1.) I am loving my new flat pens. They're bookmarks! They're pens! They don't make great big lumps in my books!

2.) J Crew is having a "Secret Sale" right now—you have to follow one of these links, because they don't have this sale linked from their main page. These events aren't unusual, but I feel compelled to point out that jersey short-sleeve crewnecks are currently priced at 6.99, and several of their petite jeans styles are currently priced at 29.99. Many of the exact same styles of jeans are being offered through the main site for $20.00 more per pair. This probably doesn't mean much to you, but these jeans seem to be the only ones in the universe right now that fit well and are short enough for me.

3.) I love TurboTax, especially when it tells me that we'll be getting a refund of several thousand dollars by the 14th of this month. I love that interest on home equity lines of credit is tax deductible. I love Quicken's debt reduction planner. It takes your balances owed, interest rates, current monthly payments, and minimum monthly payments, and then, it tells you how you can optimize the payments and get out of debt more quickly. It's currently telling me that we can get out of debt* in 2005 instead of 2010—and save $7000 in interest—if we start by jacking our car payment up to $820/month and pay the minimum payment on everything else. Writing a check that big for a car payment makes me choke a little, but I trust the wisdom of this plan.
* That doesn't count our mortgage or my student loans. Those would seem to be eternal.

4.) I think I might also love the fact that the FHA Streamline Refinancing program exists, but I'm not sure yet.

5.) I got this book for something like $3.00, and I want to make about two thirds of the dishes in it. Right now, I especially want to make peppers stuffed with cinnamon bulgur. You can see a little picture of them in the upper right corner of the back cover.

6.) I signed up with GreenCine. I think I learned about them in sxoidmal's or vaxjo's journal, but I don't remember for sure. I have made myself a great, big, long queue, and when I'm done with a movie, I just put it in the little envelope and stick it in the mail slot in my door, and then, some more movies come, and this makes me happy.

7.) In 1989, my friend Eva and I got uncomfortably stuck.

8.) When the hubby was a kid, he had a pet monkey.

9.) When I was 16, I was pissed off.

10.) When I turned 21, my friends bought me some nasty drinks.