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Archives for June 2010

Thinking about getting a new cellphone

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I think it’s almost time to look into getting a new cell phone.

I have a Nokia smartphone … from 2006, back when Smartphones were just new. It’s a nice phone and it was free since it was given to me by a local marketing company … but I’ve never been able to get text messaging to work properly on this phone.

I can receive text messages but I can’t send any. I’ve gone over the manual and had my cell phone company take a look and still no luck. The worst thing is that I have a package that includes text messaging and it’s a function that I’m not using since I can’t send text.

So .. now I’m trying to decide what type of cellphone I might want to get. I don’t have a huge need for media browsing or texting – but it would still be nice to have a phone that could do everything just in case I wanted to start using those functions.

Maybe an iPhone? I like the iPhone but I’d worry about my husband loosing it. He lost our first cell phone! I think he left it in a taxi cab. Hmmm maybe if we were to get an iPhone I’d have to look into iphone insurance or something.

Anyway … if anyone has a cellphone suggestion I’d love to hear it. We don’t use our cell phone all that often. We mostly use it to talk on on weekends and to take a few pictures. So something that would fit those basics would be great.

Nostalgic for my old job in the jewelry trade

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Everyday when I watch the news they keep talking about how the price of gold keeps going up and up. It’s something like $1245 an ounce now.

I think I’m starting to wish I was working in the jewelry trade again.

Oh yes, I used to be a jeweler. No – not a salesperson behind a counter. I actually made jewelry, cast gold, cut designs into rings, pendants and bracelets with a diamond cutter, gold plated and so on. My husband was a jeweler (trades person like me) as well.

My sister and I used to work together with our respective businesses. She was and still is a jewelry engraver. So our customers would come in and I’d put a design on their jewelry or make a mold so they could mass produce a piece and then my sister would engrave the finished work once one of our customers clients purchased a piece.

We worked in a building filled with jewelry trades people, from those who specialized in setting stones, to gem sellers who’d open a bag and drop it on a desk letting the loose diamonds scatter, to people like myself who cast gold into pieces of jewelry and so on.

It was a tough business. I loved it and I hated it. During the busy season I’d sometimes work 18 hours a day. I had to because once January, February and March hit things really slowed down and if you didn’t make your money over Christmas you’d be in for some tough times.

Anyone else work in the jewelry trade now or in the past? If so, did you enjoy it?






My frustrating friend

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A few days ago I told you about my friend who’s been trying to lose weight since January. She’s actually done quite well by losing about 20 lb but she’s reached a plateau.

I’ve been trying my hardest to encourage her to just stick to her diet and work out but she’s determined to lose the weight faster and now she’s looking into diets for quick weight loss like even liquid diets.

I guess I just need to step back a bit and let her do whatever she’s going to do. I’ve given her advice (advice that she asked for) several times and she’s not taking it … so what can I do?

Do you ever have people that keep asking you for advice and then do almost the opposite. It’s frustrating isn’t it?

Workout at work

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Wow my husband just found out that our workplace (a hospital) put in a new gym for the employees and if he wants to use it he can sign up to have just $3.00 taken off his pay each month.

That’s not bad for full 24 hour a day use of a fully equipped fitness facility. Pretty cool. I’m on medical leave and don’t get a paycheck so I don’t know if I can sign up to use it or not, but I guess I could go as a guest.

We only live about two blocks from the hospital so we could easily get there any time if we wanted to work out. I’m sure we’d bump into a few employees who are in to using testosterone boosters and body building, but that’s ok .. we know pretty much everyone who works at the hospital so it would be a very comfortable environment.

Chris, my husband, could also work out before or after work if he wanted too. Hmmm … it would be nice to see him in better shape. He’s not in terrible shape or overweight, but when we first met he used to bike everywhere and wow he had some nice muscles.

Does your workplace have a fitness area that you can use?

Time to Barbecue

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I think we’re going to have a barbecue this evening. It’s been raining quite a bit all week, but there’s been no rain in the last two hours so we might make a break for it and get the BBQ going.

I already have chicken marinating and we picked up some corn on the cob ($2 for 5) at a local grocery store earlier in the week. Yum. A nice simple dinner – yet tasty! I’ll probably cut up some red pepper to grill along with the chicken and make a small salad too. All that’s missing is a dessert.

Now if that call that I’m waiting for from the insurancespecialists would hurry up and happen I can get cooking.

What are you having for dinner tonight? Do you find that you are barbecuing more often now that the nice weather is here?

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