I took an overnight flight from Seattle to JFK Airport for the SaveUp 2011 conference. In the words of Arlo Guthrie, “I looked and felt my best” when I arrived. Here’s what’s already happened in the past five and a half hours:
travel
Scenes from the Financial Blogger Conference. (Now with more Klingons!)
I got mugged on my way to the first-ever Financial Blogger Conference last week. Fortunately that was not a portent. Can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun.
The robbery occurred in downtown Seattle, as I took the escalator to the light rail tunnel. A trio of young knuckleheads, one of them quite physically imposing, were involved. It took three of them to take down a tired middle-aged woman. Some heroes, huh?
They got a little over $80 in cash and that by the time I got Citibank on the phone they’d already bought themselves sandwiches.
Suffice it also to say that I hope all three of them get bleeding piles.
Hey, Chicago: Wanna have breakfast?
I’m presenting a talk at the Financial Blogger Conference this coming weekend in Schaumburg, just outside Chicago. My plane lands early Friday morning. Can anyone recommend a good breakfast place? And does anyone want to join us?
How to cut your phone and Internet bills. (Hint: Go on vacation.)
My phone provider, Qwest, is now called Century Link. Today a customer service rep phoned to see if I am getting the best deal possible. Turns out I am, but the lovely and talented Jason suggested a new frugal hack.
I mentioned that one of my upcoming trips might last as long as seven weeks. He said, “Then you’ll be turning off your phone, right?”
I didn’t know you could do that. Some frugalist I am.
In praise of the bandana.
Farm chore of the week: spreading fertilizer around 1,600 young Christmas trees. Dad and I did some today and some yesterday. More await us on Friday. Yay.
The late-summer sun felt plenty warm to me, and the humidity had it beat by a couple of percentage points. My bandana got quite a workout; not only did I wipe my face fairly often, I used the blue hanky to mark my spot in a row. When I walked back from the fertilizer cart, I always knew which was the last tree I’d surrounded with 14-7-14 granules.
That bandana cost me a buck several years ago, and has been in my backpack ever since. Who carries a pocket handkerchief any more? I do, and you should, too. It’s incredibly useful for a number of tasks.
South Jersey pastoral.
The weather at my dad’s has been crummy all week: torrential rain alternating with overcast days so humid I felt as though I were swimming instead of walking. Today the sun came out and the breeze picked up and I had the chance to do something I rarely get to do:
How to get free stuff.
Want freebies? They’re easier than ever to get, thanks to deal/freebie bloggers and social media.
Come on, Irene.
At about 10:30 a.m. this morning I suddenly came to my senses: Why in the world was I considering making the next leg of my trip to Washington, D.C.?
If I lived here, I’d be dead now.
Carved on my gravestone would be the phrase, “Died of surfeit. She was smiling at the time.”
Getting out of town.
I got back from BlogHer 2011 late in the evening on July 9. Since then I’ve been hitting MSN Money and Get Rich Slowly deadlines pretty hard, and spending time (including a day in Vancouver, B.C.) with an old friend who’s here in town.
Just before midnight tonight I get on a plane for the East Coast, where I’ll be spending just over a month: