November 26, 2005

Early Bird shopping - Black (and Blue) Friday

Wow! I never noticed or maybe ever cared about this shopping the day after Thanksgiving. The ads caught my eye on Tday and I thought, is it worth waking at 4:30am to hit the Walmart, Hecht's, etc. Early Bird sales?

So around midnight I decided against it. I woke up at 1030am, put some clothes on and ran to Walmart. I had fun trying to find the early bird brochure b/c they were all gone and then trying to find the items advertised in the chaos. I ended up with a crock pot 4q. and Pop Culture Dvd 2. I saved money on both and wanted them anyway.

Then I had a set of pearls on reserve for me at the mall but had this weird thing telling me to go to Kohl's. It was just across the hiway from Walmart. You might think of me as nuts, but I walked in, saw the brochure and saw a set of fresh water cultured pearl for $59.99 regularly $200! I bought it on the spot b/c I had already decided what I wanted in pearls the previous day at the mall. Then I ran around and realized the early bird special ended at 1pm. I quickly gathered a set of 6 games in one for Burak, a table cloth and place mats, gloves, and ribbons, and hit the register by 12:56am. I haven't figured out how much I saved, but I sure did spend a lot this week.

My cell phone (with a camera feature and everything) fell in the toilet and didn't come back to life on Wednesday. So that was $150 right there. I also bought a cool laptop backpack for $64 (with tax) so that I don't get made fun of by my law school friends and husband for using my Jansport from high school that it ripping apart.

Total including the Thanksigiving dinner stuff I bought earlier this week: around $500. Ouch, I am done for the holidays! But it was fun taking part of the crazy American capatlist experience known as Early Bird shopping on Black Friday (the day the stores hope to get out of the red)! I think I will do it again but be more organized and maybe take a team with me (with cell phones or walkie talkies.) :)

Law School Exams Dec 6-15, 2005

My law school exams are coming soon. I have just 1.5 weeks until my first one. I have been very stressed recently and wake up with droppy eyelids (a sign of stress in my body). Anyway, too much information, but I guess I am just saying I wont be in the loop - emailing or posting or hanging out - for the next 3 weeks when this is all over. The grade from each 3 to 4 hour exam determines my grade for the semester.

Ok, I am off to work!
Signing off, ruby

I love hosting parties and making my house cosy!

I think I have really learned something about myself for sure. I love entertaining at my place and cooking up various themed parties. I also like making my house cosy.

On Thanksgiving, my husband and I co-hosted a 15 person Thanksgiving with international students and various people from all over the US who attend Duke MBA and needed a place to go for Thanksgiving.

But the main reason I wanted to make my post was to note these two sites that I like:

http://organizedhome.com/


http://www.digsmagazine.com/
a home + living guide for the post-college, pre-parenthood, quasi-adult generation

Can you believe Rachel Ray has her own magazine!? As of few of my friends have mentioned, we think Rachel Ray is out to take over Martha (and then the world)!

And what is up with this Tyra show, is she trying to get ready to take over Oprah!?

I am having fun returning to the US and taking up the pop culture. :)

November 22, 2005

Mulled Wine, Eggnog, Glogg Recipes

All about mulled wine, egg nog, groog
I had hot wine in Belgium, Poland, and Germany. They also have it in France and Sweden. It is sort of like hot Sangria.

November 2, 2005

Pakistan rape victim speaks in US

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4395728.stm

November 1, 2005

So now there is comment spam?

I love this. I had to change a feature on my blog so that a person leaving a comment had to type in the word that they saw and prevent me from receiving comment spam from random people sending mass messages to blogs. What is next?

I think when someone talks too much, I am just going to call it comment spam. It just sounds better than mouth diaherra (sp) or whatever people call it.

Anyway, I was awoken for the 2nd day in a row between 7:46am and 7:48am in the morning (yesterday it was a text message from someone and today my husband called to say he might have lost his wallet!!!) when I still had an hour or so left of sleep.

I guess I should go take a shower, read more Torts, make more coffee (already had 4 cups), and go to school.

Wife arrested after calling her husband ‘lazy’

In Belgium, Walloon husband accuses Flemish wife of racism

When I read the headline I figured (excuse my not being politically correct) it was from somewhere in the Middle East or maybe an oppressive Asian country. No, it is from none other than Belgium, where I spent one good year of my life!! :)

To read the article click here

Ok, I just read it. Yeah, it doesn't surprise me a Flemish person would say that having seen the divide between the two groups of people. I lived with the Walloons in the south of Belgium. It isn't just a language difference between the two, it has a lot to do with culture (which is usually very tied to language)and finances. The Flemish side, in the north, is richer.

But it seems, as a law student, just to be a dispute between a couple. Anyway, this just proves what I learned once more when I visited at Christmas, they ain't getting along them two, the Flemings and the Wallons.