Women and money- chalk and cheese or peas in a pod?

The demographic I am part of, and the geographic area I live may be skewed, but every couple I know (our age), the women are in charge of household finances. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule, but in the circumstances where finances have joined, it seems to be the girls in charge of the everyday cash, bills, and banking**.
This is in contrast to times gone by when the "men" were the dominant financial force in the home, being the breadwinner.

However, women are still facing domestic issues such as "Should women keep a secret money Stash?"
In our situation I would say M is more in need of one than I am LOL. But perhaps for some women it would be an idea?
A key concept in this article, Financial Questions Couples Should Ask, is that sole responsibility or anything in the home should not fall to one person. Should that person die unexpectedly, their spouse should have an idea of how that affects their finances.
Unfortunately, while a good article, it focuses on retirees, one example being of a woman whose husband dies, leaving her with no idea how to manage the money. This is precisely what I DON'T think will happen with our generation of women.

Perhaps I'm the one who looks after our money simply because I had more of an idea of how to run a "budget" going into our relationship. The book I'm reading right now, Your Money, Starting Out and Starting Over, by Anita Bell (in the sidebar) is actually the second in a series. Several years ago I read the pre-cursor to it, which is called Your Mortgage, How to Pay it off in Five Years (by a woman who did it in Three). It would be as many as 5 years ago, and I was working at Coles at the time, a little worker bee plodding along wasting my money. It was recommended to me by a friend, even though neither of us had mortgages, nor would we in the forseeable future, because it was a great starting block.

I read it, worked out a budget, filed the information I think, and promptly blew through probably more than $70, 000 in three years (I was living at home, few expenses, lots of clothes, shoes eventually and jewelery when I worked in a Jewelery store)
I always had the money lessons in the back of my head, but didn't really think they were hugely relevant for the most part.

Then I decided to move out, and decided to get serious with managing my money, as I didn't want to be the kind of person that didn't have money for rent. That was when my budgeting lessons really hit their stride, and I've been operating with them every since. I just had to tweak my spreadsheet to include M's income, add a few more expenses etc etc, but its essentially the same. I never ever worry about paying our bills, loans, or mortgage, having money to buy gifts at Christmas, getting my hair done or the car needing a service.
The only thing I worry about is we *should* be saving more of the bit thats left over.

In fact its so easy now, I don't understand why everyone doesn't do it this way!?!

**...this of course does give rise to the idea of the boys being "under the thumb" as they have to ask their WAG's for or about money. Which is of course ridiculous. Mostly it seems to happen because they never know how much money the couple have for the week/month!

I too, like email

HAD to post this one, its too bizarre! (I'm on page 49 of 99 pages of archives....)

A Woman Of Few Words

Information Technology (University) | Midwest, USA

(I was in our technology support office when a housekeeping staff person, Donna, stopped by. There was no preamble to the dialog below.)

Donna: “Dr. Franklin gets e-mail in his office.”

Me: *nods*

Donna: “Alicia says she can check her e-mail in the office.”

Me: *nods*

Donna: “I like e-mail.”

Me: “Nice.”

Donna: “Nice?”

Me: “Not nice?”

Donna: “I like e-mail.”

Me: “I like e-mail, too.”

Donna: “You don’t have it?”

Me: “I do.”

Donna: “I like e-mail.”

Me: *biting lower lip, uncertain what to say or do*

Donna: “I like e-mail.”

Me: *glancing at the clock on the wall*

Donna: “I like to have e-mail.”

Me: “I like having e-mail, too, and I check it all the time.”

Donna: “Can I have it? I like to have e-mail.”

Related:
The Art Of Ambiguity

Not again....

M and I went to the movies last night, we had a nice little date. We saw Hancock which was actually quite a good flick.

We almost didn't make it though....

We got ready to go, and as we were leaving the house, I went out the door, which M following, and as he shut the door, apparently I turned to look at him with a look on my face, and said "have you got the keys?"
M - "no! Have you?"
me - "no!"

And all we could do was laugh. Stand in the (echoey) lobby outside our door, and laugh our asses off like crazy people.

We rang M's parents who have our spares, no stranger to this circumstance, which regular readers may recall, and through his laughter M managed to say "we've locked ourselves out of our house"....
All we could hear down the line was laughter, and "I'm on my way"

We made the movie, with time to spare

Starbucks shuts 61 of 84 stores

Story in the Australian today - http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,24099400-5013404,00.html

Well I'm not that sad to see them go really. I always thought their coffee tasted like brown water. I can make (bad) brown water at home thanks, not pay $4.60 for it. (I do feel very sorry for the 600+ staff set to lose their jobs)

I actually always thought their sizing was excessive. I mean, being a short style coffee-drinker of course I don't want to drink all that milk, sure, but the idea of the largest coffee you can buy ( Venti? Grande? N.F.I.....?) makes me positively nauseous. Bigger certainly not better IMHO....

As the Australian says today

Another explanation is that Australians are more particular about their coffee than the average American. "In the eyes of many Australians, they have always been seen as a big American interloper," Mr Eslake said.

Enjoying a latte at Badde Manors in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Glebe, Harry Vasutabu wasn't surprised to hear the news. "I'd much rather come somewhere like this. The vibe is so much better here. The people are more interesting here. The atmosphere is more interesting," he said. "Starbucks seems so fake. The coffee there is not that good."

Ok, I've been to Badde Manors, and I'd say the atmosphere at that particular inner-west cafe is pretentious and more like "we're so EDGY!" "Look at our Badde spelling!"

As my boss heard quoted (somewhere) today, Australians have choice for good coffee. There are a million brands, and they're (mostly) all good! Instead of the choice between drip-filter sludge in the US and espresso at Starbucks, hey I'd take Starbucks in that equation too.

Now if they could only take Gloria Jeans with them too....

Stupid customers (more)

Aarrrrrhgghggh! So frustrating! More from Not Always Right

In That Case, Replace Them Daily

Auto Mechanic Shop | Redwood City, CA, USA

Customer: “Could you check my brakes and see if they are bad?”

Coworker: “Of course. Which vehicle is yours?”

Customer: “Oh, I walked here.”

Coworker: “Ok, well we can’t check your brakes if the car isn’t here.”

Customer: “I told you I walked here. I just want to know if I need new brakes.”

Coworker: “I can’t tell you that unless I actually see the vehicle.”

Customer: “Can’t you just tell me if I need new brakes for my car? It’s a Mercedes if that helps at all.”

Coworker: “Like I said, I need to see the car to tell you if you need new brakes.”

Customer: “OK, so can you tell me if my brakes are bad?”

Me: “We physically need the car here in front of us so we can look
at the brakes with our own eyes and determine if they are bad or not.”

Customer: “It’s a Mercedes.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Thing On The Thing With The Thing

Retail | Woonsocket, RI, USA

Me: “Thank you for calling ***. How can I direct your call?”

Customer: “Do you have any of those things you can put on tables?”

Me: “Like a table cloth?”

Customer: “No. They’re those things you can put on tables.”

Me: “Ma’am, you can put a lot of things on tables.”

Customer: “Well I don’t know what they’re called! You’re the one who should know!”

Me: *face on desk*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I just don't think I could have put up with customers like that. I would have screamed.
I wish I'd written down some of my customer horror stories now...

The customer is NOT always right

Oh god, its every awful retail story you can imagine, collected together at a site called Not Always Right. I haven't been able to stop reading since Evil HR Lady mentioned it on her blog.

Here's a couple of good ones

Stupidity Is The Mother Of Repetition, Part 2

Library | London, UK

(A customer comes to the counter to borrow a DVD, I go into the back and get the one he wants, and all seems normal…)

Me: “May I have your card?”

Customer: *presents a bank card*

Me:  ”I mean your library card.”

Customer: “You mean I can’t buy it?”

Me:  ”No, you can only borrow from a library.  You can buy DVDs in the shop around the corner.

Customer:  ”Oh…. so I can’t buy it here? I have to borrow it?”

Me:  ”Yep.”

Customer: “I wanted to buy it.”

Me: “You can only buy it from shops.  Are you a member of the
library?

Customer: “No, I wanted to buy this DVD.”

Me: “You can’t buy things here, you can only borrow things when you’re a member.”

(By this point there is quite a long queue behind him, so I ring the bell for assistance.)

Customer:  ”What’s that bell for? Is it for getting a copy I can buy?”

Me:  ”No, it’s to get assistance for the other readers.  If you’d like to buy a DVD, I’d strongly suggest you go elsewhere. ”

Customer: “So I can’t buy it?”

Me: “No.”

Customer: *pauses* “Oh… I wanted to buy it.”  (After one more pause, he finally leaves.)

Related:
Stupidity Is The Mother Of Repetition
I Think She Wants A Discount

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Was It Something I Said

Phone Company | Las Vegas, NV, USA

Me: “411 Information.”
Customer: “Wait a minute…”
*papers rustling around*
Customer: “I thought I had that here…”
*long pause, more rustling*
Customer: “Just a sec…”
*several seconds of silence*
Customer: “Never mind, you sound stupid.”
*hangs up*

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And the Most popular post on the site (most Thumbs Up)

Mission: Impossible

Key Shop | Chicago, IL, USA

Customer: “I just locked my key in my car in front of the shop.”
Me: (I pick up some stuff) “Not a problem, I’ll pop it open for $5.00.”
Customer: “What are you going to do with that stuff?”
Me: “Open your car.”
Customer: “It’s a brand new Mercedes. I just drove it here from the dealer–you can’t touch it!”
Me: “Then how do I open it?”
Customer: “That’s your problem.”
Me: “Actually it’s not; I didn’t lock the key in your car.”
Customer: “You have to open it.”
Me: “Watch me not open it.”
Customer: “OK then, but if you make any scratch or mark at all then you will have to pay Mercedes to repaint the whole car. That will cost thousands.”
Me: “So If I’m successful I get $5.00, but if I make the smallest error it will cost me thousands of dollars?”
Customer: “Yes.”
Me: “Your car might just be there forever.”

(There is even a T-shirt dedicated to this one)

From the Not Always Right store:    
Your Car Might Just
Be There Forever Tee

 

Warning-If you go there, you may ALSO be tempted to read ALL the archives compulisvely.

Especially if you have worked in retail with the morons we call customers.

Bags! Shoes! Tops! Skirts! Bargains! Bargains!

I am a massive bargain shopper now. This purse/clutch/piss strap bag? $3 at Equip. Its metallic purple and its COOL.

These earrings? $3.

Shoes? $9.95.

I'm a mad shopper, but the only way I can afford to, is to buy the absolute cheapest things I can find, so I don't feel horribly guilty.
This does establish a trap of sorts however, as it becomes a case of "but its ONLY $2!" How can I NOT own that for a measly $2?! Look at the value!!!
My sister has been a bargain hunter from way back. I remember when stores like SES and Valleygirl were beginning to pop up, you know the type, import a million of the same thing in different colours from Asia and sell at ridiculously low prices. They're quite common now but they were only hitting their stride not 5 years ago, and my sister was forever buying things, coming home and saying "this was only $10!" when the same jumper at another store was going for $30.
At the time, I was single, living at home, carefree to the point of careless with my money.
I would think absolutely nothing of going to work wearing say a singlet top, and buying a button down shirt when I got to work simply because I was "sick" of everything I already owned OR because I hadn't bothered to iron anything.
I had many a night out wearing a top I'd bought just that day, for the sake of wearing something new.
I actually recall when I first started dating M, I made sure he didn't see me in the same outfit (or single item of clothing) for months! I still do that to a degree with some people I meet.

Now they're saying its such a problem with young women and girls, that they're only wearing things once or twice before sending them to landfill. Apparently I buy 129 items of clothing a year. Holy cow....

Secrets and Lies

Have you ever noticed that its easier to keep a secret as time passes? When you first find something out, or decide you're not going to share it with people, suddenly you have a pressing need to tell others. You immediately think of others you want to tell.

And if you can get through that first conversation with them, its suddenly easier to not tell them after all.

The longer you have a secret, the more it becomes a part of you. YOU know its true, and eventually you forget you haven't told anyone, because its just something you know then. Like you know that Aunt Mary's dog has brown fur, so this thing becomes part of the fabric of your knowledge.
Thats why its so much easier to slip up later on, because you forgot you didn't tell anyone. Unless, I suppose, your secret is that you are really a (insert other gender here). Then you wuld be hyper aware I guess.

This is (one of the many reasons of course) why I could never be unfaithful in a marriage. I won't say I'm a saint and that I was pure as the driven snow in previous relationships, but I simply don't understand how people could do that in marriage. And to a lesser extent once you start living together. It would consume me! And the lies! The lies that would build on the lies, how do they ever keep track of it all?

Its no wonder that private investigators always say "if you think its going on, it is".

Perhaps my main concern is I'm a pretty hopeless secret keeper. I always want to tell someone. Which is of course how secrets spiral out of control and become common knowledge. One person wants to just tell one other person. Before you know it, everyone knows. I've taken to prefacing a secret divulgence with "can I tell M?" Because chances are if I can't even tell him, its just better not to tell me. Because I won't be able to not tell him, unless the secret directly relates to him, in which case I'll tell someone else!!!

Nothings ever easy

Well I DID promise you boobs.

I went to an Intimo party last week. For the uninitiated Intimo is a party plan/direct selling company that sells underwear and some clothing. Like Tupperware but bras and knickers.

One of the services Intimo provide is a fitting, which I might add she does preface with "this is your Intimo size, but it should give you a guide when you go into other stores"

The last time I was fitted we worked out was a year ago, at a friends party, and I'm pretty sure I was sized correctly at the time. I was expecting slight variation, but essentially the same. Possibly a little smaller around the rib cage since I shed some of the dreaded "back fat".

So it was with great surprise she revealed I was now a 10EE.

"Oh for f*** sake, like I don't have enough trouble buying bras already" I thought!

*This post is also posted at DD Dilemmas, a blog I started for reviewing Bra's : sizes D Cup and up, for the fuller busted in the world.

Please visit us there (O)(O)

Deceived - Sarah Smith *****

In the Spring of 1993 Sarah Smith found herself in the centre of a living nightmare. Told she was on an IRA hit list, she was forced to go one the run to save her life and lives of her loved ones.

Always in fear of a snipers bullet, Sarah was constantly moved around the country from one "safe house" to another, working in low paid jobs, never knowing who she could trust. To evade detection she adopted numerous aliases, changed her looks, and deposited her earnings in a special police account to be accessed when the nightmare was over.

One man was there to protect her : a British Secret agent code named Robert Freeguard. To survive assassination Sarah had to follow his rules with complete compliance : sever ties with family and friends, speak to no one, and wait for his orders.

In a spine chilling journey, Sarah Smith spent ten years on the edge of existence, sometimes starving and living rough, often penniless, and alone. But what she did not know was that she had been duped and it was all a lie.....

One of the best books I've read for a while, its simply heart breaking to read. Ten years this psycho stole from her, how he does it is amazing.
I cannot recommend it enough.

5 / 5

Hard work CAN pay off

Almost a year ago, I bought a dress on eBay to wear to a wedding for friends of ours. 
Shown here
<---

It arrived and it didn't fit because I'd gotten fat, which was a bit devastating to say the least. I distinctly remember struggling to do the dress up and M standing behind me wrestling with the upper clasp (the part across the middle of the back does up like a bra) and I said to him "Will it do up?" and he replied "I don't know if you want it to do up" (Ma, these straps, ya look like a HAM)

 

So we abandoned the kerfuffle. I ended up wearing this black dress, which while not horrid or anything, and while beautifully made, was not how I wanted to look.

I've had some great success with Ebay dresses, and I refused to admit defeat with this one. So I kept it, in the hope I would eventually be able to wear it, as I was also refusing to admit that I was never going to be able to fit into it.

So I have mentally had it as a bit of a benchmark, and was emboldened to try it on.

I got the urge last Thursday night, home from the gym, showered at 10.30, I put it on, AND IT FIT!!!

Yay! 
(I went to show M in the lounge room, and he looked up from the computer saying "where are you going?" LOL)
Now I just need an occassion hahahaha

I've noticed actually a shift in the clothes I've worn this winter. Last winter I weighed a good 6-8kgs more than I do this year, and I realise in hindsight I was wearing a different set of clothes, lots of empire line/tummy hiding type tops, which I just haven't worn this year.
Pretty happy all round :)

I'm kind of thinking I'll lose/maintain my weight while we're in Europe as well (due to all the walking and stuff) but possibly kidding myself?

(And I'm thinking of doing the Lemon/water thing again)

Busy at work sorry!

Hi All, sorry for the infrequent/inconsistent posts, my boss is up from our main office this week, and normally its pretty cruisey but I'm feeling particularly pressured to look like I'm "working" this week. 

So I'll still be posting, but it might be in the evenings instead, stay close this week for a rant about World Youth Day, including a guest post from a Catholic perspective. A website round up, some boobs for fun, and anything else that grabs my fancy along the way.

:)

Fancy a job in the Royal Palace?

Having recently mused about the modern day etiquette between Royal families, I was pleased to read that Paul @ Blogue has compiled a list of some fantastic jobs of old in the Royal household. Bags being The Master of The Great Wardrobe (sounds very exciting doesn't it?)
Other good jobs

The Clerk of the Closet, a position that still exists, has nothing to do with “the Great Wardrobe”. He’s the household cleric, usually a former diocesan bishop. The pay is lousy: £7 a year.

The Queen has two ceremonial “bodyguards” on some state occasions called the Gold Stick and the Silver Stick; Princess Anne is one of the two Gold Sticks at the moment (because she's Colonel of the Blues and Royals, part of the Household Cavalry) and you know you wouldn't want to mess with her.

The Page of the Backstairs serves the Queen and Prince Philip’s meals if they’re eating in their apartments. He also tidies up and lets people in and out of the apartments.

For more-see ☞ B L O G U E ☜: Odd jobs

Liar liar pants on fire!

I, Dataceptionist, your faithful blogger, am a liar. There. I said it! I’m sorry!

(slightly less faithful recently sorry, been a bit busy at work)

Doing some tag maintenance recently, I found a post called Cops are Tops. It’s a recount of my first ever breath test, making my post  recently about my breath test, false! I completely forgot about it. I can’t remember WHAT I was doing in Castle Hill, at midnight, on a weeknight, but I got pulled over. Seemingly without incident, as I don’t even recall it after reading the post. Its like someone else’s story funnily…

It has reminded me however that I was going to recount another tale of Police brutality (aka a routine traffic stop) of mine.

I’ve had to go back to the high school archives for this one, and have even gone to the trouble of scanning a photo or two, so you can really feel part of the story. 

First off, some background info-

 

So way back in year 12 at school, I was  the proud owner of a VW beetle, here she is. ---->

I was devastated when it came time to sell her, but an enormous relief also (it broke down quite a lot. I often joked that I knew all the NRMA [roadside assistance] mechanics on a first name basis) . 

That said, I actually shed a tear when I watched it drive away after I sold it. *sniff*

Anyway, I did Drama as a subject for my HSC (final year high school exams for those outside Oz). One of the components of the subject was a group performance with the class of 24 split into small groups to work on a piece that, from memory, could be on anything you wanted, there were no limits. 

So one day, I was on my way to a rehearsal at one of the girls houses. I used to tear around quite a bit in my beetle, and so was ever vigilant for the police, but I was almost at my destination on this occasion, so was paying less attention than I should have been, and suddenly theres a police car stopped on the side of the road. I was in a 50 km/h zone, going 80, by the time I got to the car I would still have been going 55-60, but thankfully was turning just after the car.

So you can imagine what happened then, as I watch in my rear view mirror, he turns a little after me. The follows me for about 2-3 minutes. This doesn't sound very long, but when you're crawling along waiting for the sirens to sound, and the lights to flash, it can be an eternity.

Eventually the siren sounds, and I hasten to pull over, so I look like an innocent obliging citizen.I quickly rummage around for my handbag, so I have my license at the ready, and the window down by the time he ambles over to me. Later my mother tells me not to look so "practiced" at being pulled over LOL

I imagine he made small talk or something before asking me to step out of the car. Remember how I said I was on my way to a rehearsal? A DRESS rehearsal, I'm in costume...

I'm second on the LEFT. In the lime green. 

You can't see the rainbow knee high socks I'm wearing as well as the full makeup. 

So looking like a clown missing floppy shoes, I climb out of my, now equally as silly looking, Volkswagen so he can demonstrate to me I haven't got my "P" plate displayed correctly. 

I'm certain he saw what I was wearing through the window and decided it would be funny to haul me out of the car. My father helpfully points out later also, that he was probably checking out my tits as well. Nice Dad.

Bindi Irwin Doll

I just cannot get on board with this marketing  exploitation of Bindi Irwin. Her mother has defended the action by saying its Bindi' choice to carry on her fathers work. She's TEN guys. She's about to have her tenth birthday. Doesn't anyone else find it twisted? I know it could be worse. Her father could have been Dame Edna Everage I guess.

So I think the idea of her being made into a doll revolting. Because at the end of the day, merchandise is for one thing, To make money. To choose your Bindi poison, here's a list of all the merchandise offered by Bindi - Full Merch list 

Actually a Bindi Sparkle Wallet doesn't sound too bad....

Celebrity names, before the fame, they were someone else entirely

I always knew there would be celebrities who changed their name. "of course!" we cry! Who's going to be famous with a name like John Smith? Or Sarah Thomas?
No! Get thee a snazzy name like Gisele Bundchen (do not attempt this name if you are not a leggy, gorgeous Brazilian model) or a single name like Rihanna/Madonna/Eminem. So here they are, altogether, for your trivia pleasure.

Celebs who ditched their real name, Understandably, and traded up-

Kirk Douglas ... real name: Issur Danielovitch. His names change has gone onto affect three generations of actors. I wonder if they feel dispossessed at all?
Woody Allen ... real name: Allen Konigsberg
George Michael ... real name: Georgious Panayioukou
Winona Ryder ... real name: Winona Laura Horowitz
Demi Moore ... real name: Demetria Guynes
Elton John ... real name: Reginald Kenneth Dwight
Snoop Dogg ... real name: Cordazer Calvin Broadus
Shania Twain ... real name: Eileen Regina Edwards
Miley Cyrus ... real name: Destiny Hope Cyrus, apparently "Cyrus gained her nickname "Miley" because she kept smiling ("Smiley") as a youngster."
Shakira ... real name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Gene Simmons ... real name: Chaim Witz
Mel Brooks ... real name: Melvin Kaminski- I'm not good with recognising the origin of names, but even I can tell this is Jewish...
Elle Macpherson ... real name: Eleanor Nancy Gow

Wtf? What was wrong with your real name?

Daniel Michaeli became Danny DeVito ...

Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon became Reese Witherspoon ... {no With-a-knife}

Thomas Woodward became Tom Jones ... snappier I suppose...

Jay Greenspan became Jason Alexander ... these are entirely interchangeable to me...

Alicia Christian Foster became Jodie Foster ...

Christopher Ashton Kutcher became Ashton Kutcher ... I guess Christopher Kutcher was a bit too alliterative for him? Just think, Demi Moore could have been Demetria Guynes-Kutcher. Bit Eastern bloc hey....

I guess I can see it a bit more with..

Alicia Augello Cook became Alicia Keys ...
Carlos Ray became Chuck Norris ... this makes him sound more suited to a piano bar that serves all night margarita's from girls in lime green spandex.
Tom Mapother IV! became Tom Cruise ... {Does this make Katie Holmes = Kate Mapother [I] ?}
Robert Zimmerman became Bob Dylan ...
David Robert Jones became David Bowie ...if only he'd known he could have cashed in on an association with an Australian Department store....

Ringo Starr was Richard Starkey

Carmen Electra was Tara Leigh Patrick

.... But still, there was nothing really wrong with their names.

Celebs who traded in a so-so "vanilla" name for a pretty cool one

Vin Diesel ...his real name is Mark Vincent
Portia De Rossi ... her real name is Amanda Lee Rogers {Amanda Degeneres?}
Busta Rhymes ... his real name is... Trevor Smith -Ho Hum!
50 Cent ... his real name is Curtis Jackson.... I think you can forgive rappers though, they're expected to have awesome names.
Axl Rose ... real name William Bailey
Boy George ... real name George Alan O'Dowd
Whoopi Goldberg ... real name Caryn Johnson *yawn* I wonder how she came up with Whoopi Goldberg? Reason suggested here, but I don't trust the accuracy...
Jamie Foxx ... real name Eric Bishop- quite nerdy isn't it?
Seems a lot more common with music types than actor types to change your name to something quite cool.
Queen Latifah was Dana Owens
Kid Rock was Bob Ritchie!
Sigourney Weaver, Orginally Susan Weaver, she picked out her unusual new name from a character in the novel, The Great Gatsby.

Ludacris is actually Brian Bridges

and Hmmm...

Angelina Jolie ...whose real name is Angelina Jolie Voight and
Nicole Richie ... whose real name is Nicole Camilla Escovedo
Interestingly while Nicole Richie changed her name to credit her famous father, Angelina Jolie ditched the obvious link to her father Jon Voight, I wonder if she finds it weird being addressed by her middle name as her surname though. My middle name is May, and I would find it very weird to be called Mrs May.

And the famous exceptions. The two big stars who refused to change their names: Arnold Schwarznegger and Raquel Welch.

Other Celebrity name stories~

Oprah is actually a typo. Her parents wanted to use the biblical name Orpah, but the midwife couldn't spell so it became Oprah.

Nicolas Cage started life as Nicholas Coppola, but changed it to disassociate himself with famous film director Uncle Francis Ford Coppola. The name 'Cage' came from the comic book character 'Luke Cage'.

Michael Crawford - The Phantom of the Opera star was once called Michael Dumble-Smith. The unsurprising desire for a name change was concluded after he saw a passing Crawford's buscuit lorry.

I can't help but wonder who comes up with these names? I would agonise about changing my name!

Gisele Bundchen in raunchy denim?

Yes I know normally denim isn't exactly known for va-voom factor. More mucking out stables, akubras in the country and muffin topping in the city. But it can be sexy, especially when worn by one of the sexiest women in the world. No, not Angelina Jolie, I cannot stand her, but that is a gripe for another day.

Gisele Bundchen has posed for Italian photog Mario Testino, but I can't say I think all the shots are that great.

In what world are these anything but

ASSLESS Chaps?

Plumbers Crack?

A very badly made jacket?

What Colour is your Parachute?

You may or may not have heard of this book before. Apparently its quite popular.
You may have noticed it in the sidebar, but only briefly, as I'd say I only read it for about three or four days. And I didn't finish it. *sigh* I always hate admitting that. Its like it defeated me. I even tried to skip bits to see if that helped. It didn't.

So why did I stop reading? I didn't realise it was a book on how to find a job. I know that might sound silly, look at the titles all over the cover. BUT when I found it on Ronnie Ann's site I thought it was going to be more a book on how to figure out what you're passionate about and what you really want to do in life. Not really though, and there's whole chunks about how to start a business, which is also not a road I'm interested in even investigating at this time.

The other reason I want to briefly mention, as a reader, this book was crazy~! There's even a whole disclaimer at the beginning about how its not grammatically correct and the punctuation is all wrong. I should have known then.

He had parts
of the book kind of
written
like this.

I'm sure it had some
purpose, even if the
only purpose was to simply
entertain
him.

But it annoyed the crap out of me, and smacked of indulgence by the publishers of an author going crazy with each reprint of the book. Anyway, not for me, because I'm not really looking for a job. I was just a bit interested to see what it said.

Not much
apparently.

I'm putting
this into "books
I've read" even though
I haven't
quite.

poll by twiigs.com

Table Setting 101

P6140232, originally uploaded by dataceptionist.

This is my proudest table setting effort to date. Everything was themed, admittedly its not terribly difficult to do that when heaps of your stuff matches already.
We were just having friends round, but we love to get our good stuff out of the cupboard for friends.

Did you know? You must use fine china at least once a year or it will deteriorate and become brittle and die. So get using!

ummm, just me that thinks this is weird?

photo.jpg, originally uploaded by Ríona.

Face washer swans anyone? Its like taking the cute toilet paper triangle to a WHOLE new level! (And check out the paper cups in the background, wrapped in plastic? Sealed for your peace of mind?)

Also -hilarious, can you imagine a resort in Australia called "Gaylord Palms"?

Thanks to Ríona for this pic, from her recent business trip to Gaylord Palms.
(Sidenote, Ríona works for Google, how awesome would it be to tell people that was your employer? It would also be ultra cool to have a google domain work email address LOL.)
{Ok maybe that's slightly nerdy.}

Cruiser Free-Verdict (well, half)

Cruiser Free, originally uploaded by dataceptionist.

Hmmm what to say?
I finally managed to find them for sale at Dan Murphy's. First off I only bought two. One in Pine Melon (left) and one Orange Mango. There is also a Mixed Berry Flavour, but I just thought it had too much potential to be vile, so I skipped it.
I only bought one in each of my two flavours, (even though they cost the earth when you do it like that, its such a rip off) because I couldn't face the thought though of them being horrid and being stuck with another three, so obviously I went in with high hopes.
So I went with Pine Melon first up. We had friends round, and we all clinked our (bottles) "cheers"! One sip- YUK.
The best way I can describe the flavour is "Midori Illusion with a chaser of Splenda"
EW! They fool you by making them pink, but they honestly taste like they should be green like Midori. Too sweet, and where was the Pine!?

Overall I shoved it down my throat, but there will be no repeat performance I'm afraid. Our friends had been kind enough to bring Guava with them, and I was so afraid of the Orange Mango I stuck to Guava for the rest of the evening.
Thumbs down I'm afraid...

What are the 5 Things in your handbag that say YOU?

Its Friday afternoon and I've decided to start a new Blog Forward*.

So, after reading this article in the Courier Mail's blog dept, I decided to start a 'Blog Forward" of my own, for the Laydeez.

In this age of giant handbags, that are apparently wrecking our posture, women carry so much crap its astounding. BUT we carry it for a reason, and its always entertaining if nothing else to see women pull stockings, calculators, shoe polish and a spanner out of their bag as we search for our ringing mobile phone, which of course is buried at the bottom in the corner (naturally).

Five things in your handbag that speak about your life, (or are just quirky and interesting).

Mine are :

1. No less than 7 different Lipglosses, lipsticks and lip balms!
2. Nutrimetics Relaxing Lavender Pulse Point Stick
3. 2 x USB's
4. Panadol, Nurofen, Codral (old and new formula).
   
5. Misc jewlery - a pair of earrings, a bracelet and a dead necklace.

The whats and whys -

1. Who needs that many? How did I get them all? Plus I have a new one that hasn't quite made it into my bag...
2. Never go anywhere without it. Its my first port of call if I get a headache, you just rub the metal tip onto your temple and most of my headaches disperse.
3. Because I'm starting to accept that I'm a bit of a nerd actually! One has music which I listen to at work, the other has files/photos/anything else I might want to transfer at a moments notice...
4. I'm always finding random pain relief in my handbags. This is SO weird as I really try to avoid taking pills if I can (hence #2). Codral always seems to float around in my bag until the next bout of 'flu I get. Downside is I become a walking pharmacy and its always "does anyone have any (insert drug here)" and I feel compelled to say yes.
5. I HATE to be without a pair of earrings. On the rare occassion I forget to put some on, its handy to have a pair to shove in, even if they aren't as well thought out as some other choices. I would surmise that in a year of 365 days my ear lobes are nude approx 10 days.

I think womens handbags are a wealth of info, so I suspect the answers from others may be fun to read :)

So here's how it works - Of course there's rules, there's always rules.

~ Link to the person who tagged you.

~ Post the rules on your blog.

~ Write 5 Things in your handbag that say YOU .

~ Tag three people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

~ Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

~ Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

(~ For the sake of brevity we'll allow multiples)

Obviously this can be extended to blokes if you know a man with a man-bag/backpack.

I'm tagging

Reanan @ Life As a..... 

K @ Life and Times of K 

Princess Emma @ PrincessEmma 

Mia Freedman @ Mamamia

Fiona @ http://littlelioness.net/ 

*A* @ Everything Under the Sun 

I know thats five, I'm just spreading the love! If I haven't tagged you and you want to play, feel free! Please link back so I can read yours though!

*I refuse to call it a meme, as the term "meme" was designed by Richard Dawkins (yes of God Delusion) to refer to a cultural reference that acts like a Gene, passed down through people ie like a folk song or hand clapping game. 

Hence, I do not think a list of things on someone's blog should be referred to as a "meme" as though that is the sole frame of reference.  /rant.

HouseKeeping x 2

Hey a few new features! Blogger has enabled embedded comment forms (through Blogger in Draft-See your Dashboard for more info) so I'm going to give it a try.

Worst draw back seems to be that you can't tick the box "subscribe to comments"

Let me know if you particularly miss this feature, and we might switch back to the old format until they've worked that kink out. The next feature may help however....

I've added a "Recent Comments" widget, courtesy of Amanda at Blogger Buster. (This is a TOP site, if you want to do something tricky on your Blogger blog, pop over and have a squizz at her widgets and template hacks, they're pretty straightforward) It will show the last ten comments across all posts. Unfortunately it doesn't ignore me though.

I've really wanted this feature for ages as its quite common on Typepad blogs. I've put it up the top of the sidebar for the moment, but it will probably migrate lower in a week or so.

So if anything looks weird for a bit, bear with me, I'm tinkering a bit, just hit refresh and the weirdness may disappear. :)

Oh the shame!

While you people are all out there, living your lives like normal people, I am trapped. Trapped by a dark secret that I fear people can smell on me. I am, one of THEM.
One day I was listening to the radio, and I was struck down by this affliction. I was taken unawares, and before I knew it I was bopping and thinking "this song is really good!".
The song ended, the DJ spoke......

I like Miley Cyrus^.

I wish it wasn't so! If I could change, I would! I assure you!

I really really like her "See you Again" song though! I know all the words to the chorus now! I downloaded it so I can listen to it whenever I want! I'm listening right now!~Its so shameful! I just want to hide away from the world until it goes away. If you haven't heard the song, you can listen via You Tube and vote.

poll by twiigs.com

^I don't like Miley Cyrus in general, just this one song. (so far?)

How to have a successful blog

Oh so this is what I'm doing wrong. Not talking enough about "the wimenz" LOL
Oh and I should be doing blow-by-blows about dating. Whoops.

Thanks to Kim at Larvatus Prodeo for the heads up

Let's just say....

Let's just say your friends were having a party...

Let's just say it was an important occassion for them...

Let's just say you were involved in the planning for said party...

Let's just say there was a very nice bar you helped choose wine for...

Let's just say you didn't eat enough...

Let's just say you owe some friends an apology...

Let's just say you spent the next day in bed...

Let's just say your stomach is actually still recovering (4 days later...)...

Let's just say you won't drink like that again.....this year....

Thanks to GLH Lets just say device....

Skills you can't put on your resume

We've all got them. Things that you're good at, talents we have that no one cares about for the most part. Usually they won't get you anywhere in life. Forget about putting them on your resume, and don't rush out and register your ABN in a hurry; this skill simply isn't marketable, because no one would ever pay you to do it.

Some skills of mine I'm particularly proud of, but are essentially a giant waste of head space:

~ I can learn the words to a song on the radio relatively quickly. I find myself really listening to songs, hearing the words so I can sing them back later.
This translates into driving along in the car, singing along to songs my husband says he's never even heard before. (In the same vein, I can remember the words to songs years later, and sing along quite well. I have no idea where these talents come from, as I wouldn't class myself as musically inclined at ALL.)
~ I can unpack my trolley onto the conveyer belt at the supermarket into shopping bag sections. I line up everything as I take it out of the trolley, and if I watch as the checkout person packs it, they can go along the belt and pack it exactly like I unloaded.
* pet hate #423- When they ignore my belt layout and shove everything in every which-way. Grr! >:-Z

I'm sure there are millions out there - Perhaps the ability to slice a cucumber perfectly straight, and yet no other vegetables (making you a useless Chef). Perhaps you can perfectly time your coast to the red traffic light so that you don't have to fully stop? I knew a guy who, when he changed lanes with those little bumpy dots, he could time it perfectly to avoid them.

What are yours?

Why care What Not To Wear

I don't watch "What not to wear" by Trinny and Susannah. I'll say that first off.

What I don't understand though, if why ANYONE would listen to them, as they go out themselves in some atrocious gear!
1 ~ Perfectly nice grey suit, if a little too flared in the pant, but with a PRINT DRESS over the top!
Green dress over white shirt. Not the end of the world, but just not neccessary!
2 ~ Solo Trinny, in her best impersonation of an Irish Tablecloth. See here for larger image. You'll also find the green is sequinned!
3 ~ I think this is meant to be a promo image. As such, I can only assume that Trinny is "What NOT, and Susannah is "What TO". Honestly, I love hot pink more than most, but even I don't go around shoving it under leopard print and expect a good result! Susannah is making her look like a teenager run amok in Supre.

4 ~ These are all the wonder full Trinny. Playing Beattie Bow??
5 ~ A taffeta creation, in a homage to M*A*S*H- for that formal event in the Mess Hall. Leave your weapons at the door; they ruin the line of the gown.
6 ~ Red sack? Hey, its ok, we all have fat days sometimes.

*Scream* Get them off Tv! How can they be advising anyone!