I’m slowly but surely spending my savings on things that I don’t necessarily have to have, but things that I have wanted forever. My lawn is currently segregated. Yep, there is this great sidewalk of Plano dividing my lawn in half and it is keeping the bermuda from mingling with the st. augustine. It’s a religious crisis that has been going on since 1984.

Enough is Enough! The Bermuda is losing this battle and I’m coming in with St. Augustine all over my lawn.

Next in line is a new deck. Why? Because I want to be outside more. I want to be able to enjoy my back yard and I want to invest a little money in my house and continue to make it my own. Sure I could hang on to this money, but why? Responsibility is for boring people who don’t take risks… okay, that’s not entirely true, but part of it is.

Lastly, I want a front loading washer and dryer and a tankless hot water heater. I need them so I can remodel my breakfast area and make it look bigger and more useable. So I’m getting stuff done now while I can and I’m not putting things on hold, life is just too short for that.

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Looking for bargains? Well, if you go to http://www.retailmenot.com/ you can find coupons for most of your online shopping needs. My boss found this and passed it along and said she found a coupon for ever Christmas gift she wanted to purchase online.

Enjoy!

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Yesterday I went to the grocery store and bought regular groceries. Chips, bread, milk, ingredients for spaghetti and chicken fried rice. I spent 34 dollars on about 15 meals worth of food.  I came home and whipped up a big batch of excellent spaghetti and then put it into individual containers so I could eat it the rest of the week.

So a little history here on why this is important…

For years I haven’t been buying groceries to eat at home because when I go to the grocery store I always buy healthy food and that is expensive and a good portion of the time it rots before I get a chance to eat it. However, I have no problem eating junk food when I am eating out. I love a good Burrito Ultima from Taco Cabana or a plate of chicken fried rice from the local Jade Palace. It’s quick and easy and I enjoy the convenience of eating out, however, we all know eating out gets very expensive. I started adding up my eating out budget and I realized that I spend a minimum of 1000 dollars a month on food and entertainment! Ugh. After I pay all my bills I have 2,000 dollars left over and I spend 1000-1,500 on playing. The rest goes to random expenses that come up, new underwear, a trip to visit friends, home repairs and decorations. I am literally eating and playing myself out of a future.

I enjoy eating at home when the food is good and so I decided that I would save money if I just made the foods I love at the house instead of allowing myself to eat them when I am out and in a hurry.

It’s weird to come to this conclusion after all these years. I mean I am pretty much the same now as I was 5 years ago. I seem to stay about the same weight, however, I also keep spending the same amount of money eating out. Well, yesterday that changed.

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One morning while I was in Minnesota my buddy Eric made a big pot of coffee using a coffee press. I’ve never really understood why someone would use a coffee press or how it actually worked and so I asked him, “Hey, what’s so great about a coffee press?”

“The flavor in coffee is in the fat and when you use a filter it captures a lot of the fat and you lose some of the flavor.”

“How does the coffee press work?” I asked, further intrigued by his knowledge of coffee.

“Well, you just grind your beans, then you boil your water. Put the grounds in the press, add hot water and then press the grounds down to the bottom.”

It was such a simple process, plus it looked much cooler than a standard boring coffee pot.

Eric sells coffee at his little side business called Spunky Monkey Coffee and he has a blog where he states, “I have a small coffee roasting business that allows me to introduce people to regional coffees from around the world and shed light on the diversity of flavors within regional coffee.”

I like a good cup of coffee especially when shared with good friends who also enjoy quality food and beverages.

I don’t have a coffee press yet, but I plan on picking one up this Fall because I love coffee in the winter.  If you want to take a look at some nice ones check out Bodum’s selection.  

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Are you a coffee drinker? Do you actually budget for your Starbucks habit? If so then you may want to try Spunky Monkey Coffee. My good friend Eric, who is a seminary student in Minnesota, has started up this little side gig and I thought this was intriguing. Being an entrepreneur myself I couldn’t help but purchase a couple bags of this stuff and give it a whirl in the ol’ coffee grinder. I tried the Spunky Monkey Light this morning and had to admit that it is indeed quite tasty. It’s rich and flavorful without being bitter.

When it comes to coffee I can always tell a good cup from a bad cup based on it’s crispness. Cheap coffee lacks personality and depth and often times tastes almost chalky. A better bean produces a better cup and Spunky Monkey sure made a good cup.

I also like supporting small businesses and people just starting out and trying something new. If you like coffee, go grab some from an old Kanakuk friend and tell him Eddie sent you.

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I met her at The Buckle. Hair the color of apricots, cheeks the color of peaches, I couldn’t help but stare. She greeted me with a warm smile and instantly I felt we had a connection.

I looked into her cornflower blue eyes and asked, “Do you have these in a size 40?” She replied in a very suggestive tone, “No, but we have them in a 38, they are loose-fit, just try them on.”

She had me at “38″ and we walked over to the dressing room arm in arm. She handed me the jeans and I pulled the dressing room door shut. Moments later I came out of the dressing room with the size 38 jeans on my body. They were tight, but I did get them buttoned.

Liz looked at me and said, “Oh, those look good.”

I choked out a “really?” because I could barely speak my pants were so tight. I am sure that these paints were so tight that they looked like they were airbrushed on my body.

Liz responed with utmost sincerity, “If you can get them buttoned then they will stretch out the rest of the way.” Then she proceded to tell me how I should get one in each shade of blue that they had.

I barely heard anything that was coming out of her mouth. I was mesmerized by her smile and a little light-headed since all the blood that had traveled to my legs was trapped there since the waist of these jeans had turned into a tourniquet.

I knew that buying these jeans would make Liz fall in love with me and so I quicky went back into the dressing room, peeled myself out of the jeans, and raced up to the counter and handed over my Visa. When Liz saw the size of my wallet her eyes grew wide with desire. She smiled at me suggestively, flipped her, hair and laughed at everything I said. She was sending me signals.

I left the store feeling 30 pounds lighter which was probably due to the fact that all the blood was rushing back to my brain, but part of it I am sure was because I was in love.

I got to my apartment and immediately tried the jeans on again and tried to sit down in them. Once I sat down the jeans sliced through my torso severing me clean in half. Livid I pounded my fist on the chair and realized that I was going to have to take the jeans back and get a wheelchair – neither of which was on my list of “Eddo’s Favorite Things To Do.”

On my way back to the mall my heart pounded with dread and from having to use my arms to roll that dang chair. I knew Liz and I were going to be over as soon as I said, “I need to return these.” I could imagine the tears, the flood of emotions, the denial – Was I ready?

Liz was there behind the counter and when I saw her I almost turned around and fled. She smiled and waved at me and I smiled back a sorrowful smile that said more than just hello – it also said goodbye.

I placed the jeans on the counter and I told Liz, “Liz, this has nothing to do with you, you are great, it’ s me, I’m not ready for this relationship, it is too constricting, these jeans are just too tight!”

Her lower lip quivered. Her hands shook. She looked away. I could barley stand to see her like this, after all we had been through together, she meant so much to me.

She turned to the register and processed my return.

“So we’re through – just like that?”
“No, just sign right here” Liz replied still not meeting my eyes.
“Can we still be friends?”
“Sure, we are going to have a sale next week, I’ll be here…”
“Well, I’ll see you around kiddo.”

And then I walked out of her life forever.

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I have been feening for an iPod ever since they came out.

My friends found this site and actually got their friends to sign up using their links and they got a free iPod!

To get your free iPod, be sure to get 5 friends to sign up and complete offers using your unique referral link:
http://www.freeiPods.com/default.aspx?referer=eddo@postednote.com

So if you have nothing better to do and you really want to help me out by signing up using this link above, then please do so and I will give you one of the following:

1. My First Born
2. A full body massage if you live within a 50 mile radius of Plano.
3. A Blood donation given in your name despite the fact that I am terrified of giving blood.

Thank you, I love you, peace out.

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I think I’ve lost it! Ugh.

I used to could just walk into a mall, find what I was looking for, purchase it and then leave satisfied knowing that I just “owned” that mall and destroyed it with my unheard of male mall moxie.

I went to the mall today and tried on no less that 15 shirts. My arms are big and so are my shoulders, no brag just fact. My waste is getting smaller and that means that I need shirts that are tapered or else the shirts are all billowy around the waste and when you have worked hard to lose said waist then the last thing you want is voluminous amounts of materials draping around your midsection.

Then while in Collin Creek Mall I could NOT FIND THE BATHROOM! I am serious. I actually went to the mall directory thing and found the little restroom sign and still couldn’t find it. Livid I went back into Foley’s and asked them if they had a bathroom and I finally got to use it. Note to self, do not drink a 44 oz glass of water before you go to the mall to try on 15 shirts.

As I was leaving the mall I would have bet my left you know what on the fact that I had entered through Foley’s. I came out of Foley’s and looked EVERYWHERE for my truck. After multiple attempts to find it I started to panic. I almost called 911 when I remembered that the doors that I entered through didn’t look like Foley’s doors, they were much smaller and less trendy. I had entered through Mervyn’s! I don’t even like Mervyn’s how was that possible?

Thanking the Lord above that I didn’t call 911 and subsequently look like a stupid fool I hopped in my truck and realized that someone has apparently stolen my Mall Moxie much like Fat Bstrd stole Austin Powers’ Mojo.

Have I crossed a point of no return? Have I swam in this pool of bachelorhood for so long that there is no going back to the safety of the metrosexual shores?

I used to love going to the mall and shopping. What is happening to me!? What pray tell is happening to me!!!!! (eddo falls on his knees looks to the sky while the sky darkens, rain falls, and thunder and lightning stike. and… scene.)

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