Sprinter

Sprinter (noun): a combination of seasons spring and winter. A period of about 6 weeks when the seasons are in limbo and residents feel the affects of both Spring and Winter.

This past week has been a meteorologic nightmare. Last Thursday I went on a nice long walk around the block with the sun beaming down in the 60 degree weather. Yesterday, a winter storm rolls in unannounced.

I left for work at 12 noon yesterday with my wool coat and flat shoes on. At around 4 p.m. I walked past the doors and was surprised to see an inch of accumulated snow and blizzard like conditions (blowing and drifting). By the time I left work around 9 p.m. I barely made it out of the mall parking lot before I realized there was no way I was going to make the hilly, curvey, 45 minute drive home. I thought I would drive a few miles down a major road to find a hotel. After watching a salt truck slide sideways down a hill right in front of me and putting my car in reverse until I could turn around, I eventually put "hotel" in my GPS. 3.4 miles. Ok, I can do that.

The only problem with being new to a city and depending entirely on your GPS is that you are not familiar enough with the side streets to know if the GPS is taking you on the most efficiant route, or in this case, the least hilly/curvey. After 2.3 miles, I made a left turn of faith onto a snow and ice covered side street. Only 1.1 miles left right? I can make it. I drove with my foot on the break down the hill until......I see a Jeep with its front tires stuck in the ditch and the rest of its body blocking all of the right lane and most of the left lane (lanes were not identifiable anyway though). I attempted to turn around, which I did succeed at until I realized I had been going down hill and my Toyota Corolla was in no way going back up. So I was faced with a decision: do I abandon my car in the middle of the road going down a hill in God knows where Pittsburgh, or do I attempt to go down the hill and avoid hitting the Jeep.

I went down the hill. I felt like I had just run a marathon and I could see the finish line shining in neon light: the "Comfort Inn". I could not have been more thankful I had made it there safely; however, I was in a part of town I had never been in and I'm just going to say it: that was the dirtiest hotel I've ever stayed in. And that includes the Howard Johnson in Orlando, FL :)

And, while I was laying on the bed, on top of the sheets and comforter (ew), Channel 11 News took a break from talking about all the cars littered on the parkway to talk about how Pittsburgh was chosen as one of the most livable cities. Hm. Ironic to say the least.

Faves

Wow! Two posts in one day? I just wanted to share my favorite super bowl commercials. My two favorites were from Bridgestone. The Carma one with the beaver below:

I think we can all relate to the panic this guy was feeling:

And finally, the monkeys make another appearance:

What were your favorites??

Save your Pennies

I need some good inspiration to write anything of significance. Today my inspiration comes from this article I read yesterday on yahoo finance called "6 Little Things that Cost a Lot". It is a great reminder of how meaningless purchases satisfy short-term but leave you, or your bank account, feeling empty in the long run.

I particularly liked reading this article because I have recently taken up the art of saving up for something I really want. I no longer buy coffee at work unless I have an unbearable headache and I am bringing my poor-excuse-for-a-lunch to work so I can avoid spending $16 on a salad from Red Robin. All of those little purchases really do add up, and I am proud to announce that I have saved an additional $200 a month from scrimping on stuff I really don't want and/or need. Every time I think about buying something I think "Would I rather have this or would I rather be able to retire early?" There are very few things that I want more than retiring early, so the answer is almost always NO.

Saving your money on the meaningless things of your daily routine make it so much more worth it when you let loose just a bit and buy a coffee with your friends. So what is your guilty pleasure? Is there something you could cut out each day and your life would not be significantly impacted by it, but your long-term investments would be? The point is that satisfaction does not come from a tall cup of over priced coffee. It comes from meeting your goals, whether they be financial in nature or not.