Likely What I Could Afford

nataliedee.com

The World Would Be A Better Place

There are many things that I covet - or maybe its not that I covet them, because I don't necessarily know people or places that have them. I think it might be that I'm greedy and have a sense of self entitlement - yup, that's it.

I think this post might start a series about things I think I should own, and I think the world would be a better place if I owned them. Sometimes the universe should just pony up and get me these tools to fantasticness. In the meantime I'll just keep pining (no fjords).

Today's thing 'o necessity is this:


If you guessed that it is a 1 1/2" Button Maker Machine with Graphic Punch and 250 Button Parts from buybuttonparts.com you'd be right! Good for you! Let's talk a little more about this exciting collection of bits shall we?

This combo contains:

• the Button Maker Model #150, which produces standard 1-1/2" buttons, it can make a magnet, bull dog clip or key chain simply by assembling a button without a pin and adding the neccesary accessories
• 1 1/2" Graphic Punch (aka the guy who cuts out the circles for you)
• 250 pinback button sets

Can we just sit for a minute and dream about the fun buttons I could be making - oh man... the hilarity, the communication, the wonderment. I can scarcely believe that there are only 357 U.S. dollars (plus shipping and handling) standing between me and some awesome pieces of metal that would aid me in making some rad, rad, world bettering buttons.

How can the universe be so cruel as to not have provided me with one thus far. Sigh... someday.

I Think It Was A Good Day

I spent some time at home on the weekend. I got pretty tired (for various reasons) and decided it wouldn't be safe for me to drive all the way back to London on Sunday night. Therefore I thought I would get a good jump after breakfast on Monday morning and be back to London just after lunch. That was a pipe dream.

The following are my facebook status updates that I made via my cell (with some commentary):

Laura is on the side of the 401 with a flat tire, although she is capable of changing said tire, she is glad to have caa. 10:51

-I'm just driving along and the car starts to handle all crazy and there is a bad bad noise coming from the back. I pull over and swear. Then I call CAA. Then I wait for CAA. Then CAA comes and puts the spare on and inflates it for me. Then I make phone calls to Dad and L.Bo for advice on where the heck to go and get this tire repaired. I end up at Northumberland Tire. They say its gonna be 45min or so. Alors, I take off on foot to kill the time.

Laura stly) replacement. Hurray! 12:01

-this was supposed to read "Laura is eating chinese buffet by herself in port hope. She was just informed that the tire cannot be fixed and she is waiting for them to put on a (likely costly) replacement. Hurray!" I had decided lunch was in order and a 6.50$ chinese lunch buffet is ok with me.

Laura gives up on trying to update this from her cell. Grrr. 12:03

-I was pretty frustrated that I had taken the time to put that whole long update up and it didn't work. though I think it may have worked over the mobile network because I got a text from L.bo saying that I was killing her. she felt sad that she was working and couldn't come and have 6.50$ chinese buffet with me.

Laura is killing Lesley, possibly slowly and with her song. 12:06

-so I thought I'd let everyone know that I was killing L.bo

Laura just watched some woman named Doris get surprised for her birthday at the aforementioned chinese place. 12:18

-yup, just as I was heading back to the buffet Doris and a couple of friends walked in and she spied a very long table full of more of her friends and very quietly and sporadically they started going "uh, surprise." "surprise Doris" "happy birthday Doris" I was pretty amused. And I was just killing time while I was waiting for N-Tire to put the newbie on my car.

Laura cannot do anything simple. Sigh. 12:42

-while I was in the bathroom my Dad called. he had just remembered that before I got the car, he and Mom had put new tires on it and they might be under warranty. but the warranty would be with Canadian Tire, which I was not at and which there is none in Port Hope. this frustrated me to know at this point. so I called Dad and said that it was too late for this tire as a new one was being put on, but I was glad to know for future tire 'incidents'. I got back to N-tire and the spare was still on my car. what? growl. they hadn't had time to find a suitable replacement. so I took that opportunity to check my glove box for anything that mentioned tire warranty. found it, called dad. after some discussion dad called cobourg CT for me and they said to bring the tire in. I got my tire back from N-tire and slowly headed to the 'burg.

Laura is on her way to cobourg canadian tire, frick. 13:00

-I was obviously thrilled to be back tracking and likely eating another hour of time. if I didn't leave cobourg by 3pm then I wouldn't be making it to London by 7 for rehearsal (because of traffic) and would just go back to my parents.

Laura was really wishing she would get an unsecured wireless signal at CT. that wish is going unfulfilled. 13:17

-I pulled out my laptop and thought I might get some work done while waiting for my 'free' replacement tire to be put on. this work would not be involving the internet

Laura has a new tire and is ready to take off across toronto (into traffic). Oh look, its raining. Fun. 13:51

-after about a million phone calls, a bunch of hours spent waiting on the 401, in port hope, and in cobourg, I was finally able to start heading westward again

Laura is back in London, thinking about supper and getting ready for rehearsal. 17:07

-traffic was nice, I made good time and I made it back with a bit of space to breath and have supper before choir rehearsal.

So I think that was a pretty stellar day and was in no way frustrating or a waste of an entire day. Cough.

Tiny Bit

I'm a little sad that Hilary is out. I always liked her hair.

I'm An Adult Now (Boo)

So sometimes (read many many times), being an adult sucks. I'm sure that's why I managed to stretch my undergrad out for so long - to avoid officially becoming one.

My plans for this summer have been in a constant flux - things fall through, firm up, fall through, etc etc. Its left me feeling a little like I'm swimming in a sea of grey, looking for a life boat of black and white details. As it stands right now, I'm in Hamilton for the summer (though this seems to be subject to change) but without a job.

The joblessness is coinciding with the need to pay my car insurance bill - which I choose to do in one lump sum because its cheaper that way, and I have so (oh so) many other monthly payments to make (once again the undergrad shows its ugly head). Luckily it seems that I am getting a cash gift from my set of wealthy grandparents that will help a lot with this bill.

The suck-tastic thing is that I have to use my grad gift to pay for my car insurance (believe me i am very thankful for my car, for the use of it and i know how lucky i am to have it). Especially since I am relatively commitment free, there are a few ways I could think of to spend that money, and oh, maybe all of them have nothing to do with continuing to be a whipping boy for the insurance industry.

This ties in and creates some rage/angst/sadness in the context of what is happening next week. John is coming to Ontario. He is flying in and then driving his girlfriend's car back to Whistler. None of his guy friends are able to ride back with him and then fly back. My brother is one of my best friends. We may not operate like typical best friends, but daaamn, I love him, I love to spend time with him - we have so much in common (which i know, we grew up together in the country, but a lot of siblings are very different from each other). We love to talk about music and books and politics and sports and religion and people and pretty much everything.

We had talked, back in the day when it looked like we were going to graduate at the same time, that it would be super cool to tour Europe together. John, uh, needs to finish up still, but that won't be for a while. So no Europe. But here is a great chance for us to spend some really cool time together, and then for me to see family and friends in B.C and come back for grad. But standing in the way is car insurance, rent, phone, phone, internet, hydro, osap, line of credit, Redeemer - all bills. I need to stay put and make money. I need to pay the bills. I hate being an adult right now, its depriving me of time with my only sibling (and best friend).