10 Years Later

It was brought to my attention the other day that my 10-Year High School Reunion would be this year. I had thought of it before and knew that it was this year, but for some reason it just seemed more real when someone else mentioned it. 

Wow, it really has been 10 years! It is kind of hard to believe it has been that long, not to mention, that means I am getting old-er. I really did enjoy my years in high school - at least most of them. I started my first job at Carmike, visited places like New Orleans and Washington DC with the orchestra, was on the Homecoming Court my senior year and found my interest in marketing/advertising on the Yearbook staff all while making lots of great friends along the way. I am sad to say that I have not kept in touch with that many people from high school and wish that I had put more effort into staying connected after graduation. Thanks to the world of Facebook, I pretty much know who is married, where they live and whether or not they have kids - which is kind of creepy when you think about it - but I haven't actually talked to most of them since high school.

I am a little disappointed that reunions are just for one class. I had lots of friends that were in the graduating class the year before me and the year after that I would love to see again. I guess that is true for everyone, though. It would be fun to hold my own reunion, not of my graduating class, but of my high school friends. That would allow me to include my friends from other classes as well as other schools. A 10-Year Melissa Reunion would definitely be more fun!

The Home Phone Debate

Yes, it's 2012 and I still have a home phone line...

I know many people have long since cancelled their landlines and rely solely on their cellphones, but I get some sense of comfort by having a true home phone. For one, I like having a number other than my cell to give out to the various people/companies who "need" it. I consider my cell to be a personal line of communication and don't want just anyone and everyone calling me on it. 

I also feel the need for a house line for those calls where a 15-minutue wait time has you still waiting 45 minutes later. I don't want to waste all those cellphone minutes listening to bad elevator music and we all know that going over your allotted cell minutes costs a small fortune.

I say "I" have a landline because Kevin thinks we should disconnect it. He refers to the home phone as my parents personal line of communication with me because they are the ones who call it most often. He suggests we just connect 2 tin cans with a long string and communicate that way since they live so close.

I have been looking into switching to Vonage. They have a $12/month plan and can even transfer our current number. I don't know much about Vonage, but I see their commercials on TV a lot and I feel like they have been around for several years now. Does anyone have any experience with Vonage?

Channeling My Inner Mark

When I was growing up I watched my dad (Mark) spend countless hours fixing things around the house - the harvest gold wash & dryer from the 80's (which they only recently replaced), family cars, daddy's collection of Snapper law mowers... you get the idea. There wasn't much that Daddy couldn't fix (and still isn't). He is a very handy man to have around!

I have noticed that I am increasingly becoming handy, especially now that we own a house. Just the other night I took apart the drain in Kevin's bathroom sink. It has been draining slowly and Draino wasn't doing enough to satisfy me. I noticed the plastic pipes below the sink didn't even require tools to take apart, so I grabbed a bucket and started taking things apart. Sure I could have called Daddy, or maybe even a plumber, but shouldn't I at least try to find the issue? I'm happy to report that after a good cleaning out with some home-made tools, Kevin's sink is now draining properly. 

I like to think that I picked up a few tidbits of knowledge while watching Daddy fix various things around the house. I imagine my handiness is part "I can do it myself" attitude with some "I don't want to pay someone else to do this" with a little "I wonder how this works". My cell phone's touchscreen recently started freaking out and became almost unusable. I noticed that when I put pressure in a certain area the screen would work just fine. I really like my current phone and it became a personal mission to get more life out of it. I decided I didn't have much to lose, so I took a screwdriver to the screws inside the back case. Wouldn't you know that it did the trick and my screen is working just fine now! 

I hope to be able to continue channeling my inner Mark and show those malfunctioning somethings who's boss!

I Don't Want to be A Domestic Diva

When I first mentioned to my husband that I was considering starting a blog, he asked me what I was going to "blog" about. That was the big question - what would I write about and would anyone read it? 

Kevin (the husband) suggested I write about my trials and tribulations on my quest to becoming a Domestic Diva. I assured him I had no desire to become a master of the vacuum or queen of the stove and began thinking about what the purpose of my blog really would be.

This blog is just about me. My thoughts, gripes, suggestions and general ramblings. While my husband, my family and my cats can't help but be included in entries fairly regularly, my goal is to have a blog about the random things that come to mind and my adventures through life. I invite you to follow along as I explore the Melly State of Mind.