the great scrub debacle

Whew! Who knew that buying scrubs would be so hard. There's only one store in town that sells scrubs, and they have a pretty limited selection, which left me ordering them online. The problem...I don't know what I want/need! The possibilities are pretty much endless. Solids, prints, brands, number and layout of pockets. I don't put that much thought into my every day attire (is it comfy? and is it not ugly?) so why should I have to put so much effort into my work attire...they're just scrubs...which resemble pajamas...which are supposed to be comfy and not require such extensive decision making skills (which if you know me at all...you know that is NOT something I'm good at)!!

After two hours and $50 I managed to order one set. Then after a walk and some sustenance (and $50 more), I managed to order another set. The second set proved more difficult than the first. I ordered them from a different website and they wanted to charge me SIXTY DOLLARS for USPS Priority shipping. I think not! Then I had to find another website that had what I wanted and that wasn't going to charge me more for shipping than product. I mean, I guess living in Alaska I can understand that if I was spending $5-$10 on something, the shipping might work out to be more than whatever I purchased. But when spending $50 on scrubs (which are not heavy or bulky), I expect the shipping to be significantly less, especially when you tell me it's USPS Priority shipping. Do you know how many books I could ship for $50? A medium flat rate box is only $14.95 (how do I know this you ask...because I've been making a living selling textbooks online the cheaper the shipping the more $$ go into my bank account) and a pair of scrubs would definitely fit into one of those with room to spare!

Anyway, I found a place with much more reasonable shipping rates (thank god for the internet!) and in 7-10 days I will be the proud owner of two shiny new pairs of scrubs :o)

the wall

I have officially hit "the wall." It's time for me to go to work. The only problem with that is I have to wait two more weeks. Don't get me wrong, I've thoroughly enjoyed my summer. I've been fishing and berry picking and reading and cooking and relaxing...all things I haven't done (or enjoyed doing) for awhile. I still have going to the fair and going out to the Copper Princess Lodge to look forward to. And yes, when I start working I'll probably wish for my unemployed life back (minus the part about not having any money)...but for the time being I wish to be a valued and contributing member of society. I want to pay back the people to whom I owe money. Let the countdown begin...two weeks...

unfruitful berry picking

Another attempt at berry picking...apparently we were in the wrong place because we found no berries. At least it was a beautiful day!

shopping...but not spending

I have no money...soon I will. I've started a list (really more like a compilation) of things that I want when I can finally afford to spend money on non-essentials again!

This is at the top of my list, but with the $600 price tag, it might be awhile...

Rancilio Silvia Espresso machine

Anything from lululemon, but especially the Beat the Heat Dress and the gym bag.

And these sheets from Crate and Barrel

And these cups to make lattes in:

And this to keep me warm. I have one of these shirts and I LOVE it (Christmas present from John...he does a good job).A girl can never have too much wool, especially when she lives in Alaska!I'm sure I'll be adding to this list...but that's all for now :o)

fish and bears...mostly bears

John and I took one last trip down to the Russian River to see if we could top off the fish stash in our freezer. Sadly most of the fish were pretty much done for.

Really red fish in the river

John fishing

We also saw three bears...I don't like bears...

The two guys in this picture decided to throw rocks at the bear...

Fishing, but not catching...at least we weren't the only ones!


Yup, another bear...

But at least it was a beautiful couple of days (minus the torrential downpour that occurred on Tuesday afternoon)

berry picking

Last week Brittany and I went and picked blueberries at Arctic Valley

letters

Dear People Who Smoke In Their Cars -

I respect your right to do whatever the hell you want. BUT if you don't want smoke in your car...chances are that I probably don't either. Hanging your cigarette out your window at the red light causes MY car to fill with the smoke you do not want in yours.

Thank you for your time (even though I know you do not care),
Martha

-----------------------------

Dear Man on "Millionare Matchmaker" Who's 48 and Refuses to Date Anyone Over 28,

GROSS! You keep saying you want to settle down and have kids. But you're 48, you have to find a girl who is pretty much ready to get married and have kids...yesterday. Any girl who lives in LA between the ages of 26 and 28 who has those aspirations...probably already married, and probably already has kids. Maybe you should have thought about that 20 years ago instead of being so wrapped up in making millions. Also, stop being so picky and sabotaging all your dates.

That is all,
A grossed out 20-something

-----------------------------

Dear Leg Muscles,

Why do you continue to be so weak? I lung and squat and run and you hurt every time I do it! What the heck?

Ouch,
Me
----------------------------

Dear Daytime Television,

Stop sucking.

- An Unemployed Couch Potato

----------------------------

Dear Facebook,

Please stop giving me an excuse to sit on the couch and watch TV. Do I really need to be that connected.

Seriously....

----------------------------

Dear Job,

Please start sooner than Sept. 14. I need you.

-A girl who is tired of owing people money

-----------------------------

Dear Dinner,

Please cook yourself tonight.

Thank you.

motivational black hole

I'm not having any trouble filling up all this free time I have. I am having a hard time filling it up with "productive" things. I use the term productive loosely because that's not really what I mean. I haven't exercised in almost two weeks. What?! I like exercise and I feel better (and sleep better) when I do it. But for some reason I can't make myself go do it...apparently I'd rather spend hours on my computer discovering new and useless things on the internet.

real customer testimonial

I'll never eat another grocery store bought vegetable as long as I live. Ok, let's be honest, I probably will, but it will only be because I am desperate for said vegetable that can only be purchased from the grocery store (or "the grocery" as John's roommate calls it...she's from Georgia...what can I say). I've been going to the Farmer's Market on Wednesdays and buying vegetables. They're amazing. I bought a head of red leaf lettuce three weeks ago, not only was it the biggest, most delicious head of lettuce I've ever eaten, but there is still part of it in my fridge...three weeks later and it hasn't gone bad yet. Ha! No pesticides + no genetic manipulation = no rotten food.

This week I bought carrots. Sure they cost more than the ginormous bag of carrots from Costco, but they are the best carrots I've ever eaten...EVER. Ok, maybe it's just been a while since I ate "real" carrots, but that does not undermine their amazingness. Can't get your kids to eat their veggies? Give them some homegrown carrots and they will think they're eating candy!

favorite things

I've had a lot of time on my hands lately...which means I've had a lot of time to think. Today I thought about my favorite things.