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There’s nothing like getting an Austin DWI to find yourself in jail really quickly. That’s what happened to my ex-husband when he was driving with his taillights out, but a trunk full of beer cans. Oh, and he was driving drunk for sure. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know any DUI defense attorneys, or perhaps things would have turned out differently.

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A DUI defense attorney would have meant the difference between jail (and deportation) and walking out a free man.

An Arizona DUI isn’t much better, especially if you’re from that country along the border. If I lived in Arizona, I’d for sure get an Arizona DUI defense attorney, and fast! DUI defense lawyers make a difference in Arizona just like they do in Austin, at least if someone bothers to utilize their services!

The terminology has changed in recent years. When I was growing up, we called it getting a DWI. We would have been saying DWI attorney, not DUI attorney. Oh well, driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated, driving drunk, drunk drivin’…it’s all the same thing, right?

Where I live, you do serious jail time for DUIs, so it’s a good idea to get that DWI lawyer, or whatever you want to call him!

Austin DWI

I’ve signed up with a new service,
SocialSpark, a couple of months ago. However, with school ending, moving into a new house and all that entails, I never got a chance to check it out until fairly recently. One of the first things I discovered is that quite a few of my blog friends are on there! So I already feel like I’m part of the community. Even if I hadn’t already known a few people, though, I would have fit right in, because there are so many enthusiastic bloggers over there. I’ve already made new friends and discovered some blogs that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

One really cool thing about
SocialSpark is that it has complete transparency. If you do a paid post, you are getting paid to say what you actually think, and the links are no-follow. This is a rare find in the increasingly opaque world of internet marketing. Since it is a bit of a matchmaking service for advertisers and bloggers, things work out nice like that. Of course, the part where you make money is cool as well.

In fact, transparency is such a priority that people don’t get paid for opps unless there is a disclosure badge at the end of each post. That is more than you can say about 90 percent of what is currently going on with the internet at this point.

One of my favorite things about SocialSpark is that there is a section, call Sparks, where you can plug other blogs and ask that the same be done for your own. It is an excellent way to build traffic and links if you want a popular blog! I can’t wait to get started on that. It seems like a great way to amp up a blog project.

I’ve found it very easy to access the features that SocialSpark has. The main menu links you to all kinds of opps, your messages, hot blogs and friend requests. You can spend serious time just playing around there! The money is a nice bonus, really.

I seriously thought about hiring a maid to do the move-out cleaning on the old apartment. Never mind that I’ve had an entire month to do it myself. The thing is, I keep thinking about the many, many items on my new house wishlist that I could spend the $100 on. A rocking chair for the front porch is numero uno on the list. So today I drove myself over to the filthy apartment and got to work. I cleaned two bathrooms (the kids’ bathroom was just disgusting), the entire kitchen (except for the oven–yuk), the fans and the porch. Tomorrow I’m going to tackle the oven and deep clean the carpet.

Then I’m going to shop for a porch rocking chair.

I have been spending lots of time at the DIY home supply store lately. I was in their three aisle lighting section yesterday, and noticed that they had quite a few fixtures that were LED. It makes sense, as I’ve been reading that LED lighting is the wave of the future.

Here’s a company that’s taken the idea one step further. How about a
LED shake flashlight? Here’s the deal, you shake it for one minute, and you get 30 minutes of light. No batteries! I want this, because it seems like every time the electricity goes out, the battery on my flashlight does the same. And forget using my old flashlight to read in bed–those batteries are too expensive! This sounds perfect, and the price is right around the 20 dollar mark.

It strikes me that this would be a cool gift for just about anyone in your life. I’m sorry I heard about it too late for Father’s Day. Still, birthdays and Christmas would be perfect occasions!

Bookmarked.

Two days ago, we discovered that someone had had the nerve to come into our backyard and steal one of our bikes! I was really appalled. I also suspect it was the guy who I gave the air conditioners to, since he had a chance to see what was in our shed.

The galling thing was spending $200 buying a new bike for my 9 year old as well as three new locks and a chain. The backyard is now locked down like Fort Knox. Now I’m looking at replacing the locks on the front door as well. Grrr. I’m trying not to be too bummed out about it.

Around here, they’re saying that if you get caught without liability insurance, they’ll impound your car. Some of the insurance companies are even using this fact as a way to advertise. Well, I guess it’s effective! One sign even says, “No Insurance, Car Impounded. Car Impounded, You’re Arrested.” It makes me really glad that my
Van Insurance is up to date. I probably pay more in insurance every year than the van is actually worth. It’s a 1999 Dodge Caravan, and the blue book value at this point has got to be pretty low. Especially since the fabric on the top is beginning to hang down. Still, it’s a very reliable van, and this week, I’ve got the back seats out of it and I’m using it for moving. It’s weird how my minivan will hold just as much stuff as the back of some trucks.

I’m not planning on replacing it anytime soon. As I said, the van runs well, and other than the annoying fabric that I have to keep trying to stick back to the roof, it’s in excellent shape. Surprisingly, it also gets good gas mileage. It’s nice having such a reliable vehicle, because that means that I have time to save for a new car, instead of going into debt to buy one. Also, having this van gives me pretty low insurance rates. I have to say, though, if I bought a new car, I’d shop around, because insurance rates can be really high. Another reason to stick with the van for a while longer!

I would think that moving would wear me out enough so that I could sleep at night. However, that’s not what’s happening. It seems that without the routine of dealing with behaviorally challenged kiddos, I can’t sleep at night. What has happened is that my creativity has went into overdrive. I’m doing cool things with my house, there are crafts projects that I want to do, and I’ve got lots of ideas for websites, none of which I have time to do, of course! So, I lie in bed thinking about all of the things I want to do and should do, and don’t fall asleep. Then, the next day, I wake up tired, feel overwhelmed with all this stuff, and don’t do a whole heck of a lot. Sigh.

During the summertime, I am forced to confront the unpleasant reality that I serve as proof for those who doubt our evolutionary roots. Don’t talk to me about bikini lines–I have a bikini football field. I’m also envious of those who have fine blonde hairs grow on their legs. Mine are thick and dark. Eyebrows? Well, if it weren’t for a bucketful of wax, I’d have a unibrow. A big, bushy unibrow. So I’m delighted to see that spas offering hair removal are cropping up, like the
spa Alpharetta GA has that offers hair removal and many other services as well. M Medical Spa has cellulite elimination treatments, lip plumping and lots of other beautifying procedures. Best of all, it’s all non-surgical! Sign me on…

The new dryer I bought last year does not like the new house. It will not work. It turns out the the new “old” house is waaaay out of code and needs to be completely rewired, for thousands of dollars. That is, if the city ever finds out about it. Let’s hope a branch doesn’t fall on a power line around my property anytime soon. Meanwhile, I’ve been going to the laundromat with wet bags of clothes to use the (expensive) dryers. I’m not too thrilled.

I turn 42 this summer, and although I’ve always been against having cosmetic surgery (although I can totally see the point for people who’ve been in car accidents and so on), I’m beginning to rethink my position. In my twenties and thirties, I thought that cosmetic surgery was a very frivolous thing. However, as I reach on into middle age, I’m not so sure.

Lately, people have been remarking that I look tired when I’m not. Perhaps an eye lift? If it helps my career as much or more than a professional wardrobe, then it no longer seems unnecessary. Of course, in an ideal world, people wouldn’t be judged on outward appearances to the degree that we are. I don’t see this changing, however.

My biggest concern is the safety of the procedure. I know that
Cosmetic Surgery is generally much safer than other surgical procedures, but I would hate to put myself at risk in any way because I’m worried about how I look. On the other hand, I put myself at risk every time I get into the car and drive to work.

At this point, I have to say that I am no longer against cosmetic surgery. I am against the sort of society that makes it almost necessary. However, railing against society doesn’t get me ahead in my career. We have the culture we have, and we might as well make the most of it.