Two Plus Years Of Statements Filed

Some people shred them, some people never open them, and some people file them away. What am I talking about? Account statements. I keep every statement for every account that I have ever had. For the longest time I was good about filing each statement away in its folder, right behind the one I received the previous month. I did this for six years. Then, all of a sudden, I quit. For the past two and a half years I've been tossing my statements in a pile. The pile started on a table and then got moved to a desk and finally got so big it ended up on the floor. For several months I've been telling myself that I need to sort and file my statements, but having to sort, put in order, and then file two years of statements of some 15 accounts can take a lot of time. Last night I broke down and did it. I sorted, put in order, and filed all my statements for all of my various accounts; bank accounts, investments, insurance, loans, credit cards, electricity, water, cell phone, cable, and internet. Total time spent filing, four hours. I feel a lot better now that all my statements are filed away in their appropriate file cabinet, and my bedroom floor is a lot cleaner; and I plan on keeping that way.

A Few Firsts

I started to write this post on May 28th and never got around to finishing it. That is until today. Prior to May 24, 2008 I had never been to Ikea, P.F. Changs, a Rough Rider's baseball game, had a pedicure, or waxed my back, but now I can say I have.

I wanted to build with Habitat Memorial Day weekend, but due to the holiday they didn't schedule any houses to be worked on. So my Saturday was pretty open and Claudia knew just what to fill it with...Ikea. I must say that I had been curious as to what people loved so much about Ikea, but not enough to make a stop without reason. We arrived at Ikea, 35 miles from Claudia's casa, around noon and walked out around 2pm. I must admit that I find the layout and overall concept of Ikea to be pretty cool. I can see why it is so popular. It has quality merchandise at reasonable prices. All the furniture they sell needs to be assembled which allows them to maximize their shipments and store more of their merchandise in their warehouse, and thus allows them to keep their prices very competitive. I didn't have a need to go to Ikea so all I ended up buying were 10 hangers and six boxes of Anna's Swedish Cookies, which are awesome!

Sunday morning we went to the nail salon that Claudia prefers to get our pedicures. When I sat down in the automated massage/pedicure chair I looked across the way and saw my friend Jessica who live in Fort Worth, but goes to church with me in Dallas. It totally caught me off guard. I couldn't keep my pedicure a secret anymore, for I had been spotted by a friend who would gladly tell many of our friends where I had been. The pedicure experience was fun. I sat in a massage chair for an hour while a woman massaged my calves and feet with hot stones, and cleaned up my toe nails. For the record I did not have my nails painted or a clear coat put on them. I simply had them trimmed and buffed, and my cuticles cleaned up.

After Claudia and I were done with our pedicures we went downtown to eat lunch at P.F. Changs prior to this I had never eaten at P.F. Changs. In 2004 I walked into a P.F. Changs in North Dallas and sat at the bar. I intended to order food, but after being ignored for 15 minutes I walked out and made a decision not to go back. Despite this Claudia insisted that I give them another chance. I must say that I enjoyed our lunch and the service was awesome.

The following weekend Claudia went to a beauty supply store and purchased a waxing kit to wax my back. I've never liked my back hair. Shaving it just causes it to feel like shark skin when rubbed against the direction of the hair growth, and I don't care much for that. So I was open to waxing it. I must say that I was pleased with the results of my back waxing, three days later. While my back was being waxed I wasn't a fan of it. I basically had 45 large band-aids ripped off my back; which caused it to be irritated for a couple of days, and covered with a bunch of red bumps. Only later did I find out from a gay friend that we should have put talcum powder on my back prior to waxing. This causes the wax not to stick to the skin as much which causes the irritation. Only a gay man would know this. I really should consult a gay man prior to any future cosmetic procedures.

For the 4th of July holiday Claudia and I went to watch the Rough Rider's baseball game and their fireworks show afterwards. In 2002 I went on a tour of the park prior to its opening and in 2007 I attended a game that was rained out. The tickets are fairly priced and there isn't a bad seat in the stadium due to its small size. We bought the only available seats a couple days before the game, which happened to be the lawn in the outfield. I'm happy to report that I not only was I able to watch the game, but I got to watch the Rough Riders win.