Thursday, February 4, 2016

Thursday Thoughts

1. The fourth day of a month-long wallet watch is a crapper of a time to be running low on my daily lip stuff. I have other colors but this gives my lips just enough to not look like a dead fish.
2. I did my first post on Cape Town yesterday. My next post is tomorrow. Some things don't fit anywhere. Like the fact that I can never get latte art anywhere at home and it was prevalent in my hotel in Cape Town. Or that biltong is like a jerky and it's delicious. Or that kelp forests are freaking scary and smell pungently briny. Or that I wish they sold grapetiser here because it's a delicious sparkling white grape juice that would be so refreshing ice cold (which it never was there, no drinks were ever ice cold). Or that Castle is just eh as a local beer. Or that I don't drink wine much anymore but tried a local sauvignon blanc wine with lunch each day in Cape Town and they were delicious on the whole. Or that we were traveling with a little Teddy and I need to complete his paperwork and send him back. Or that I feel the need to photograph graffiti everywhere (L-R top of Table Mountain, original Cape Point Light House, Hout Bay, Hout Bay).
3. Re-acclimating to EST has not been easy for me. I'm not good with time changes in any direction when travelling. I've felt like I'm on another planet for the past week. I passed out on the couch before 8 p.m. twice this week, with absolutely no idea of what was going on around me at all. Like MFD picked Mae up (she surely barked like a B), took her and bathed her, and she came back, dogs moved around and went out, etc. It's so weird to be so knocked out asleep without any sleep aids.

4. As is my custom, I have returned from one trip and set my sights on the next, which is Ireland and Paris for my Dad's 60th birthday in November. I'm about to book our airfare using miles. There are very few things as awesome as booking airfare and paying nothing. I am relatively new to the rewards points game, but being that we love to travel, I will never leave it. Two tickets to Europe. No cash. You can't beat it. Some of our hotels will be paid with miles too. I've been working towards earning these because it's the ticket to swinging two international trips in one year. Get it? The ticket? I'm using the Barclays Arrivals Card to earn miles and MFD is using his American Express business card. If you play the miles game, what do you use to earn miles?

5. I also played the miles game to cover my airfare for next weekend. MFD has a conference in New Orleans, so his air and hotel are business expenses. I've never been there and am not one to pass up a free hotel room so I used the last of my American miles to book myself a quick weekend trip and hope to never fly American again after that because they are asshole unapologetic flight changers. I want to hunt down this king cake burger even though I can just imagine how ill I would feel after eating it.

6. If I had to live in any outfit from previous decades, it would be a flannel over rippy jeans and Doc Martens. That was a comfortable uniform. I think of this more than I should, and I saw it on a friend's FB status the other day and on Caitlin's post yesterday so it's in the forefront of my mind. Cue Into Your Arms by the Lemonheads.

7. Aldi is kicking up its organic food offerings. I need to pop in and check it out.

8. Last weekend I was looking forward to being home and getting shit done, but those plans were changed. This weekend, nothing's stopping me. I'm going to be doing some purging and organizing and list making and all those things dorks like me think are fun and exciting. Not on my to do list: super bowl things.

9. This Tuesday, February 9. Are you ready?
10. I hate to kick this nonsensical, no good information post into a serious mode, but I'm giving a big hell yes to this:
11. E-card of the week...TGIAF:

I went to bed thinking today would actually be Friday so that was a blow. Onward.

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Linking up with Kristen and Gretch for What's New With You?

What's New With You

39 comments:

  1. YAS to basically everything in the post. Especially about travel. On a trip around China with my parents and I'm plotting my next trip too :) (Bali in July!)
    What cards do you use? Right now I'm using the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Ventures.

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  2. OH no, SUGAR is the best lip stuff. Here's hoping it lasts you to the end of your challenge.

    Have so much fun in NOLA it is such a great city and the food is amazing. Let me know if you want any suggestions, I have a ton :)!

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  3. We have some kind of football festivity to go to...at least I can make dip.
    I've considered buying that lip stuff. I even bookmarked the link the last time you wrote about it. Do you always get the same color?

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  4. Ireland and Paris sound like so much fun. I do that too set goals on one trip after having come from another. I only travelled in the Caribbean last year after state hopping in the US and heading to Australia in 2014 so im hoping to take a bigger trip this year ... once my now not-so-new job allows me vacation!

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  5. Rape is worse than murder to me. No means no. Being incoherent means no. Children NO!NO!NO!
    I am not a violent person, but that to me, means death to the rapist.
    Ok! NOLA- I loved the Richard Simmons book Still Hungry After All These Years. He grew up in NOLA and described all of the food along with his experiences in NOLA. Happy you are going there! Love, Your Momma

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  6. As a rape survivor, I very much appreciate the serious note on this post. Thank you for clarifying for those who need it.

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  7. Are you going to be in NOLA for Mardi Gras? So lucky!!! That King Cake burger looks like something I would love. Get one for me!

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  8. I finally made it into Aldi for the first time after everyone suggested it as a way to save money. What the heck was I waiting for?!

    Thanks so much for joining the linkup fun today!

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  9. My sister travels all the places with points, she loves it.

    I use to work with a girl from New Orleans her family always sent us a King cake for Mardi Gras, so good!

    I miss Aldi, I wish we had one here and was surprised we didn't.

    I'm ready for all the books!

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  10. I still can't believe your city is holding out on latte art. And this grape juice sounds interesting... I wonder if Whole Foods or somewhere would have it? We have a liquor store with a crazy soda aisle, so I'll look for it there. I want to hear if you have luck with Aldi - last time I went, the avocados I wanted were still frozen (???) so I haven't made time to go back. And I feel like flannel, boots, and ripped jeans are back in style so you can get your wish, at least for a season.

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  11. Hey, do you mind taking the bear to NOLA too? I just need him back before I leave for Mexico on 2/24.

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  12. Hey, do you mind taking the bear to NOLA too? I just need him back before I leave for Mexico on 2/24.

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  13. I keep hearing Aldi's is great with veggies & fruits - I need to go there myself.

    I struggle going to Nashville & they are only 1 hour behind us - I cant imagine hourSSSSS - I'd never get back to feeling right.

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  14. thanks so much for linking up with Gretch and I!

    that consensual sex vs rape is so true, though i laughed at swimming and drowning.

    aldi! i keep meaning to go in there because apparently their prices are the bomb dot com and they have lots of GF options.

    i am intrigued by the teddy. paperwork and sending him back?

    yay for planning trips and not paying for flights! that's awesome. we use miles (southwest) and rack them up via credit cards. that's only domestic though, but we haven't paid for those kind of flights for the last year and a half which is awesome!

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  15. I am a diehard Aldi fan. They can do no wrong in my books. I think they stock totally different stuff in every country but I'm going to investigate the organic stuff here just in case.

    I've jumped on your wallet watch bandwagon, luckily I haven't had any of my favourite things run out on me just yet. Surely non-dead-fish ability makes it count as an essential? Speaking as one who looks cadaverous without lip colour...

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  16. I don't do the miles (obvs, no travel for this girl) but my parents do, I think they use the same AmEx that MFD does. If I did travel, I'd be all over it, because free is my favorite price. As it stands I just get the cash back on my credit card, works for me!
    I want that king cake burger, even though I know I'd instantly puke it up. But it just looks too awesome. I secretly hope you go get it.
    YAY organizing and purging! I'm psyched to see what you do, I always love your lists and before and after shots. They're calming and motivating at the same time.

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  17. I'm going to have Google what a kelp forest is. lol That's a super score getting tickets to Euro[e for free! I was hoping to finally cross the pond this year but after looking at flights into London, I tucked my tail in and walked away. I may attempt to look at other (cheaper) cities to fly into. Either way I'm super Jelly you're going to Ireland!!

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  18. "...we were traveling with a little Teddy and I need to complete his paperwork and send him back." What? Send him back where? What paperwork?! So confused. Also, if you're interested in a cheaper version of the Fresh, I'd check out Maybelline's Baby Lips. I have it and it's moisturizing and adds just a touch of color for >$5. I have been wanting to go to New Orleans for years- have a great time!

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  19. Please teach me the ways of the miles game! We want to go so many places (once the budget is under control and we get ahead of our debt)! I have a Southwest visa but that literally gets me like one ticket to vegas every 2 years or so (okay, mainly because I am carrying a huge balance on it an not actively accruing points...MY BAD).

    KELP! I took an entire semester on algae and it was full of handling specimens like the ones you photographed. Smelled terrible...I used to keep samples in the fridge, my roommates loved me for that ;-) Also I forgot to comment on your last post about my extreme disappointment of your shark diving trip getting cancelled!

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  20. Definitely can't pass up a trip to New Orleans! I'm jealous!

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  21. I have a conference in New Orleans in November and I am so damn excited. I have never been and it will give me the chance to cross another state off my list.

    I feel that everyone else plays the points/miles game better than I do. I need to get on it. I have a Southwest card and get points there and have purchased a number of tickets, but they don't fly internationally, so there's that issue.

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  22. Great point about consensual sex! The line about rape being another type of sex made me shudder. Jealous of your NOLA weekend, make a reservation at one of Emeril's restaurants....Delmonico is fabulous, the food, atmosphere and service are on point!I was on the phone earlier today trying to order a King Cake (in Colorado) and the guy told me they'd probably have some closer to the holiday in 2 weeks. Um, Fat Tuesday is the 9th!! Sorry about the sidebar, have a great trip!

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  23. oh man, flannel + doc martens (after being relegated to the back bench for the early 2000s) are DEFINITELY back in style so you can make that look happen right quick, ha! Love all the little details of things that were fun in Cape Town that you feel don't "fit" anywhere. Those are always nice little nooks and crannies of a vacation. If you love graffiti, you would love all the street art here in SF. It's pretty amazing!!! Love that quote about sex, ha! So true and I never really thought about it that way until I saw that quote. And airline miles are THE BEST. Yes to getting tickets without paying, it's so amazing. A large part of my husband's job is travel and much of that is internationally. So generally every time we fly somewhere (Paris included), we are barely paying for flights as a result of his miles and it is LEGIT.So exciting to have Europe in November!

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  24. Sorry that the jet lag has been so rough this week! Hopefully the upcoming weekend will be a nice refresh. And of course the one day I take off from blogland you post your first recap. Checking it out now :-D

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  25. We have the Southwest credit card and use earning from that for most of our domestic travel (if we travel for work we typically do SW so that helps too). For overseas, we have the AA credit card, but we too are not fans of AA. So, for traveling to Europe we booked Air Berlin (Germany) and Iberia (Spain). You can transfer AA miles (or avios if you do British Airways or Chase Ultimate Rewards) to either of those as well as Aer Lingus, which you probably already know, for your Ireland travel.

    I'm not quite finished with our Paris itinerary, but we are most definitely doing a day trip to the Champagne region, which we're both super excited about.

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  26. I need to go back and look at your first trip post, but from that photo collage it looks like you had a great trip- I can only imagine how difficult getting over jet lag would be, but hopefully soon you'll be back on track. A trip to Europe for your dad's birthday also sounds amazing! Every time I hear about someone getting their airfare paid for I swear I'm going to look into earning miles, but I never do... definitely need to make it a priority though. We went to New Orleans last spring and I've wanted to go back ever since- sooo much good food :)

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  27. Ireland and Paris is going to be AMAZING!!!!!
    I've never been to Aldi but there's one right by us. I keep meaning to stop in but always forget about it!

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  28. That grape drink sounds delightful! Why cant we get cool things here? I cant believe that you dont have latte art??? We even have it here in Birmingham. Get your shit together PA! Paris and Ireland??? Sign me up!!!! And sign me up for that king cake burger too thanks. A coworker was telling me about Aldis and I have been meaning to see if their rumors are true. I could use some discount in my grocery bill! I am totally ready for the book link up next week, I have been reading up like a mad woman!

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  29. Oh, girl... I feel your pain about jet lag and readjusting. I do not acclimate well regardless of the direction I travel. Several years ago, when I returned from three weeks AUS and NZ, I had my days and nights completely backwards for a week. It took me another two weeks to adjust. I felt like I was living in a fog...

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  30. Ireland and Paris sound wonderful! My husband and I love to travel, but he only wants to go where we can ride on two wheels lol. I need to learn more about using miles....Aldi is great! They are carrying lots of organic items now, and they also have good produce, and varieties of cheeses.

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  31. NOLA is one place i would love to visit; i've been wanting to go for years. i have a girls trip banked so i'm trying to get it on the short list!

    PS - travelling on points rules all.

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  32. 10!!
    I would love to visit NOLA!
    I cannot wait to see more stunning pictures of Cape Town. :)
    XOXO

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  33. Yeah, I'm not really feeling the whole super bowl thing, so I'll probably be doing something more fun too, like organizing ;)

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  34. Which miles are you focusing on? I'm an American loyalist (because I'm AA-hub captive), but I use the shopping portal at www.aadvantageshopping.com to earn miles for all my online purchases (after comparing with EBates). I also registered all our credit cards with the AA Dining Portal. We used miles + hotel points for our entire trip to Europe last year (minus 2 days in Florence)... best. deal. ever.

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  35. Yes, yes, yes to traveling. I love some credit card miles myself. My husband has started traveling more for work - I told him he has to keep it up through all my kids graduating so I can join him. He works. I tour. Perfection! Love that you are taking your Dad. I take my mom, but only domestically. She's a hot mess in Europe - never again. She has too much anxiety over every little detail. You will love NOLA. Say hello to Bourbon street (because you just have too) and then move on. So many beautiful sites. One of the best things I did there was a walking historical cocktail tour - it was just so awesome! And agreed on your #10 - glad you threw it out there!

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  36. I can't believe you guys were able to book two tickets to Europe using only miles. That's fucking amazing! I need to get a mileage rewards card at some point, but I usually just stick with cash back cards. I've been avoiding opening another card (I feel like I have so many as it is), but when I do, it will likely be a mileage rewards card. I would prefer to get one that doesn't restrict me to a specific airline, though, because we tend to use airlines based on cost and flight times and aren't loyal to any particular one.

    I really want to go to New Orleans at some point. Eric and I have both never been, and it was on our list of potential locations for our anniversary trip last year. I'm sure we'll go eventually.

    I'm getting ready for the link-up next week. I feel like I've been reading like crazy, though, so it's going to be a really long post! Haha.

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  37. It really is the best feeling to buy a ticket using points and realize that you're only paying taxes! We've gotten so spoiled because my husband has so many points through Southwest that we haven't bought plane tickets in years!

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  38. I will totally be your twin in flannel and ripped jeans! I never actually owned Doc Martins though...I'll just rock cheap flip flops I suppose.

    I would love to travel off of miles! As it is we can afford to go exactly nowhere. Now apparently my parents are going to Hawaii for my grandmother's surprise 80th and looking at ticket prices makes me want to cry...

    Ireland is lovely though! You will have a blast!

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  39. Glad you got to catch up on sleep even if you didn't realize you passed out. Awesome for free tickets! I don't travel as much but I need to look into points since I want to travel more. I miss the flannel and doc marten days, so comfy.

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