finances

Reese Witherspoon I’m not

I finally got that much-needed haircut Friday.

Am I the only one who’s at a loss when the stylist asks me what I want done with my hair?

Used to be, I had the luxury of a regular stylist. Back then, I could say, “Do what you think will look best” or “Surprise me” without worrying I’d end up looking like Don King or Sinead O’Connor.

I don’t have the money for regular salon visits anymore, so I go to the place that’s nearest when I decide to get a trim. I can’t remember the last time I saw the same stylist two times in a row.

When I stopped in Friday and heard the dreaded question, the picture that popped into my mind was this one of Reese Witherspoon. (I saw it on Pinterest not too long ago and thought her hair looked great. Of course, she’s just super-cute anyway. I can’t wait to see her latest movie, “This Means War.”)

So I opened my mouth and out popped the phrase “side-swept bangs.”

I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it was in the comment field on the pinned photo.

The stylist knew what I was talking about, though, because soon I had bangs that looked like this:

Uh yeah. Here’s where the title of this post comes in: Reese Witherspoon I’m clearly not.

How does she get so much volume?

Oh well. At least my dead ends are gone. The stylist had to cut about 4 inches to get them all.

And I think I need to banish the horizontal-striped turtleneck from my wardrobe.

Have a great weekend, folks. I know I will: I have plot group in the morning and today’s my last day of work before v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n.

Not Boyfriend-approved

Today’s lunch would not have been Boyfriend-approved — and that’s a shame, because it had the trifecta that always gets a nod from me.

What are the three points? I’m glad you asked!

1. Fast to fix
2. Flavorful
3. Filling

This recipe had it all. The most time-consuming part was grilling the chicken breast on George (my trusty George Foreman Lean, Mean Grilling Machine). While it cooked, I chopped up a few veggies, then mixed them with some mayo and a pinch of curry powder — and voila! A lunch star is born.

It was delicious and filling. Was it ever filling. This chicken salad was so satisfying that I seriously contemplated putting the rest away for later after I’d eaten about half of it. Of course, common sense prevailed and I continued eating. I’m glad I did, because the whole bowlful had only 2.1 Net Carbs.

The recipe (just something I threw together):

1/4 cup cucumber, chopped

1/4 cup mushroom, chopped

2 T red bell pepper, chopped

1 T mayonnaise

1/4 – 1/2 tsp curry powder (I used McCormick red curry powder)

Chicken breast (seasoned on both sides with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of the curry powder)

Grill the chicken breast. While it’s grilling, chop veggies. Mix veggies with mayonnaise. Add cooked, diced chicken breast and enjoy.

The Boyfriend most likely would have hated it A) because it had too many veggies and B) because he doesn’t like spicy food. Even the lightly spiced curry powder would have put him off.

To make the zucchini fries, I cut them into fry shapes, tossed with 1 tsp olive oil and seasoned with garlic sea salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until done. Delicious! The only thing that would make them better would be if they crisped up … but I have no clue how to make zucchini crispy without some kind of breading.

Any ideas?

On the car front, I needed brakes — badly. The guy at Brakemasters said the rotors aren’t supposed to be thinner than 0.9-something … and mine were 0.8-something.

$350 later, I have new front brakes (pads and rotors) and rear brake shoes. However, they said the rear brake drums really could use replacement, too.

No way could I have afforded that. I had to borrow $130 from the Boyfriend’s mom to pay for what I did get — and I not only had to deplete the $30 in my “buy a MacBook” fund but also maxed out my credit card … and I won’t be able to make much more than the minimum payment until I have her paid back.

Bleah. It’s always something, isn’t it? Powerball, where’s my jackpot?

17 and counting (and a vehicular dilemma)

That’s the number of net carbs I’ve eaten today — and, remarkably, I’m not crying for more. There’s no gnawing in my stomach, shouting “Feed me, you fool.” (Still more proof that I might not be eating enough, I suppose.)

With that being said, I know I need to eat something else, because 17 is way too low. Maybe I’ll go home and fix myself a salad.

I think my hunger’s a little off today because I’ve managed to stress myself out over my car. The Boyfriend and I were going to swap vehicles.

“I just have to drive to Poco (about three miles away) to play tennis. Can the Focus handle it?”

“As long as you remember to brake early,” I said.

He acted like he had no idea what I was talking about.

“You’ve ridden in the Focus. You know how the brakes feel when I stop.”

“You need to get that checked,” he said, assuming the role of big, strong protector.

Now it was my turn to act like HE was nuts. “Why would I get it checked when I don’t have money to pay for a repair?”

He insisted, though. So now I have an appointment to get the brakes looked at tomorrow — and I have just $198 on the credit card I’ve been paying down since my trip to RWA Nationals. (I had $140 more than that, but I had to use it to pay the balance on a $400 computer repair earlier this week. Yeah, I managed to scrape together cash for the rest — that’s what an extra paycheck in a month will do for me. Too bad I can’t get 3 paychecks EVERY month.)

Despite many attempts to keep a savings account, I have no money in the bank … unless you count the $30 in my “buy a new MacBook” fund — so I have no idea where the money for this brake job is coming from. (Of course, the Boyfriend says, “It could be nothing.” But being a financial pessimist, I’m expecting the worst.)

I just need to sell a novel — or win the lottery. Hmm. The novel sale is (slightly) more likely.