Mishmash Musings

Every night before I go to bed, I make a task list of things I need to get done the next day. I include nearly everything on this list, from writing assignments to exercise sessions to TV programs that I’m going to watch. On any given day, my list could have 10-15 tasks on it.

I used to be good about knocking everything off the list every day, but for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been letting things slide. I don’t know if it’s just the season or what, but I haven’t been nearly as productive on a day-to-day basis as I’d like.

However, since I’m still getting the absolute minimum done, I’m not going to beat myself up over this too much. I’ll just take it easy for the rest of the year and then come back strong in 2008!

Remember my post from two weeks ago about how I was going to use my Nintendo Wii as a fitness aid? Well, I thought today would be a good time for an update on how that whole plan is going.

I’ve been playing for 30 minutes every day for two weeks now, but unfortunately I have yet to see any weight loss from this endeavor. As I said in my original post, I’m not doing anything else differently. I haven’t been taking any Miracle burn or other supplements, haven’t been going to the gym or counting calories. I’m still eating the same things and exercising the same amount as before; the only change is adding 30 minutes of Wii Sports to my daily routine.

I figured the Wii weight loss thing sounded too good to be true. I’m going to give it a couple more weeks, but if I don’t see any improvement, I’ll probably just abandon this experiment.

On the bright side, I’m getting pretty darn good at Wii Bowling and Tennis!

I just read that Netflix and Blockbuster combine for a total of more than 10 million online subscribers who order their DVDs over the Internet and get them delivered in the mail. This number is mind-boggling to me, as I didn’t like either service when I tried them out. When I’m in the mood to rent a movie, I want to watch it NOW; I don’t want to have to queue it up and then wait a couple of days for it to get delivered.

I do realize that depending on the plan you have, you can save money by doing this online thing. But it still seems like far too much of a hassle for me. I would rather go down to Blockbuster (or Hollywood Video), browse through the aisles, grab my movies and snacks, and then go home to settle in for the night.

Online shopping is one thing, renting DVDs online is something completely different. I can’t get used to it!

My husband received word not too long ago that his overtime hours at work will be drastically reduced in 2008. I know they say you can’t count on overtime pay when calculating your household budget, but when the hours have been there for more than 3 years, it’s hard not to start depending on that extra money. Needless to say, this is going to be a major blow to our finances, so we’re going to have to start cutting back wherever we can.

I’ve already looked into the usual ways of saving money. From this point forward, we’re going to spend less on entertainment, restaurants, clothes, cable, and our cell phones. That will get us much closer to where we need to be in terms of monthly spending, but I’d be a lot more comfortable if we had some extra breathing room. That’s why I’ve decided to look into refinancing my car.

A couple of my friends have talked about auto refinancing, so that’s how I knew it was a possibility. I started checking around on the Internet, and found a company called FinanceGenius that offers advice and tips about the various Bad Credit Car Refinance services out there.

FinanceGenius has very useful articles on their website that helped me understand exactly what would happen during the refinancing process. I learned some valuable information, including the fact that even refinancing for a nominal 1% difference could save big money over the life of my auto loan.

I spent some time looking around the rest of the FinanceGenius website and saw that they have the same types of insightful articles about how to save on mortgages, student loans, and insurance, as well as tips for improving bad credit. In other words, this is an excellent resource for people who are trying to get their household finances under control.

If you want to start the new year on solid financial ground, then I recommend visiting FinanceGenius.com today. I’m sure you’ll find the site as useful as I did!

The stories about people spending crazy amounts of money on Christmas presents are starting to go around now. This kind of thing happens every single year, yet it still boggles my mind that people would pay so much extra for certain items just because they’re buying around Christmas time.

For example, I recently read that a shortage of Nintendo Wiis (this year’s hottest gift) has prompted anxious parents to pay close to $1,000 or more for these in-demand game systems for their kids to have at Christmas. They can still be had at online auction sites like eBay, where sellers start the bidding at a high premium.

Then there was the guy in Australia who reportedly paid $9,000 for a copy of the sold-out video game Guitar Hero III. The game retails for a mere $90 when you can find it in stores.

The excessive spending is not limited to hard-to-find electronics. See the Green Bay Packers knit cap Brett Favre is wearing in the photo above? It usually sells for $17.95 in stores, but since the Packers are doing so well this year, it’s a hot item that has flown off the shelves. People are reportedly paying $75 or more in online auctions for this thing!

Last year this happened with Tickle Me Elmo.

This is sheer madness, and I will never do what these parents are doing. I love my son more than anything, but I don’t have to pay 10-100 times the retail price of trendy toys to prove it!

So the long-awaited Mitchell Report detailing an investigation into steroid use by Major League Baseball players was finally released last week. As promised, the report names big names, including Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Brian Roberts, and of course Barry Bonds. You can download the report (as a PDF file) in its entirety and read it yourself by following this link:

Mitchell Report via MLB.com

A few of the players named have come right out and acknowledged their involvement, and have apologized to the fans. Others, most notably Clemens, have straight-up denied taking legal steroids, illegal steroids, or any other type of performance-enhancing drug.

I’ve got to admit that this report hasn’t caused quite the stir that I expected it to. I guess fans are just so jaded about drug use in pro sports these days that they simply don’t care anymore. Plus, many of the instances of steroid use highlighted in The Mitchell Report occurred before MLB instituted its drug policy, so a lot of people don’t see the relevancy.

I want to know what MLB is going to do about steroids from this point forward. I think a zero-tolerance policy should be adopted because it’s obvious that players are still using performance-enhancers right now. These 25- or 50-game suspensions aren’t enough of a deterrent, so it’s time to get serious.

It’s official: the Natalee Holloway case has been moved to the cold case files by Aruban authorities. Holloway, of course, is the American high school senior who disappeared in Aruba on the last night of her class trip way back on May 30 of 2005. Since then, the case has been in and out of the news as Holloway’s parents have fought hard to keep her name in the headlines.

This latest development comes just days after Aruban authorities once again arrested Joran van der Sloot and Deepak and Satish Kalpoe to question them about Holloway’s disappearance. These three men are believed to be the last to see Holloway alive, but the police simply don’t have enough evidence to charge them with a crime — particularly since Holloway’s body has never been found.

Speaking of the body, the Holloway family is having the waters around Aruba searched by a private diving team from Texas. The Aruban police have said that they would consider reopening the case if compelling new evidence is found, and Holloway’s body would certainly do the trick.

Unfortunately, I just don’t see how her body would be found at this point. If it hasn’t washed up on shore yet, it has probably either been devoured by ocean dwellers or carried too far out to sea to be recovered.

I feel bad for Holloway’s parents, because I imagine that if there could be anything worse than losing a child, it would be not getting any closure regarding your child’s disappearance.

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