Making a Budget

It was pouring and thundering when I got up this morning. I decided I didn't feel like braving the weather for yoga. I wrote in my journal and read Donna Parker, Special Agent instead. I ran another Three Stooges shorts while having cereal and a blood orange for breakfast. In "Three Hams On Rye," Shemp, Moe, and Larry are extras in a play put on by a nervous producer (Emil Sitka) who's worried that a drama critic will give him yet another bad review. He first tries to get the boys to ferret out the critic. When that fails, they have to make the cake and salad for their act...after which cake and act go a bit up in the air.

After I finished the Stooges, I switched to The Muppet Show. The Muppets had several country music-related guest stars during the run of the series, but none were more legendary than Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, the King and Queen of the Cowboys. Rogers teaches Kermit how to yodel, while Fozzie realizes he has a ready-made audience for his bad jokes when the cows brought in for the finale somehow adore his new home on the range material.

I spent the rest of the morning working on a budget. I've had receipts from the last two months sitting around for a while. I have a lot to save up for. In addition to the much-needed laptop, my best friend Lauren will be visiting next month for my first vacation week. I'd also like to not end up as broke this summer. There being less going on right now should help. As I mentioned, I have no other major plans for the next few months besides Lauren's visit and a possible day trip to Atlantic City, and no one in my family is up to a lot of traveling or gigantic parties. This may extend to early fall as well if my hours are as bad this summer as they were last year.

I did come to the conclusion that something extra has to go. I'm making and saving more money than I did at this time last year, but while I'm not spending as much, there's still not that much left for needs after all the spending. I'm going to drop yoga class until after the 4th of July. I'll try to get more walks in on nice weather days. I'll do those DDP Yoga DVDs when the weather's bad or it's too hot for walking. I'll also try to hold off on anything health-related until July as well.

Went for a walk after I finished with the budget. It was sunny by noon, warm and humid, but not overwhelmingly so. A nice breeze helped keep things from getting too sticky. The bushes are flowering now, all pinks and whites and purples. The lilacs are gone; the irises are on their way out. The leaves on the trees are full and green and fat. I strolled by Rose's new house. I was hoping I'd see them moving in, but it looks like work is at least continuing on the exterior. They were working on the concrete on sidewalk in front of the parking space.

When I got in, I put on Tiny Toon Adventures' first season finale as I made a spinach and mushroom omelet and home-made hash browns for lunch. Although the title of the episode is "High Toon," it really has more in common with The Magnificent Seven and The Three Amigos. Buster and Babs accidentally find themselves in a real western town that's being terrorized by bandits (one of whom looks suspiciously like Wil E Coyote). They rope Plucky and Hampton into helping them retrieve their stolen property and help the townspeople clear out the bandits for good.

Work was a pain. While it was once again quiet when I came in and quiet when I left, the heat and humidity must have gotten on people's nerves. I had a lot of customers who were cranky, obnoxious, or just plain rude. I was so happy to be able to leave with no relief when my shift ended.