Mexican Currency - I'm RICH!

While in Pinetop this weekend visiting my family, my Grandmother gave me a 10,000 peso note that their good friend Bill Simpson gave to me years ago! I put the note in my wallet and figured it wasn't worth much.

Today as I was cleaning out my wallet, I came across the 10,000 bill and decided to do a quick Google conversion to see what it was worth - if anything. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw this:
Holy moly! What luck! You have to be kidding me! I quickly called up Wells Fargo, they confirmed they would exchange my 10,000 pesos for $684.00. I tore out of my office for my lunch break and rushed to the bank - all the while on the phone with my mother and grandparents to share the wonderful news! I planned in my head just what I would spend the money on - pay off my credit card, a massage, Christmas presents! The money was as good as gone in my mind, but WHAT LUCK! Who'd have thought?!

I walked up to the teller window thinking that it's too good to be true. And it turns out - it was! The bank did not have the bill listed in their foreign currency book (a book that listed photos of currency for verification purposes) therefore they couldn't exchange it.

I headed back to my office disheartened but not yet resolved. I scanned the bill and emailed it a contact I have at American Express Exchange. She responded with the following:

Unfortunately the Mexican Pesos were revalued in 1992, by the value of 1,000 old pesos becoming 1 nuevo peso. The note you have there is no longer legal currency and can not be exchanged. Even if it were exchangeable, it would be equal to only 10 pesos in the current notes. At the current exchange ratesthat means it would only have a value of about 67 cents, so it is not worth worrying about too much. It is kind of fun to have a note with all of those zeroes, but I'm afraid it does not have any value.

Well, let me be the first to tell you that all of those zeroes are not as fun as $684.00, but what a roller coaster of a day. I'm RICH

Living in a Material World

As tough economic times continue to invade every moment of everyday, I have become more and more aware of the association of material possessions to my happiness. Let me tell you, having roommates helps to disband this connection.

MacKenzie and I have always had the understanding that with proper care (and following intended washing instructions), we share clothes. We both understand that we both suffer from a medical condition, commonly affecting women, known as 'I-have-nothing-to-wear' syndrome. We have plenty of clothes, but there is something exciting and enticing about looking through someone else's closet for something to wear.

However, there have been times where I have gone to get ready for something and the key component to the outfit I had planned was missing. Apparently, other than being best friends, we're also psychic and want to wear the same thing on the same day. This dynamic (and also the fact that my finances have been cut) has taught me that clothes do not make the man... or woman as the case may be.

There is something to be said for finding the silver lining in every situation and in my case, lower paychecks and missing clothing items have forced me to examine making the most of out what I do have rather than focusing on what I don't have. Whether what I don't have is a fiscal issue or roommate situation, it's really not about wanting what I don't have, but being happy with what I do.

And what I do have is a whole lot to be thankful for!

Side Effects vs. Willpower: The Quit Smoking Conundrum

For those of you who do not know that I was a smoker, I am happy to report that as of today I have quit for the third time in 15 months, this time for 50 days! Each time, I used Chantix the wonder-drug.

I have strategically never blogged about smoking in the past, but with recent the recent FDA regulation of tobacco, I thought maybe I would share my story.

I began smoking at 19. My boyfriend at the time was a smoker-trying-to-quit. As "punishment" for every cigarette he smoked, I threateningly smoked one along with him. "I'll show him." Hah! Hardly. Almost 7 years later, I am still battling that childish decision and as far as I know, he really did quit.

Fast forward to present day. I have read virtually everything you can Google about quitting smoking. I tried the patch and cold turkey to no avail and have successfully quit three times with Chantix. Quit laughing. I know, I know - how could you have successfully quit three times? Wouldn't you only succesfully quit once?

And the correct answer is no. Each time I have fallen off the wagon, the most important step has been to get back on. And each time I have re-quit, it has been easier. I have become a master at telling my story to current smokers who understand how hard it is to quit.

Chantix truly is a wonder drug, but not without its own side affects. It works in the following way. Nicotine normally attaches itself to neurons in your brain. This attachment causes the release of dopamine which in turn makes us feel good. Chantix attaches itself to the neurons where nicotine would normally attach.

As recommended, you continue to smoke during the first week(s) of taking Chantix. As you continue to smoke, the Chantix blocks the Nicotine. Your body has the dopamine release it already needs and believe it or not cigarettes begin to taste awful. They taste like the first terrible cigarette you ever smoked.

Because nicotine addiction is not just physical, but habitual as well, I continued to smoke these nasty-tasting sticks until finally I would just hold one with despair. I would stare at the the thing longinly because I knew if I lit and smoked it, I would not feel better and my mouth would taste like I licked a cotton bale. Soon, I found that holding a cigarette just seemed silly and I had finally broken the habit.

My favorite side effect were the crazy dreams! Some dreams were frightening, but others were just plain weird and I remembered most of them. I also knew I was dreaming - it was amazing.

The other lovely side effect of Chantix is nausea. It is recommended to take it with a meal. I tried everything: with a meal, 15 minutes after a meal, 30 minutes after a meal, but no matter what I did, I still felt terribly ill and and tired after taking the pill. Who on earth would put up with this crap? Right? Wrong.

I would take deep breaths, distract myself. Most of the time I was at work. And this last time around quitting, I realized that ginger ale settled my stomach in a snap (thanks Melissa!) and quickly threw a ginger ale on ice with a straw into my Chantix routine. I rarely felt sick taking it right before bed.

There's also the "numbing" effect of Chantix which is a bit unsettling. Because Chantix mimick's Nicotine by attaching itself to dopamine-producing receptors, your body becomes used to a lower, but constant flow of dopamine. I found that I was generally happy, but this last stint of Chantix I felt the numbness. Because your body has a constant level of dopamine, it's hard for it to increase and thus make you excited about something. At the same time, it doesn't decrease and you don't really feel the sadness either. You become numb.

Now as I've put many sentences between you and my point, you might be asking yourself, "Well, Tory, why on earth would I use Chantix to quit? You make it sound so horrible!" Here is your answer:

You need to quit. You know you do. Everyone has a list of reasons why they want to quit, written or not. If you have tried other methods and found it difficult to battle the willpower, make an educated decision and give Chantix a try. It was easier for me to battle the side effects that it was for me to battle my own will power.

Jay Thornton has some great blog posts about his experiences with Chantix as well, so check them out as well!

Seattle Days Three, Four & Five (with photos)

Day Three
Friday morning Josh and I moved for the last time during this trip to the gorgeous and excellently-located Alexis Hotel. Then we walked south to Pioneer Square, checked out Utilikilts and had a delicious lunch at Mitchelli's. After lunch, we embarked on Seattle's Underground Tour.

In 1889, a fire destroyed all of Seattle and the city had to be rebuilt. When they rebuilt, they raised the city up 10 to 30 feet in places. The tour takes you underneath the city where sidewalks and doorways to buildings still exist. It was really interesting!

After the tour, Josh and I walked along 1st Avenue (a little over a mile) to Safeco Field to wait for Lauren and Nate to join us for the game. We took our time and wandered in and out of shops and finally settled in at Pyramid Ale House to relax and enjoy ourselves on the patio.

While waiting on L + N, we tried the Pyramid Sampler, including Haywire Hefeweizen, Audacious Apricot Ale, ThunderHead IPA, Crystal Wheat Ale, and Curveball Blonde Ale. One word: delicious! Then we had to try their garlic rosemary fries served with Cajun ailoli. Another word: uuhhmazing!

Our seats for the Diamondbacks/Mariners game were great! Lower level - row 28, but apparently 28 is synonomous with 6 because that's how far back we REALLY were! I yelled at Justin Upton until he acknowledged my pressence. It was a small acknowledgement, but L, N and J caught it. Josh and I wore our Dbacks gear and were heckled from behind - especially after the Dbacks gave up a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 8th inning. The women behind us were drunk and loud, but overall just there to have a good time!

Things I like: Walking everywhere!
Things I didn't like: Diamondbacks losing another game!
New things I like: Mama's Chicken at the counter at Mitchelli's

Day Four
Today Penny & Jason, Josh's friends who just moved to Portland, came up to Seattle for the day! We became official tour guides and who better to show you around than a fellow tourist! Our fun Seattle facts were fresh in our brain and we got to solidify them there by sharing them with P & J. We had a yummy lunch at the Pink Door on the patio overlooking the Puget Sound. Then we walked to Westlake and took the ridiculous, yet functional monorail to the Seattle Center to head up 520 feet to the viewing deck of the Space Needle. The weather was great and the visibility was good, but you couldn't see Mount Rainier. We ended the day with Penny and Jason by strolling through Pike's Market and checking out the weekend wares before they drove back to Portland.

I treated myself to a pedicure. I tried to tell Josh he needed to join me - that he would like it - but completely understood that it will take more than one time inviting him to go with me before he will concur. Heehee.

That evening Josh and I ate dinner at the Bookstore (Alexis' bar home of the Hoegaarden mentioned in Seattle Day One). We watched the Diamondbacks begin another loss before Lauren and Nate picked us up for an evening of laughs at an improv comedy show! It was hysterical. Definitely a must see for visitors!

Things I like: Metal cups at the Pink Door, Buffett
Things I didn't like: Can't think of a single thing! I felt tired for the first time today... Oh, I messed up my pedicure, but luckily recovered.
New things I like: Jason and Penny, Unexpected Productions - International Festival of Improvisation (think Whose Line is it Anyway?)

Day Five
And we're now caught up to today. Lauren and Nate picked us up and we drove to her father's boat at Gig Harbor. It's about an hour away. We jumped on board and were on our way to a small island where we planned to hike and barbeque and (eek) swim, but the weather turned quickly, as it often does here, and soon we were headed back to the dock admist rain drops and lightning. We were perfectly safe, but our adventure was cut short in short order.

Instead, we putzed around a couple little antique shops and art galleries before we went back to Lauren's parents' house where we indulged in a delicious dinner of kay-bobs (Warren's pronunciation - lol) and risotto and homemade caesar salad. We had some really good laughs and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Sheri and Warren again!

Now, we're back at the hotel (I almost typed "home") and I need to pack up to leave tomorrow morning.

Things I like: My new Northface hoodie
Things I didn't like: Our adventure was rained out, but we still got a beautiful tour of Gig Harbor from the water - stunning
New things I like: Apprently crab dip, until I was told about the crab

Seattle Day Two

We packed it up and checked in to hotel number two out of three in our five-day vacay. Dropped the bags off in the room - the room at HVP was ready early (at noon) yay!

We headed out to the Seattle monorail that travels 1 mile from one stop to another. Since its creation, it's driven over 1 million miles! We arrived at the Experience Music Project in no time and grabbed some lunch. EMP was awesome! The Northwest music exhibit was really cool. The Pacific NW was so influential in the music scene. EMP has two special exhibits right now: Paul Allen's Sci Fi exhibit and Jim Henson's exhibit - both worthwhile and really neat!

After we wrapped up at EMP, we took the monorail 1 mile back to where we started (the only other stop, lol). We walked to Roq la Rue, a free art gallery with contemporary, unconventional exhibits. Definitely off the beaten tourist path (we walked through a scary area), but worth seeing.

After quite a bit of walking, we indulged at Virginia Inn before picking up some beautiful flowers and wine to have dinner with Lauren and Nate.

Another great day in Seattle - sunshine and clouds: the perfect balance of both!

Space Needle

EMP

We at EMP

Manny's darn tasty beer (local brew)

Elton the pig

Sweet Peas for LTP

LTP's view from her balcony

Flowers and wine - what more could a girl ask for!

Things I like: Mahna, mahna puppet show (video coming soon), wine and dinner with friends
Things I didn't like: man yelling at the security guard at the YWCA
New things I like: Sweet peas, Josh bringing me coffee, Mothership Wit Ale

Day One continued

Things I like: Finding Hoegaarden on tap at the Alexis bar
Things I didn't like: Getting walked to Hotel 1000, but oh well - it's an adventure!
New things I like: Gnocchi appetizer with walnuts and cream sauce at the Pink Door and Molton Brown bath products

Seattle Day One

We made it to Seattle in one piece! My flight was a little late which left Josh waiting at SeaTac for me, but he's a patient guy, so it was not a big deal! Lauren and Buffett picked us up and dropped us off at the Hotel Vintage Park, one of the three Kimpton Hotels in Seattle. We were greeted by Wendy who actually had worked at FireSky a couple of years ago to help out for a month or so. HVP was oversold and they needed to send us to another hotel. Of course, the Monaco and Alexis (sister Kimpton properties) were also sold out - good problem to have! So we're at Hotel 1000 at least for another couple of hours before we go back to HVP. Hotel 1000 is nice. The room is big and there's a virtual golf course in the basement. I'm going to check it out in a bit and I don't think Josh will mind.

Last night we had a beer across the street at the bar at the Alexis Hotel (where we will be staying the last three nights we're here). Then, we walked to Pike's Market and had dinner on the patio at the Pink Door. I had THE best gnocchi ever and a salad. Josh had filet and truffled mashed potatoes - YUM! Then we walked back to the hotel and had a beer in the lounge and listened to a classical/flamenco guitarist named Charlie.

I think we're going to head to the Space Needle and Experience Music Project today using downtown Seattle's free buses. But first we have to pack up and move back to HVP...

Mommy, can I read your blog?

It's official. We're a blogging generation. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunts and uncles are blogging about everything under the sun. Blogs of today are like journals of "the olden days." Looking back through old diaries, I laugh at the tragedy of having crushes or getting a bad grade or arguing with my parents. I often wonder why I cared so much at that moment to pour my heart out onto a page.

It got me to thinking about the day when I found a journal of my mother's and read it (of course). Don't worry, mom, I don't even remember what it said. Realizing this a couple of years after first committing the crime, I snooped to find it again and memorize its words, but alas, it was nowhere to be found. I was a snoopy little brat when I was younger.

Nowadays, though, I wouldn't have to stand on top of my parents' rattan clothes hamper and pull down a dusty box from the top shelf in a closet. I could simply Google my mother's name and probably find her blog (if she had one). Would you let your children (or future children) read your blog?

Blogs are so public that many people do not share their deepest, inner-most secrets and desires and dreams like the days of old (ha!). But what about your Facebook or Twitter? We're leaving an electronic trail of our lives and the one audience we may have not considered is our [future] children. I wonder what you will say when someday a little one says to you, "Mommy/Daddy, can I read your blog?"

I'm writing your eulogy.

For some reason, I sometimes think about what I would say about my friends and family at their funeral if they were to ever pass away.

It often happens when one of them has imparted an invaluable grain of wisdom upon me and I think "I always want to remember this moment or this lesson." Then, I imagine myself standing at their funeral in front of all the other people whose lives were touched by this person, speaking of the wonderful moments we shared and passing along how he or she impacted my life.

It's weird, but I do it. It's not morbid, I don't think. I become overwhelmed with love for the person and want to share it with others. The first opportunity that pops into my head to do this is at their funeral - celebrating their life.

Many times, I express how I feel about the person in their annual birthday cards - recap lessons I've learned from them, thank them for the impact they've had on my life, but for some reason I want to make sure, at that person's final congregation, that my words are heard.

I have yet to bring myself to writing down the memories for myself. That makes their inevitable expiration more of a reality and I haven't gone there yet.

Does anyone else think this way?