Yep, I'm back on the old blog again! Lord knows how long it'll be before I do another post, but rest assured, I am still here. Here's a nice, moldy video post, just for you, you lucky people.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Importance of Opening a Window
Morning all! Spring has sprung, and because I'm in such a good mood about it, I have a video blog for you :D
Happy Monday!
~FNCB
Happy Monday!
~FNCB
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Office Organizing
Morning, all! Are you glad it's Wednesday? I know I am.
So on Monday, I told you I was going to do my taxes. In my life, doing a big project like that on top of a piled-up desk is just frustrating and unproductive. I had to get all my filing and piling out of the way so I could have a clear desk upon which to tackle the taxes. I had three inboxes, all full of crap, and some of it was stuff I needed for said taxes, so I pulled the recycle bin up next to my desk chair and got to work.
The first thing I did was sift through everything and throw stuff away - credit card applications (of course, those got torn up first), empty envelopes, advertisements, and invitations. I say 'invitations' because as I came across one, I put the event information on my phone's calendar, thus enabling me to dispose of the piece of paper and have one less thing on my desk. If you can put things in digital format, do so. Obviously, some things need a backup - like my taxes - but a lot of it can be put into a note on the phone or computer or email calendar and then you can throw away the paper and save yourself some clutter.
I was happy to notice that throwing away all the stuff I didn't have a reason to keep, knocked out about two thirds of the paper stack. Much easier to manage now. So I opened the expando-file where I keep all my personal stuff, and filed the non-business things. This would be personal credit card statements, pay stubs, doctor bills or EOBs from the insurance company...stuff like that. I only keep records of transactions that I may need to prove later. When I pay a bill online, I jot down the confirmation number, amount, and date of payment on the bill itself, then file it. That way, if my electric company calls me up to say, 'Zomg you didn't pay us!!!' I can pull out the bill for the month in question and prove to them that I did. It's a pain in the ass for me to have to keep papers around, but it would be even more of a pain in the ass if someone accused me of not paying a bill and I couldn't prove them wrong. Always cover your arse when it comes to bills.
Once the personal stuff was filed, I could file the business stuff. These are actually kept in a filing drawer of my desk, all fancy-like because they're special. Right now, all I've got are files for the bank, and taxes and receipts for each calendar year, so that filing was easy. And once it was all done, I knew where my tax forms were, and all my business receipts were in one file that I could pull out and go through at my leisure.
With my inboxes empty and my desk clear and clean, I was able to spend the entire day tackling the taxes - scanning copies of receipts, filling out forms for the accountant, doing math - none of it was fun, but all of it was necessary. Now all I have to do is sit back and let the people with letters after their names sort out the rest, which is a huge load off my mind. If you ever start a business, my advice to you is what my Entrepreneurship prof in college told me: Get an accountant, and a lawyer. Everything else you can figure out as you go, but you need those two people on your side.
Have a good rest of your week, everyone! I'll see you on Monday, hopefully with some packing tips.
Hugs,
FNCB
So on Monday, I told you I was going to do my taxes. In my life, doing a big project like that on top of a piled-up desk is just frustrating and unproductive. I had to get all my filing and piling out of the way so I could have a clear desk upon which to tackle the taxes. I had three inboxes, all full of crap, and some of it was stuff I needed for said taxes, so I pulled the recycle bin up next to my desk chair and got to work.
The first thing I did was sift through everything and throw stuff away - credit card applications (of course, those got torn up first), empty envelopes, advertisements, and invitations. I say 'invitations' because as I came across one, I put the event information on my phone's calendar, thus enabling me to dispose of the piece of paper and have one less thing on my desk. If you can put things in digital format, do so. Obviously, some things need a backup - like my taxes - but a lot of it can be put into a note on the phone or computer or email calendar and then you can throw away the paper and save yourself some clutter.
I was happy to notice that throwing away all the stuff I didn't have a reason to keep, knocked out about two thirds of the paper stack. Much easier to manage now. So I opened the expando-file where I keep all my personal stuff, and filed the non-business things. This would be personal credit card statements, pay stubs, doctor bills or EOBs from the insurance company...stuff like that. I only keep records of transactions that I may need to prove later. When I pay a bill online, I jot down the confirmation number, amount, and date of payment on the bill itself, then file it. That way, if my electric company calls me up to say, 'Zomg you didn't pay us!!!' I can pull out the bill for the month in question and prove to them that I did. It's a pain in the ass for me to have to keep papers around, but it would be even more of a pain in the ass if someone accused me of not paying a bill and I couldn't prove them wrong. Always cover your arse when it comes to bills.
Once the personal stuff was filed, I could file the business stuff. These are actually kept in a filing drawer of my desk, all fancy-like because they're special. Right now, all I've got are files for the bank, and taxes and receipts for each calendar year, so that filing was easy. And once it was all done, I knew where my tax forms were, and all my business receipts were in one file that I could pull out and go through at my leisure.
With my inboxes empty and my desk clear and clean, I was able to spend the entire day tackling the taxes - scanning copies of receipts, filling out forms for the accountant, doing math - none of it was fun, but all of it was necessary. Now all I have to do is sit back and let the people with letters after their names sort out the rest, which is a huge load off my mind. If you ever start a business, my advice to you is what my Entrepreneurship prof in college told me: Get an accountant, and a lawyer. Everything else you can figure out as you go, but you need those two people on your side.
Have a good rest of your week, everyone! I'll see you on Monday, hopefully with some packing tips.
Hugs,
FNCB
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine Video Post
And of course, since it's VDay, I'm doing my taxes. It was really a choice between 'finally getting them done' or 'making them into a rather smart casual jacket.' I figured the IRS would appreciate the former - those guys have no fashion sense.
Love and chocolate,
FNCB
Love and chocolate,
FNCB
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
And Now For Something Completely Different
Greetings, snowbound friends! Yeah, it snowed again here in Texas this morning. But that did not deter me and a couple of my finest gentleman friends from trooping into Dallas to see Flogging Molly open their Green 17 tour last night. Flogging Molly is one of my absolute favorite bands of all time, and I'd never seen them live before. I was not to be disappointed.
The opening bands were pretty good (the Swedish saxophone player named Gustav made me happy in a number of ways), so I was feeling good despite still trying to shake off this head cold. It turns out that both adrenaline and Bombay Sapphire are effective at clearing the sinuses.
Flogging Molly gives an incredibly energetic show - the entire crowd was dancing and singing along all the way through. And Molly fans are some very friendly moshers, weirdly enough. They picked each other up when they fell on the floor, said 'excuse me' when they pushed through to the pit, and even found some guy's shoe when he'd been knocked out of it.
That's right, a couple of people got knocked out of their shoes. I'll let that sink in for a sec.
One of the guys hopped out of the crowd, having retrieved his shoe from whoever had found it. He was grinning like an idiot as he put his shoe back on, then he said, 'Tough crowd!' and dove right back in. I did not mosh, as I wear glasses and would be completely hosed if they got broken, but watching all those happy drunks good-naturedly pushing each other around the floor was a sight to see, let me tell ya.
Flogging Molly played all of my favorite songs: Devil's Dance Floor, What's Left of the Flag, If I Ever Leave This World Alive, The Wanderlust (during an acoustic set in the middle of the show!), Factory Girls...I was in Celtic heaven. Their Irish-folk lyrics and fiddle accompaniment, with their danceable punk sound, made for a two-hour show that felt like half an hour, I was having so much fun. They ended with Seven Deadly Sins and the crowd went completely mad. I sang myself hoarse (not difficult, with the head cold and all), got to watch my gentleman friend elbow moshers out of the way with the best of them - I never thought I'd find that attractive, but I do - and then I got a t-shirt to prove that I was there. End the night with food at Cafe Brazil, a necessary stop after a night in Dallas, and the awesomeness was complete.
Oh, and while we were in line for the merch table, someone behind us said, "You should get that shirt; you get a free CD off the website. And it's a cool shirt." We all turned around to see the freaking rhythm guitar player from Flogging Molly itself standing there. We all kind of stared, nonplussed, and he grinned at us all and said, "And I'm not just hocking it because I'm in the band, it really is a cool shirt." Then he left, and we all waved and grinned at him, not knowing what else to do. My friend shook hands with the banjo player as he made his way to the exit as well. I can safely say that they're a bunch of friendly, good-natured guys as well as phenomenal musicians.
I could not have had a better night last night, and my cold is still improving, so I'm not even suffering any Divine Retribution for staying up late dancing with boys on a weeknight. If there is a good and loving Higher Power out there, I'm pretty sure It loves Flogging Molly as much as I do.
The opening bands were pretty good (the Swedish saxophone player named Gustav made me happy in a number of ways), so I was feeling good despite still trying to shake off this head cold. It turns out that both adrenaline and Bombay Sapphire are effective at clearing the sinuses.
Flogging Molly gives an incredibly energetic show - the entire crowd was dancing and singing along all the way through. And Molly fans are some very friendly moshers, weirdly enough. They picked each other up when they fell on the floor, said 'excuse me' when they pushed through to the pit, and even found some guy's shoe when he'd been knocked out of it.
That's right, a couple of people got knocked out of their shoes. I'll let that sink in for a sec.
One of the guys hopped out of the crowd, having retrieved his shoe from whoever had found it. He was grinning like an idiot as he put his shoe back on, then he said, 'Tough crowd!' and dove right back in. I did not mosh, as I wear glasses and would be completely hosed if they got broken, but watching all those happy drunks good-naturedly pushing each other around the floor was a sight to see, let me tell ya.
Flogging Molly played all of my favorite songs: Devil's Dance Floor, What's Left of the Flag, If I Ever Leave This World Alive, The Wanderlust (during an acoustic set in the middle of the show!), Factory Girls...I was in Celtic heaven. Their Irish-folk lyrics and fiddle accompaniment, with their danceable punk sound, made for a two-hour show that felt like half an hour, I was having so much fun. They ended with Seven Deadly Sins and the crowd went completely mad. I sang myself hoarse (not difficult, with the head cold and all), got to watch my gentleman friend elbow moshers out of the way with the best of them - I never thought I'd find that attractive, but I do - and then I got a t-shirt to prove that I was there. End the night with food at Cafe Brazil, a necessary stop after a night in Dallas, and the awesomeness was complete.
Oh, and while we were in line for the merch table, someone behind us said, "You should get that shirt; you get a free CD off the website. And it's a cool shirt." We all turned around to see the freaking rhythm guitar player from Flogging Molly itself standing there. We all kind of stared, nonplussed, and he grinned at us all and said, "And I'm not just hocking it because I'm in the band, it really is a cool shirt." Then he left, and we all waved and grinned at him, not knowing what else to do. My friend shook hands with the banjo player as he made his way to the exit as well. I can safely say that they're a bunch of friendly, good-natured guys as well as phenomenal musicians.
I could not have had a better night last night, and my cold is still improving, so I'm not even suffering any Divine Retribution for staying up late dancing with boys on a weeknight. If there is a good and loving Higher Power out there, I'm pretty sure It loves Flogging Molly as much as I do.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Decluttering Applications in Daily Life
Happy Monday, Cleaning Crusaders! Your Friendly Neighborhood Cleaning Bird and her roomie gave notice on their apartment this weekend, which means I'll be moving at the end of April. Don't worry, I've got a place lined up, but that does mean that I'll be spending the next two months downsizing, organizing, cleaning, and packing (in that order). What this means for you guys is that I may miss a blog post here and there, due to being trapped in my kitchen, wrapping plates in old towels. I wish it were something more entertaining, like being on the run from Interpol with my rich, handsome boyfriend...you know what, that does sound better. If/when I miss a blog post, it'll be because I'm on the run from Interpol with my rich, handsome boyfriend. Forget the plates.
But before the next jewel heist (it's my internet story, and I'll make it as interesting as I want), I want to talk about decluttering your life in ways that don't involve bin bags and dumpsters. I guess the following suggestions could involve those things, in theory, but that's illegal so don't do it.
I want to talk to you about People Clutter. Now that you've started simplifying your home, take a look at the people in your life. Look at them like you looked at your jewelry box or your bathroom cabinet. Do any of them stress you out? Are you putting up with some of them out of habit, even though they tend to make you feel bad when you're around them? Have you been making excuses for them, saying things like, 'That's just how they are!' or 'They're a really good person, they just say/do bad things sometimes!'?
Compare those people to that jewelry box, and the excuses you'd been making for not cleaning out the jewelry. It's hard, it's a lot of hassle, you might throw away something you really want some day, it takes a lot of time...any of these sound familiar regarding the stressful people in your life? Is that manipulative, commitment-phobic boyfriend easier to leave in the dresser than he is to drag out into the living room and purge?
Just like house-clutter, those stressful people are cluttering up your life. They're adding stress you don't need, and keeping you from seeing the things you really want to see in your life. Take a long look in the mirror, and ask yourself if there's anybody in your life who makes you nervous just from being in the same room as them, or who always leaves you feeling pissed off or exhausted for no apparent reason. Is there somebody who tries to discourage you from getting a better job or going back to school? Somebody who makes fun of you for quitting smoking? Somebody who never has a positive or uplifting thing to say, to you or about you?
These are People Clutter. They hold you back, they help you make excuses, they encourage you to be stagnant. And you know what you need to do, right? Right, same thing you did with the jewelry that turns your neck green. You need to get rid of them. E-mail them, call them, send them an owl, but do something to tell them that you don't want to see them anymore. Get rid of the people who are not likable to you, so that when you look at your life all you see are the good people who are there to support you, whom you like being around, and who like being around you as opposed to those who like you because you're useful. Friends don't like you because you're useful. They like you because you're you, and even when you're just sitting on the couch eating popcorn, they're glad you're there.
Don't settle for living in clutter, physical or mental. You're better than that. You deserve a clean, healthy living space, both in your head and outside of it. Both of these projects take work, and both of them are painful in parts, but trust me, they're both completely worth it. Keep the things in your life that truly make you happy, and let the rest go. You'll be surprised how much more fulfilling your time is when it's unobscured by all that extra crap.
Have a great day, all, and I'll see you Wednesday!
Hugs,
FNCB
But before the next jewel heist (it's my internet story, and I'll make it as interesting as I want), I want to talk about decluttering your life in ways that don't involve bin bags and dumpsters. I guess the following suggestions could involve those things, in theory, but that's illegal so don't do it.
I want to talk to you about People Clutter. Now that you've started simplifying your home, take a look at the people in your life. Look at them like you looked at your jewelry box or your bathroom cabinet. Do any of them stress you out? Are you putting up with some of them out of habit, even though they tend to make you feel bad when you're around them? Have you been making excuses for them, saying things like, 'That's just how they are!' or 'They're a really good person, they just say/do bad things sometimes!'?
Compare those people to that jewelry box, and the excuses you'd been making for not cleaning out the jewelry. It's hard, it's a lot of hassle, you might throw away something you really want some day, it takes a lot of time...any of these sound familiar regarding the stressful people in your life? Is that manipulative, commitment-phobic boyfriend easier to leave in the dresser than he is to drag out into the living room and purge?
Just like house-clutter, those stressful people are cluttering up your life. They're adding stress you don't need, and keeping you from seeing the things you really want to see in your life. Take a long look in the mirror, and ask yourself if there's anybody in your life who makes you nervous just from being in the same room as them, or who always leaves you feeling pissed off or exhausted for no apparent reason. Is there somebody who tries to discourage you from getting a better job or going back to school? Somebody who makes fun of you for quitting smoking? Somebody who never has a positive or uplifting thing to say, to you or about you?
These are People Clutter. They hold you back, they help you make excuses, they encourage you to be stagnant. And you know what you need to do, right? Right, same thing you did with the jewelry that turns your neck green. You need to get rid of them. E-mail them, call them, send them an owl, but do something to tell them that you don't want to see them anymore. Get rid of the people who are not likable to you, so that when you look at your life all you see are the good people who are there to support you, whom you like being around, and who like being around you as opposed to those who like you because you're useful. Friends don't like you because you're useful. They like you because you're you, and even when you're just sitting on the couch eating popcorn, they're glad you're there.
Don't settle for living in clutter, physical or mental. You're better than that. You deserve a clean, healthy living space, both in your head and outside of it. Both of these projects take work, and both of them are painful in parts, but trust me, they're both completely worth it. Keep the things in your life that truly make you happy, and let the rest go. You'll be surprised how much more fulfilling your time is when it's unobscured by all that extra crap.
Have a great day, all, and I'll see you Wednesday!
Hugs,
FNCB
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