Step into a Slim Jim

First, for anyone checking in on the date, it got moved to tomorrow night. This turned out to be a bonus because I wound up scheduling a bunch of fun stuff for the rest of the weekend including brunch once, if not twice, so I wouldn't feel so pathetic for not having friends. Turns out my friends stepped up to the plate when asked. Cool.

After brunch this morning and shopping for necessities at Sur la Table, I met with a bookkeeper who will save me money by making sure all my bills are handled efficiently. (My tax guy recommended her and the other reference checked out too.) I set up autopay for credit card minimums and such, but I don't always pay the full amount even when I mean to. She will. There are things that everyone has to deal with whether we want to or not and bill paying causes me much stress and consternation whereas she likes it. That alone is worth it, but my finances have gotten wonky since I bought the house and disturbed the system, and I'm paying more fees than I should. This way, instead of paying the soulless corporations $$, I'm giving $ to a local housewife running a side business, and keeping $ for myself.

I had set up the bookkeeping meeting at a nearby coffee shop. When I got back, I decided to walk some more and hit up the dollar shop. It's amazing the willpower it took to not drive this short distance when I had to retrieve something from the car on the way there, even though I chose this neighborhood for walkability. I like the dollar store for many things, but specifically for the face cloths I use in the middle of the day when I don't feel like making a huge splashy mess in the bathroom or on my shirt, but want my face to feel cleaner. I always wind up with something I wasn't planning on. Today, I got a slim jim. Yep, one of those metal devices one uses to pick car locks. Because I could. For a dollar. The best part is that I ran into the tire shop manager on my way home and showed him and he told me how to use it.

To summarize 3 things that made me happy today, even before the date:

• Brunch with a friend who brought a 2 for 1 coupon to place with atmosphere that had been recommended to me just the day before by someone else as having really good food.
  
• SlT carries the cheapo white "icing" spatulas that I love and use almost every day. There's nothing better for scraping down a bowl (they're the same white plastic with thin edges they make pot-scrapers out of) or getting every scrap of flesh cleanly out of an avocado. Their major fault is that they do stain and have to be replaced, but they're the best thing ever in the spatula line and cheap-o so I forgive them that and bought 4 - two with long handles and two short.
  
• Dude! I have a slim jim. And some hope of knowing how to use it because I've been patronizing local small businesses and walking. And talking to people who own local businesses who will help me deal with stuff I'm not good at.
  

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