or 75, when we do run it. This summer has been pretty good to us so far on that front (and last year I remember it being hotter, but I also turned the thermostat colder more often, because I was Pregnant, Dammit. Hee!).

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Honey, there are people who still drive Hummers in our neighborhood.

*shakes head*

[perspi.livejournal.com]

Yes, I have seen the Hummers driving around--they're here, too. And lots of RVs still on the road, although I wonder how anyone can afford to drive them.

We were actually seriously considering a minivan purchase (Oh, so many nice family-friendly features!) but. Considering that 95% of our driving is within a 10-mile area, and it's mostly just ferrying me and Z and groceries, the Matrix still works great and gets good gas mileage. We decided that the cost of renting a van for the two or three times a year we want to take a long road trip would probably equal only one or two months' car payment--which is really a no-brainer.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Yep, the Hummers are everywhere -- I just hate the monsters.

The folks across the street just got a Vespa for grocery store trips -- it's a cute little thing!

*pictures you and Z on a smart little Vespa, with helmets and goggles*

Hee.

[perspi.livejournal.com]

OOOOOOH GOD I WANT. I have wanted a Vespa for AGES, but I never really have had the *need* for one, at least not enough to justify it to the Mr. *sighs dramatically*

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

OMG IT IS SO CUTE!!!!

Hee! It's candy-apple red, and it just putt-putts along ... Mr. Nightdog and I were joking that you have to develop an Italian accent to ride one and start smoking French cigarettes.

*g*

[perspi.livejournal.com]

Hello!!!

Z is napping, the Mr.'s lunch break is now over, and I'm enjoying one of my last summer-vacation days, yay! I think I'm going to spend this naptime writing fic, as there's so very much to read now that sga_bigbang is live, I need to ration it out. And I really want to get some fic finished!!

But first I must catch up with y'all fine people.

The other news here is that my home-office computer (the one of Many Restarts) has finally died. It won't boot. So, the Mr. today came home with a nicer-than-what-we-have Dell from the campus surplus sale. We have an old campus computer downstairs running as our server, and it's a solid little machine, so this new one should be just as stable, and it will be much quieter than what we had, and I'm rather excited as I'm currently behind on balancing the checking account because the home-office computer was dying. Heh. (Edited to add the best part: I get to feel all righteous for 'recycling' a not-perfectly-new computer rather than buying a new one, and the cool thing about campus surplus is that the Mr. got it for $50. Awesome!)

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Yay Bigbang! I'm looking forward to it too!

And yay for the new computer! The Dell laptop that I had was a good little machine (it's actually still parked on the coffee table as an Emergency OMG Backup).

[perspi.livejournal.com]

I'm surprisingly blase about the home-office computer's death--probably because of my Tiny White Laptop. *g*

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

You get major frugality and ecology points for buying the surplus computer.

I figure we should get some kind of award for involuntarily going totally green for a week this month, between the air conditioning and the water heater both going on strike.

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

I've been baking challah and cleaning up my icons this morning; here's a new one for you, combining both. I might go out and buy myself a scone later after I mail a couple of packages.

One of my friends told me home ownership is indentured servitude to the house. I still want to buy one eventually.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Oh, nice! *happily pretends those are Wilson's hands making bread*

And yeah -- between utility bills, insurance, general upkeep, etc. etc. etc., owning a house is often an expensive proposition. There is something to be said, though, for having a place of one's own.

[purridot.livejournal.com]

A friend sent me a link you might find amusing: Pirates of the Colosseum? (http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN1447496020080814)

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

The park would provide family-friendly attractions to show visitors what life was like in the Rome of 2,000 years ago.

I guess the "family-friendly" clause means they aren't going to have Christians being devoured by lions. Or bread riots. Or slave executions. What a disappoint --

... oh, wait.

*g*

[perspi.livejournal.com]

*giggles madly*

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Hee hee hee.

;-D

[purridot.livejournal.com]

LOL! They certainly did engage in violent activities!

But they had fun too, though. The oldest actual example of a woman's handwriting in Europe is a Latin invitation to a birthday party :D They were great partiers I think.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Oh, what an absolutely lovely detail! That is so sweet.

And I'm sure Gregorius didn't care anything about his birthday. Or ... he pretended not to. ;-)

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

I wonder if James even knows the date in question -- and if he does know, how he finds out.

:-)

*zips off to be Responsible now, really*