Newsy McNewserson

Yep, I'm married now!

MsPurity — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:35:13 GMT

And I'm so excited! I love Tom SO MUCH and I am so glad we made it legal. Our wedding was FUCKING fabulous! I can't wait to see the pro photos because the non-pro ones are incredible. A big HEARTY THANKS to everyone who came to celebrate with us.

Corsets

MsPurity — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:39:52 GMT

Since my hours at work were cut (again), and I have come to find out that I'm overqualified for pretty much every part time job available out there, I have decided to start making custom corsets for people. Right now, I'm making them cheap so I can build my portfolio. So if you live in or going to visit the SF Bay Area and you're interested in a custom corset for yourself or a loved one drop me a PM.

PSA of the Day

MsPurity — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:16:04 GMT

If someone is letting you stay at their home and they cook you dinner every night, make sure to at least say "Thank you" every time. Otherwise they may stop cooking you dinner and then where will you be?

PSA of the day

MsPurity — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:15:36 GMT

Remember, if your car is out of gas on Monday and you don't have money to put any in the tank, Tuesday you probably shouldn't try to drive from Vallejo to Antioch.

New blog

MsPurity — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:55:59 GMT

Yes, I have a new blog! And no, it's not on tribe. A lot of you may not know, but Tom and I have really been trying to focus on living more sustainably while also reducing our overall costs. This was one of the driving factors in choosing to buy the house we did. It's the reason why we've kind of become urban farmers. We still have a lot to do to get us where we want to be and this blog is just documenting our journey so that it might help others trying to find a similar path. http://findinghowtolivesimply.blogspot.com/

The Man in my Driveway

MsPurity — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:58:40 GMT

While we were fixing dinner there was a knock on our door. Tom was on the phone so I answered it. There was a man standing there with a notepad in hand. He introduces himself as...oh hell, I don't remember his name or what company he was with, but it was an insurance company. So he said that our neighbor two doors down was robbed recently and wanted to know if we had seen anything or known of any other break-ins in the neighborhood. I told him we had heard of a couple but to talk to CeCe across the street because she knows ALL of the happenings in the neighborhood. After talking to me I watch him go next door and then across the street to all the other houses. Tom and I finish dinner and we're slightly suspicious of this man. So we take a trip down to the neighbor's place and introduce ourselves. Yes, the guy at the door was legit. So we chat to our new neighbor, I think his name was Scott? They cleaned him out. The even stole his doors on his garage. They stole doorknobs. They stole food out of the fridge. Hell, then even went into the crawlspace of his house and stole pipe fittings. WTF? So then he tells us he knows that it's his next door neighbors on the corner. It's sort of a compound with several houses all partitioned into apartments with only one driveway. He knows it's them because he could see into their backyard and saw some of his property in their backyard. So then while we're talking a couple of his neighbors pull into the driveway and the insurance guy heads after them. They come around the corner back onto the street, talking. All of a sudden it dawns on me that the neighbor I have seen before. I have a stationary bike that I ride nightly. It's set up in our bedroom - the front bedroom next to the front window. One night a couple of weeks ago I was riding it and just so happened to look out the window to see this man standing in my driveway right behind my car. It wasn't like he was standing on the sidewalk behind my car. Our front yard is fenced with a gate across the driveway. The driveway then slopes down to the house. He was standing inside the gated area. I yell at Tom that there is a guy in our driveway. Of course the window I'm next to is open so the second this man hears me he takes off. The man in my driveway is the same man that our neighbor says robbed him. Gotta watch those tweakers. Tonight I ordered additional equipment for our alarm system. I'm really glad we have an alarm and leave the dogs in the house when we're gone...and when we're home.

Tree Rats - Suicidal or Adrenaline Junkies?

MsPurity — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:33:02 GMT

The local tree rats (aka squirrels) are certifiably crazy. They LOVE to tease the dogs. Let me set this up for you. We have a very large yard - 1/4 acre. It's long and narrow. From the back door to the back fence is about 100 yards give or take. The back fence is a 6' wood fence with the panels on our side. Along the back fence in our neighbor's yard is a small tree and powerlines. About halfway to the back fence on the property line with our next door neighbor is a large oak tree. All of our neighbors on each side and behind us have dogs. We are a very dog-friendly neighborhood. So a few weeks ago we were out working in the yard. I went inside to start dinner and I left Tom out there to finish cutting some logs. I'm looking out the kitchen window. Squeek is standing on the back porch and Riley is at the back fence staring at the tree rats on the power lines. All of a sudden one of the tree rats jumps onto the back fence and just sits there. Riley barks, Squeek turns and takes off like a rocket towards the back fence. Squeek is our greyhound/pitbull mix and is about knee height - not very big - but incredibly fast and strong. The tree rat jumps out of the way just in the nick of time as Squeek launches herself onto the fence. She's got her front legs over the top of the fence getting ready to kick herself all the way over when Tom turns and yells at her. She drops to the ground. So now we know she can get over the fence if she wants. Well apparently the tree rats think this is good fun. Last weekend as I was cleaning out our chicken coop, Squeek and Riley were again being harrassed by the tree rats. They were both standing at the back fence staring and barking. The tree rats were running back and forth between the small tree, powerlines and fence. They would sit on the fence and chirp at the dogs, making them go nuts. Not thinking about it much, I go back to cleaning the coop. Squeek would never get over the fence without a head start. Then I hear some banging on the fence. I look up and there she is, in all her glory, all four legs standing on top of the fence. I guess I was wrong. I yell at her and she jumps back into our yard. Later that evening I was talking to our next door neighbor about it and she was telling me the tree rats used to sit in the oak tree and harrass her two dogs. Then one day it fell out of the tree and on top of the dogs. It narrowly escaped and hasn't done it since. Maybe they've learned not to bug our dogs. I doubt it.

Is it really so bad?

MsPurity — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:05:37 GMT

I feel awful. I didn't know him that well, but I still feel bad. I can't imagine what his wife and daughter are feeling. Tom was his friend and coworker. Nothing seemed strange yesterday when he left for lunch. But he never came back. Tom didn't think he would have done anything to himself. I had a feeling though when Tom told me even though he always seemed like a really nice guy. They need to get that barrier up on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Wedding changes

MsPurity — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 01:40:34 GMT

Well, we've changed our wedding plans. It's still on Halloween, but it's now going to be at our house - in our ginormous backyard. The mansion was beautiful and all, but it just wasn't set up real well, we were going to have to severely cut our guest list, there were too many stipulations with it, and I just didn't want to spend the whole day worrying about someone spilling food/drink, knocking something over, and any other number of things. Plus, having it our house means we can party into the night and anyone too sloshed to drive home can crash here. We'll even set up tents for people to sleep in. It's going to be WAY more fun this way, and a lot less stressful. I'm really excited!

The Governator wants to make Vet services a luxury item and tax it accordingly

MsPurity — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:29:44 GMT

The Governor wants to add an additional tax to take your animal to the vet. This will also affect shelters and rescue organizations and can have severe detrimental affects on companion animals. Vet services are expensive enough and adding this tax will make it much harder for some people to afford to take proper care of their pets. This affects ALL vet services, not just meds & other items purchased from a vet. This means dogs, cats, horses, birds, reptiles, rabbits, etc. If it's a pet & goes to a vet, there will be a tax. Please send this on to the people you know who could be affected. Thanks. If anyone out there is against a 9% tax on veterinary SERVICES (not talking about purchases here) and has not yet acted, please do so. I absolutely hate phone stuff, but I did it and it only takes a minute or two even if you get a busy signal at first and have to redial a few times. Here's all you have to do: In Less Than One Minute: Please protest this tax by calling our Governor in Sacramento. The number is to an automated survey at the governor's office. The call is not free, unless your cell covers all calls, but it It will take less than a minute and will cost very little. Dial: 1-916-445-2841 The numbers to press in response to the questions are: 1 - 5 - 1 - 2 (i.e., 1 = for English; 5 = to transfer to veterinary tax proposal; 1 = to choose to comment on the veterinary tax proposal; and 2 = to oppose the tax.) This menu has NOT changed although the first message you get when you call says that the menu has changed; it did, it changed to these steps. Take a moment and take action NOW. Please ask your friends to do the same.

The President isn't fucking around

MsPurity — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:12:53 GMT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090121/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_executive_pay

Let's talk turkey...or chicken

MsPurity — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:27:14 GMT

So now that we have this huge chunk of land we're going to be adding to our flock. We currently have two Barred Rock hens, three Silver-laced Wyandotte pullets and one Buff Orpington pullet. I defintiely want to get some Gold-laced Wyandottes and some Aracaunas/Ameracaunas. We still haven't figured out how many more chickens we want to get yet. But we do know that we want to get some heritage turkeys. However, we aren't sure what breeds to get yet. Right now we're just looking at getting some breeding stock with a few extra for meat. Anyone have any advice on raising turkeys since there isn't too much info on turkeys, whilt there is a plethora of info on chickens.

Things I've done - Thanks Felicity

MsPurity — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:20:44 GMT

Put a * by the ones you have done (I have deviated and put it after rather than before. It's tidier): 1. Started your own blog * 2. Slept under the stars * 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii * 5. Watched a meteor shower * 6. Given more than you can afford to charity * 7. Been to Disneyland * 8. Climbed a mountain * 9. Held a praying mantis * 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (how about over a lake?) * 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch * 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning * 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables * 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train * 21. Had a pillow fight * 22. Hitchhiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort * 25. Held a lamb (how about a newborn cow?) * 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset * 31. Hit a home run * 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors * 35. Seen an Amish community * 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied * 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing * 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke * 42. Seen Old Faithful (the geyser) erupt * 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight * 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling * 52. Kissed in the rain * 53. Played in the mud * 54. Gone to a drive-in theater * 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business * 58. Taken a martial arts class* 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching * 63. Got flowers for no reason * 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check * 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy * 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone * 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle * 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper * 85. Read the entire Bible * 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (no, but I plan on once we get some turkeys) 88. Had chickenpox * 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury * 91. Met someone famous * 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one * 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person * 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (no, but I've been there several times and I just can't get past the smell to go in) 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone * 99. Been stung by a bee 100. Read an entire book in one day *

Happy Festivus!

MsPurity — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:26:47 GMT

For the rest of us!

Oh the joys of home-ownership

MsPurity — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:31:52 GMT

We've been in the house for a week now. Utility companies are making me bat-shit-crazy. First PG&E still hasn't turned off the power to our old place even though I requested that they have it shut off by last Monday. But hey! at least we have power at the new place. AT&T is also on my shit list. Friday we were supposed to have phone and DSL hooked up. We got the phone hooked up, but no DSL. So I spent all weekend on the phone with them giving me dozens of different "reasons" on why it isn't working. Of course this weekend I NEEDED to have online access because of a project I'm working on at work, but no go. A coworker fortunately picked it up for me. At least Dish Network was ok and got their shit done on time. Plus the installer was super polite, which I made sure his supervisor knew. To add on to all that, we had to make our first service call ever. Yep, we had to call the plumber. The house had been sitting so long that the corrosion in the kitchen sink and laundry sewer lines had gotten so bad that it was almost 100% blocked. We tried to fix it, but our snake didn't reach quite far enough. And the downside to having such a big yard? We now have to feed Squeek twice as much food because she's running so much that she's lost more weight than she could afford to lose, just in the matter of a week. Then again, she didn't have much fat to start with. Still, I wouldn't give it up for anything. Owning home is AWESOME!

To all my Bay Area/Norcal Peeps

MsPurity — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:13:05 GMT

There is going to be a hard freeze, even snow under 500 ft elevation tonight! Make sure to cover those frost-sensitive plants and bring your animals indoors!

Learned some things this weekend

MsPurity — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:00:46 GMT

We're almost completely moved in. We busted our asses this weekend and have just one more trip and we'll be out of the old house completely. This has been a strange transition. It never really hit me that we're no longer living in our old house and that we now own our own place. It's almost like this was just supposed to happen and life continues as usual. We've spent two nights there. I've witnessed some things and I've learned some things this weekend. I've learned that laminate wood and tile floors require slippers this time of year. Socks just don't cut it. I dislike unpacking even more than packing. There will now always be something in the house I want to change/improve. Moving takes WAY more money than I had expected. 4 people can obliterate a large pizza in a matter of seconds. Squeek can climb a ladder but can't get down. Yes, my dog climbs ladders apparently! We have to tie wire Squeek's crate shut when we leave. Learned the hard way that she can get out of it rather easily and has a penchant for shredding mini blinds when we're not home. All fence perimeters need to have a concrete curb under them. Damn diggers! Riley is the troublemaker, not Squeek, when it comes to other dogs. Even with a chuck-it stick I can't throw the ball far enough to hit the back fence. Yellow Jacket nests are impossible to clear out without a can of gasoline and a 5-gallon bucket - and it should only be attempted at night. And last but not least: We have too much crap.

I own a home!

MsPurity — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:30:11 GMT

We signed the papers last night! SO.EXCITED. Not so stoked about moving all our crap in just 2 days, but what can you do?

Granted a reprieve

MsPurity — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 05:14:44 GMT

We got a call last night from our realtor. He told us that even though we haven't closed yet (but we will on Monday) that we can go ahead and do what we need to do before moving in, i.e. building the missing section of fence and gates. Totally took a lot of stress away. So today we put in the posts and tomorrow we'll finish it up. I'm so relieved. And as an added bonus, we decided to get those metal gate kits. Well, where they were located, the price tag said they were $12.98. Ridiculously small amount, but hey! Sounds good to us. Well then we went to check out to see them ring up for $45. So we mentioned that they must have been put in the wrong place and why yes, they have, so we got them from $12.98. Sweet!

The waiting game continues

MsPurity — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:53:46 GMT

We were supposed to close tomorrow. We were going to use this weekend to paint and then move in the following weekend. Well, that ain't gonna happen. Someone on the seller's side, whether it's the agent or someone that works for the bank, couldn't get their shit together in time. The utilities didn't get turned on soon enough for the appraisal, so now closing isn't until the 10th. We're supposed to be out of our current house the 15th. Ugh. Totally blows. Our agent is going to try and push to get it closed next Tuesday. I sure hope he can.

WTF?!

MsPurity — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 01:36:22 GMT

We went by the house today to show my mom. In the backyard behind the fence was a nice ladder and a bunch of boards that we were going to use for building garden beds. Those are now gone. Dammit! The house is vacant for a year and a half and those have been there the whole time. The day after there were workers there they disappear. So then we go in. Someone had taken it upon themselves to remove the new, architecturally styled kitchen sink fixture and replace it with a cheap, generic fixture. Again, I'm pretty sure it was someone working on the house. BASTARDS! Fortunately we have pictures of both things to show our Realtor.

WEEEEEEEEE!!!!

MsPurity — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:31:24 GMT

We close next Wednesday! Repairs are being made now. They'll be done on Monday. The seller is paying for them all, no questions asked. We will have the long weekend to get in and paint and build a fence and gate. EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!

Don't you hate it....

MsPurity — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:56:37 GMT

...when you've got something you have to do by x date and you can't remember what the hell it is?

We have an escape artist

MsPurity — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:02:29 GMT

She systematically busted out every screen in our house. We replaced them yesterday. WHILE I WAS HOME she busted out of one of the replacement screens. So we closed all the windows. We went to lunch. I get a phone call. A neighbor has our dog. She FUCKING learned in ONE hour how to open up the window and bypass the block that was up to keep it from opening more than 2". Back to crating. Though last time we crated her we stopped because she learned how to open her crate. Hopefully she's forgotten.

Oooooh the waiting

MsPurity — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:48:32 GMT

I talked briefly with our Mortgage Broker. Super nice guy. He's a little concerned. The bank we're buying the house from has our closing date as mid-December. EEEK! The last thing I want to do is move in during the holidays. We have to get in and paint the house, make some minor repairs, and purchase a new furnace and have it installed before moving everything in. I'd also like to get the drainage in before it starts raining a lot more. That might not happen though. Our broker is cool though. He's trying to get us to close by the 30th of this month. He says our file looks primo and thinks it will be easy to get everything together in time. I sure hope so....not to mention I'd also like to get that half month's rent back. My cousin and her boyfriend are supposed to be staying with us over the holidays. They want to stay in the tower. Knowing how my cousin rolls EVERY holiday she stays over, that might not be a good idea. It's tough enough to get up to the top sober. I can't imagine having to do it three sheets to the wind. Did I mention this month is going so effing slow?! Hurry up already!