Offline for 5 Days

Until tonight, I hadn't checked my e-mail for 5 days. Yep -- 5 whole days. I realized this tonight and told a couple of people, and they were both a bit shocked. I didn't even notice, though. I've been really busy this weekend, helping Brooks and Jacki paint their new house, and I've just been busy with friends and family and the holiday. In fact, I didn't miss it at all.

So what happens when I don't check my e-mail for 5 days? Well, I had 55 new messages in my inbox, 34 were actually worth something, and half of those were just subscription e-mails. All in all, I got about 3 interesting e-mails a day. It's kind of sad, actually -- I feel like I should be more popular or something . . . :)

My Google Reader was full, too -- I'm sorry, friends, that I haven't commented on your new posts! I'll get to them when I have a little more time . . .


Thing I'm thankful for: painting walls.

Nicknames

Hi. My name's Sara, but you can call me Sawa. Or Sa. Or Sara, Plain and Tall. Or Snowflake, Snowball, Sara Pure as Snow, Sairneau, Nanna, Ninkers, Chocolate Girl, or Sugar Cookie.

I have been called by each of those names at least once.

I was talking about nicknames today with a friend and thought about how I didn't used to like them. My family tried calling me Sadie when I was very young, and I screamed and screamed until they dropped it. I liked full names, and I liked people to call other people by their full names.

Things started to change, though, when my first niece was born. I started to make up a lot of different nicknames for her, and I actually used them on a regular basis. It was then, I guess, that I realized that nicknames are fun because they are created out of love. We give people nicknames when they're special to us. Sure, I suppose bullies and insecure tweens make nicknames, too, but even though they're usually negative, they're created because someone was different or special. Nicknames are for the people who stand out in our lives.

So now I use nicknames when someone really means a lot to me, and I love it when people use nicknames for me. What are my favorites? I suppose I like them all, but my top three are Sa, Sawa, and Sugar Cookie.

Do you like your nicknames? What's your favorite?


Thing I'm thankful for: Time to read scriptures during lunch. It breaks up the day nicely. :)

I'm a Sucker for Cheap, Old Movies

I've been trying to stick to a budget, pay debt and loans, and become financially independent and secure. So I just haven't been buying things I don't have the money for. Or so I thought. I suppose I thought this because I don't usually buy clothes or shoes or CDs or books anymore. I don't buy gadgets, and I don't buy home furnishings. As I looked at the $9.99 movie rack at Kroger tonight, though . . . I realized what my financial weakness is. Although it seems like a small thing, when you buy as many movies as I do, it becomes wasteful.

Take these $9.99 movies . . . If I buy one per month, that's about $120 per year. Not so bad, really, but when movies are so cheap (especially the $5.50 movies at Wal-Mart), I tend to buy a couple. That could be, say, 200 bucks a year! Now, I don't think I buy a movie each month -- it's probably more like a movie every two months. Still, it's $100 to $200 that I don't need to be spending. I mean, when's the last time I watched "Little Man Tate?" I've had it for a year and haven't even torn off the cellophane wrapper . . .

Here's the thing, though -- the sale movies are almost always old movies, and I LOVE old movies! I hardly ever watch contemporary movies anymore because they're almost all questionable, as far as I'm concerned. But what about '90s movies in which everyone wears rayon and things look gray and dingy like Seattle? You bet I'd buy those. Weird '80s movies, such as those imagined by Jim Henson? Of course. Classic musicals from Hollywood's heydays? My absolute favorite.

So what prompted this post, you ask? What movie did I buy tonight? Well, I'll tell you. It was "Funny Girl." But I was thisclose to buying "Sleepless in Seattle" as well.

Oy. It's just a habit I've got to kick. But you never know when you'll be in the mood to watch something like . . . "The Cutting Edge."

What about you, readers? What's something you splurge on?


Thing I'm thankful for: talking with my mommy.

Happy Birthday, Jax!

I'm sorry it's a late birthday wish. I have no excuses. :(
Please accept my apologies and know that I will make you a cake later. :)

Improv Everywhere

In the left navigation, you'll see that I added a permanent homepage link to Improv Everywhere. I first discovered the Web site a little over six months ago, not long after their "No Shirts" stunt. For that particular event, 111 men shopped shirtless in the Abercrombie and Fitch store on New York City's 5th Avenue. If you're familiar with Abercrombie and Fitch at all, you know the company perpetuates ads with half-naked -- or sometimes completely naked -- models. There's even a shirtless male model who greets customers at that particular Abercrombie and Fitch store . . . (What is our world coming to?)

Well, Improv Everywhere decided to make a mockery of the whole thing. So into Abercrombie and Fitch walked over one hundred shirtless male shoppers! It's hilarious!

But the fun doesn't stop there. From their Web site:

Improv Everywhere causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Created in August of 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed over 70 missions involving thousands of undercover agents. The group is based in New York City.

You really ought to take some time to watch the videos of some of the missions. My favorites?

• No Pants 2K8
  
• Food Court Musical
• Frozen Grand Central
• Look Up More
• Synchronized Swimming

Now go visit the site!


Thing I'm thankful for: walking in good weather.