Check Out My Swagger.

Let me begin by saying that no individual or company is paying me in any way, shape or form to say this. I am just so overly excited about it, I can't keep it to myself any longer!
 
Months back, I signed up to receive daily emails from Freebies2Deals so that I could stay up to date on free products being offered and awesome sales going on. I'm kind of a coupon freak, truth be told. I just love how it feels to get a good deal! 'Da twinneh' understands.
 
Anyways, the author/owner kept mentioning something called 'Swagbucks' and encouraging others to sign up, saying that she's earned countless gift cards for free. You read that right, FREE.

 

I was pretty skeptical at first, but it seemed pretty straightforward, and she'd never led me wrong before, so I decided to check it out. And that was the day that I became completely and utterly addicted.

Their main premise is that you can earn things called 'swagbucks' when you search online through their toolbar or search engine. Each buck is more or less equivalent to a penny, which doesn't seem like much but certainly adds up. Especially when you're rewarded 10-50 swagbucks per average search. And let's face it, you're going to be searching regularly, so why not be rewarded for it!?

There is no rhyme or reason as to when you win, but you'll certainly know it when you do. I'm not ashamed to say that I get a little thrill any time a picture like this appears at the top of my search results.

It is estimated that you can earn upwards of $100 per year, just by simply searching through Swagbucks. And if you are even more dedicated to building up your virtual dollar stockpile, you can earn above and beyond that! I've been using the site for a little over a month now and have already earned around $40 worth of gift cards.

And there's a wide variety of restaurants and businesses to choose from. You could be earning all year, redeem your bucks for Amazon gift cards and buy Christmas presents with no out-of-pocket! CAN YOU TELL I'M SLIGHTY OBSESSIVE ABOUT THIS?..

Dan and I log-in to their site whenever we have a slow moment at work to earn swagbucks through voting in the daily poll, clicking through the no obligation special offers and completing 10-15 minute surveys. We try to meet the daily goal (which changes daily and ranges anywhere from 50-150 SBs) so that we get the daily bonus and call it good.

You can also win free bucks by 'liking' SBCodez on Facebook. They notify you whenever there is a 'swagcode' available, which is basically just a word you enter on the homepage for free bucks.

There are so many different ways to earn, through couponing, special offers, watching videos, playing games, etc. And while it would be ridiculous to believe that you could earn any semblance of a living by joining, it is just as ridiculous not to be earning free stuff doing things that you do everyday anyways. Especially if you have free time to spare while working at an office job.

I guess what I'm saying is that there really is no reason why you shouldn't sign-up for Swagbucks. And when you do, you might as well be my referral. For every person you refer, Swagbucks awards you up to a thousand matching bucks for every search buck your referral earns.

Please click HERE if you are interested.
(And I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have if you're fuzzy on the details.)

So, in a way, it'd be like you're giving me a Christmas present.
Because really, this post is my gift to you.

Heavy Purse = Light Heart?

Let it be known, I have a magical Mary Poppin's purse full of everything.

Also let it be known that my left shoulder is permanently crippled from carrying that bad boy around all day.

This was evidenced when, at my bachelorette party, we played the 'guess what's in the bachelorette's purse' game. Twenty minutes later, I was still pulling out first aid kits and road trip games from my bag. I think the final tally was over 50 items, but some were combined for time/sanity's sake.

I guess what I'm saying is that this propensity to carry everything I could possibly need over the course of a day can be considered both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because I am able to maintain my 'favorite aunt status' with a fresh supply of Ice Breakers Sours and a curse because it requires a forklift to be transported.

The good news is, I've recently developed a system that allows me access to all of my essentials while at the same time sparing my poor arms. It called the 'take the blasted thing with you but leave it in the car' theorem.

It works rather remarkably actually.
I just stash the emergency items under the glove box and take only my wallet, keys and cell phone on my person. I'm calling it a big success. Probably the greatest success of 2012.

I've heard it said that a heavy purse makes a light heart. And I tend to agree if the heaviness in question is caused by large amounts of cash.

But in the same breath, wouldn't a debit card make just as light a heart?..
In which case, I proffer the idiom be changed to 'an unlimited debit card makes a light heart and a heavy purse should be left in the car'.

Catchy, isn't it.

Fortune Favors the Brave.

I think, perhaps, I should have been born in China.

You probably wouldn't have placed me there having brown hair, blue eyes, being 5'9" and all.

But the food, oh the food.

I would have been born there for the food. 

Lately I've been craving Chinese food like a hormone filled pregnant woman.

Panda Express, Rice Garden in Smith's, Little Tokyo, @12, China Wok and if you're really loaded, P.F. Chang's. So many tasty possibilities.

Granted, these are all Americanized versions of the real thing, but the flavor palate remains. I think my love for soy, garlic and ginger is only rivaled by my love for basil, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

I'm telling you, everything tastes better when it comes from a wok. Pretty sure I could live on a steady diet of tempura chicken and rice noodles. And cream cheese wontons are heaven in a little fried wrapper.

There's such a variety of choices. Egg drop soup, honey walnut shrimp, potstickers, a plethora of vegetables, orange chicken, spring rolls, egg rolls and so many, many sauces. And don't even get me started about chicken-on-a-stick. I think I've already expounded on my affinity for all things skewered.

And those Chinese, man. They're tricky.

What other ethnicity leaves your fortune inside a cookie? I knew the moment that Gem read "Thinking is highly encouraged." after one night's feasting that they were truly magical.

Personally, I'm waiting for one that says "That wasn't chicken." or "Help! I'm trapped in the fortune cookie factory!" But it hasn't happened yet.

But I may be neglecting the most important feature of the Chinese food experience. Namely, the buffet. They've pretty much perfected the concept, I'd say.

I can't count the number of times I've vowed to never again return to a Chinese buffet the night after gorging and yet I always do. I think they must put a narcotic in the rice. One that forces you to sleep it off and then come back and tempt the intestinal gods again.

All I'm saying is that sometimes the things you love most give you the most trouble. Don't read into that.

Cutie Babies

So here's the thing: oranges are good, but Cuties are better.
I'm addicted to those little things.

They're perfect in every way.
And I may or may not eat several of them every day.

Please say you've had a Cutie before because they are the best invention since sliced bread.

Actually, who says that 'sliced bread' is the epitome of invention awesomeness?.. Personally, I'd vote for tampons or toilet paper.

I mean sliced bread is great and all, but there is no way in heck I could have survived back in the olden days without feminine hygiene products.

But I seem to have gone off topic.
And probably not in an appetizing way...

Sorry.

My point being, Cuties are the best invention since tampons.
Take it or leave it.

Don't know what a Cutie is?
Basically, a baby orange.

Except much easier to peel, usually perfectly sweet and bite-sized.

And as if that weren't 'cute' enough, sometimes Cuties have Cutie BABIES.
I know... mind blown.

You know.
Like when you're eating an orange and discover an orange section that's smaller than the rest? Nestled in all cute and adorable like a little baby?

That, my friends, is a baby orange.
But a baby Cutie? Oh a baby cutie...

They're in a category all their own.

You can't help but smile when you find a baby Cutie.
Or at least I can't.

Kind of like how I can't help but smile knowing there are tampons in the world. *sigh* Yes, yes. Life is good.

Taco 'Bells & Whistles'

I've heard that some people can't handle retirement.
They've spent their entire lives filling their days with specifics tasks. And when all of that goes away, they don't know what to do with themselves.

I guess I can say the same about my 'semi-retirement'.
I really did have full intention of letting my blogging phase die out.

But I just can't do it apparently, because today I had another "I should blog this" moment again. It's a bit ridiculous how they're starting to pop up at such a rapid pace.

I guess that's what happens when you become so adept at your job that you finish eight hours of work in five and you have to find a way to fill that spare time somehow. (And NO Gem, I don't take a nap.)

Anyways... the blog moment for today revolves around Taco Bell and my addiction to the newly returned Beefy Crunch Burrito.

That thing is freakin' delicious and only $.99 my friends.
I'm generally not a spicy fan, but it has the perfect cheese to beef to sour cream to Flamin' Hot Fritos proportion.

And don't forget the Crispy Potato Soft Taco.

No one seems to know about this little guy and it's an absolute travesty because it is just so gosh darn good.

And as if I could forget my newest obsession, the plain ole' Chicken Burrito.

'Plain ole'' used loosely here to mean 'absolutely fantastic'.

I used to take Taco Bell for granted. Sad but true.

I thought it was entirely inferior to Taco Time and their crispy burritos.

But, oh, I've changed my ways.

Lesson learned. Course corrected.

I won't make that mistake again.

Because everyday, I find myself craving some more deliciousness wrapped in a warm flour tortilla.

Speaking of which, it is most definitely lunchtime.

And I'm making' a bee-line for the Bell.

Shop-a-holics Anonymous

I have a problem.
It stems from an extreme dislike of stairs combined with a small smidgen of laziness.

Namely:
I insist on carrying all of the groceries up to my apartment in one trip.

No biggie, right?
I'm a single, poor college student. How many groceries can I have?

Which leads me to a second problem.
I love grocery shopping.

Don't even get Gem started on the evils that are Walmart, D.I. and the dollar store. She'll wail on and on about my addiction, claiming I insist on going up and down every aisle, back and forth, round and round, til' she's just about ready to die in the frozen food section.

I tell her if she'd rather die, she'd better do it.

Decrease the surplus population.

Then I suggest one of the coffin freezer chests as the ideal location.

She isn't amused.

Oh, but I am.

The point being: I buy stuff.

Lots of stuff sometimes.

And wouldn't cha know. I am quickly running out of shopping buddies. I am at a loss as to why...

This all equals out into a disastrous equation:

Corinner-Elly + shopping + money - Gem = dead arms.

And so I lead a lonely life. Trudging up three flights of stairs, arms ballooning with fifty shopping bags while teetering a gallon of milk from my pinkie finger. FYI: Pinkie fingers are not meant to withstand this weight.

Ow-ee.

This dangerous habit has lead to other tragic events. Like when I tried to balance a pie, a zucchini cake, a bottle of whipping cream, a serving spatula, a bag of groceries, a bag of decorations and my purse while going down three flights of stairs.

Two glass baking dishes lost their life that day.

I need to join a 12-step program.

Or hire a full-time bag boy.

But make more than one trip up and down the stairs?

Never.