The Demise of Forth & Towne

Posted on June 22nd, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Work, Personal, Omnia Vanitas, Current Events, Money, Random.

Well, it’s been about a week since my favorite store, Forth & Towne, officially closed for business. La sigh. This was like a cross between Banana Republic and the Gap, both trendy and classic, pretty and functional.  It was such a wonderful place for a girl like me — professional outfits that weren’t stuffy or too plain, simply perfect for a young woman trying to develop a business wardrobe, although a little costly — that of course it couldn’t last.  Just goes to prove my usual saying — I never get what I want.  :)   Still, the closing sale was awesome.  I got dresses and slacks for 75% off the retail price, even on previously discounted merchandise.  I don’t mind admitting that I went a little crazy — I bought two pairs of pants for my mother and aunt on the off-chance they might fit (they don’t) and a dress and a pair of silk pants that are two sizes too big for me — but sales have always given me retail fever.  It will be at least three months before I buy another item of clothing, so hopefully I’ll find another great store before then.

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Heavenly Hawaii

Posted on June 10th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Work, Personal, Omnia Vanitas, Travel, Sponsored Posts, Money, Random.

It looks like my meeting has been moved from Vegas to Oregon, which is better for me personally and financially, but probably will not give me that Calgon feeling I was hoping for . . . I recently read a web release about Hawaii Vacation Rentals from Gebhart Properties that sound simply divine. I never really consider Hawaii an option when traveling just because of how widely publicized the expense is, especially because if I was going to have a wonderful time, I would want to stay somewhere high class and beautiful, and that’s probably a little out of the range of my pocketbook. But Gebhart offers exactly the kind of accommodations I would want, in a variety of popular Hawaiian locations, including the Waikoloa Beach Resort (they say it has some of “the finest condominiums in all of Hawaii” with 2,576 square feet of living space, featuring private elevator access, gourmet kitchen, an extensive collection of Hawaiian art and outstanding views of Anaeho’omalu Bay and Kileaua”). I think it founds absolutely heavenly! What do you think the chances are that I could convince my company to cover costs for us to meet there instead? :)

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Disclosure Policy

Posted on June 8th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Work, Personal, Omnia Vanitas, Money, Random.

I added a disclosure policy to this blog today. When I was only doing a few sponsored posts here and there, I thought using the “Sponsored Posts” label was enough to clue potential readers into the fact I was being compensated by companies for some of my writing, and counted on the fact that my readers probably knew me well enough to understand that I would never shill for something I couldn’t get behind. Now that I’m in a bit of a cash-crunch, I will be doing more posts for more companies, and figured it might be a good time to have an official statement on how I go about getting paid to post. Mostly, I want to make it clear that I never have and never will offer a false or misleading testimonial — I only give my honest opinions, take them or leave them — and will never post content that I personally find to be objectionable, immoral, or exceedingly pointless. Unless I am favorably inclined to a product or service already, I won’t be taking offers from companies requiring a “positive” tone, as I don’t think cash can substitute for integrity. My blog is my own, and I plan to keep it that way. Unless of course someone offers me a million dollars and a house and a pony — but I’ll warn you if that happens. :)

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WHO Urges Public Smoking Bad?

Posted on May 29th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Personal, Politics, Current Events, Money, Random.

I do, that’s who! :) But so does the World Health Organization (WHO), calling on all countries to ban smoking at indoor workplaces and in public buildings, stating that:

At least 200,000 workers die each year because of exposure to smoke at their offices and factories, according to the U.N. labor agency. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 3,000 deaths from lung cancer each year occur among nonsmoking Americans.

As a smoker, I can tell you that I would welcome such a move.  I can also tell you, for a fact, that if such a ban had been in place six years ago, I would not be a smoker.  More than any anti-smoking campaign, not being able to smoke in bars or restaurants would have kept me from transitioning from a “social” smoker into a habitual one, because anyone who starts smoking while still caring what a parent thinks probably doesn’t pick up the habit in their living room, you know?  Since I paused to consider what happens to workers in smoking environments, I only smoke outside or in my home, and I’m trying to stop that, too. I am horrified to think about Fraser ever picking up a cigarette, and the idea of him comprehending why Auntie Gail steps outside every so often is almost as horrifying.  If it was up to me, tobacco would be illegal, and it’s a disgusting statement about the importance of money in our country that it is still sold over the counter.

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Credit Woes

Posted on May 29th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Work, Personal, Omnia Vanitas, Sponsored Posts, Money.

Another thing I have to work is getting my credit in order.  I’m still afloat (barely), but pretty soon I’ll find myself back with a poor credit score.  I managed to get my situation improved by building my ratings with credit cards for people with bad credit, and then getting other cards without the same restrictions.  You can find a number of different cards for everyone from any walk of life through CreditCardSearchEngine.com, one of the Internet’s longest running sites for online credit card comparison.  Right now, my problem is too much credit — I’ve been living off of it since last year — but I did take a step in the right direction when I transferred much of the balance of one of my cards to a no-interest card.  Would of worked well, too, if I had been paid by work and those who owe me, since the plan was to pay off a good portion of the balance in the last couple of months. Now, I’ve run my other card up again, and I’m not sure how to get out of this jam, especially with tuition due soon.  I miss the days when such things were covered by the Bank of Daddy, you know? ;)

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