I am getting a haircut!

I'd like your opinion as to which haircut you like best!



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Tomato Basil Soup

I've been craving Tomato Basil Soup. The first time I had it was in Texas and the second time at Whole Foods. Some recipes use a bit of cream, but I chose to omit it from the recipe that I adapted.

2 cans Muir Glen Diced Tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1/2 large yellow onion - chopped
3 large garlic cloves - minced
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon butter
2 cups Fresh Basil
1/8 cup sugar
Salt & Ground Pepper to taste

Add olive oil and butter to a large pot. After butter has melted, add onion and garlic, sautee until onions begin to brown. Add tomatoes including juice, 2 cups water, and 2 cups chicken broth. Simmer until heated. Add sugar a bit at a time to desired sweetness/tartness. Add basil, stir, and CAREFULLY puree with an immersion blender to avoid splattering/spraying hot soup. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add cream if you like, omit the sugar, and leave out the puree steps if so desired. Another nice addition would be frozen sweet corn.

Reduce, Recycle, Reuse Pickle Juice

I recently purchased a large jar of Carnegie Deli Refrigerated Pickles from Costco and they are delish. It reminded me of Chinese Pao Cai which I endeavored to make. After failing in locating recipes online, I thought, what if I just re-use the pickle juice?

I searched online and it seems there are varying opinions about whether it's safe to re-use pickle juice. There are many people who enjoy pickling carrots, onions, and cauliflower in pickle juice and others who enjoy it as a marinade for meats or seasoning in deviled eggs, potato salad, and tuna salad.

My local Campos Tacos sometimes includes pickled carrots and potatoes with their tacos. Next time I hit the store, I'm going to pick up some carrots soak them in the leftover pickle juice.

How do you choose between multiple job offers?

I've been searching for job positions for a while now and I was lucky enough to be offered 3 career positions and 2 non-career positions. (I manifested these jobs through my own personal Theta Healing efforts which I will blog about another day.)

Two of the positions were in the field that I already work in: Medical Research. The other is in the field I just received my Master's degree in: Oriental Medicine. In the last year, I've really tried to focus on using and listening to my intuition. I've found that my body gives me warning signals when I tread into non-matching energetic patterns.

A major warning I received was when I started a serving position at a Restaurant chain which provides amazing training. It's a great company with wonderful managers, but I started having insomnia, nightmares, felt sick, and then I threw out my shoulder. Thankfully, I figured this out quickly within 3 weeks of starting there and left before it could get worse. The old me would feel absolutely terrible and berate myself for failing at the position, for not being able to commit and work through the "crap". I tried to tell myself it would get better. But from past experience, I knew I needed to take care of it NOW before it ended up costing me my health, job and $$$$ in medical bills.

How do you know how to choose if you haven't worked in the position yet? Job #1 yielded a position with nice people and a salary increase from my current position. They had a matching 403(b), and average benefits. Energetically, the people were nice, but I didn't feel much connection or any excitement there. It was kind of ho-hum.

Job #2 produced interviews for two different positions in the same laboratory. The second position was with an amazing, intelligent, passionate woman who clearly loved her work. I left energized, inspired, and just plain Wow'd. I knew this was the position for me. However, the salary was less than what Job #1 above had offered, by much less. Job #2 had slightly better benefits, no 403(b) matching, but I was one year from being vested in their retirement/pension plan. The pension plan won't yield much of a monthly retirement income if I don't stay at the company for 20+ years, but it's still money. If I leave after another year I may only receive $20-60 a month when I retire.

So Job #2 had salary issues, and when I told them what Job #1 was offering, they agreed to match it. Unfortunately there were HR issues blocking this increase and it turned into a 4 week ordeal trying to get the increase in salary. I had immediately turned down Job #1 upon an offer from Job #2 with a new comparable salary, so that they could try to fill the position.

As the details for Job #2 were being worked out, I received a call from a friend of mine. Her company was hiring and I sent my resume over. Job #3 loved my resume and I went in for an interview. My impression of the company was that they had quality products that I could believe in and promote (I could never sell a product that was poor quality). I was hoping for a part-time position here, but it seemed they wanted a full-timer and I was set in working at Job #2 full-time. The salary was also less than Job #2. So they asked me to come up with a figure that would change my mind and come work for Job #3.

I tried to figure out what it would take salary wise for Job #3. It is in my Oriental Medicine field, and it would allow me to help people. However, energetically, I get a similar vibe to Job #1, not even close to Job #2. Considering that they have no major benefits such as health insurance, retirement, etc, the figure had to be extremely high to compensate. But how much is enough? I thought maybe 15K more, but even then I was hesitant.

The problem is that this job has no real security. There is no guarantee that I will make it through the training period, that I will like the job, or if they would like me. There was no room for advancement of my skills or job title.. And if I took this position, Job #2 would be gone. Whereas Job #3 said even if I didn't take their position, maybe 1 year later I could come back.

So this leaves me with Job #2....I did tell them that Job #3 wanted me to come work for them, so hopefully, they'll get their booties moving!

Whatcha gonna do with all that junk, all that junk inside your trunk?

I have probably spent the last 6 years of my life trying to de-clutter. Some days I get fed up and I can easily fill a couple of bags full of trash, usually old papers, junk mail, magazines, etc. Other days, I sit paralyzed on my couch, unable to figure out how or where to start.

My friend Norma once told me that I didn't have that much stuff. If that is true, then why do I feel so overwhelmed by it all? Over the years, I've been brainwashed by advertising media that I needed certain things to improve my life. There's the latest microdermabrasion kit which will make me younger and prettier, therefore improving my chances of attracting a boyfriend. The newest herbal supplement which will give me immune support, relieve stress, and give me an abundance of energy, which will allow me to work longer hours, go to school, and sleep less.

Eventually, I've learned over time, that these products don't really improve my life, and I ended up wasting life energy earning the money to pay for these items, stressing over the clutter that it ultimately created, and chastising myself for falling for the media claims.

I've gotten to the point in my life where I want to simplify my life to save time, energy, and my own mental sanity. I however, can't let go of things such as files, tax returns, boxes of notes and books from graduate school, boxes of supplies from my failed acupuncture clinic. I really hate the feelings of overwhelm it gives me. I feel weighed down by it all and sometimes I feel that if it all burned up, I'd be better off.

But if it all burned up, that'd open up another can of worms such as, what if I get audited by the IRS and my documents are gone? What if my cats got lost and I don't know their microchip ID?
I'd also like to simplify my life to the point where I can easily pick up and move whenever I needed to. For someone reason I feel the necessity to be able to run away at a moments notice, which I should probably investigate a little deeper psychologically.

I've investigated many de-cluttering options from Peter Walsh, Julie Morgenstern, various internet blogs, professional organizers, and I've figured out that 1) I don't have enough storage space in my apartment, and 2) I need to hire a professional. However, most professionals work on re-arranging and organizing instead of helping you figure out what to throw out which is what I need to do.

I recently got laid off 50% time from my job and I my funds are ear-marked for purposes (rent, food, cat litter) other than hiring a professional. But if this "stuff" is causing me stress, wasted time, poor sleep, and peace of mind, shouldn't I make it a priority to get help? No matter what it costs me?

Protecting Yourself From Debt Collection Agencies

This article was written by Jennifer Lynn of Broke-ass Student about Collection Agencies:

Preserve your rights against debt collectors to make sure you’re being treated fairly
If you’ve been contacted by a collection agency, don’t be afraid, feel ashamed, or become nervous. Remain firm and stand your ground. Never allow yourself to feel manipulated or bullied. You will never, ever go to jail for not paying a debt. Take a deep breath, learn your rights, arm yourself with knowledge and prepare to fight back. You have more power than you probably realize.

The lies, manipulation and deceit of some collection agencies
A collection agency may contain hundreds of employees who are armed with thousands of people’s personal information stored in a computer database. Usually they are paid off a commission and every penny extracted from you benefits their pocket. If collectors reach certain quotas, they might receive fat bonuses as incentives to aggressively collect.
Some agencies are renowned for unethical techniques used to terrorize innocent victims into paying debts. Intimidation, deception and any feasible manipulative means are implemented to ensure quick and efficient payments.

I once knew a debt collector who lied and said he was from Dominos pizza. He was desperate to track down a certain individual in order to collect on the debt and receive his pay day bonus! This may seem harmless in itself, but it is also extremely unethical and *illegal*

What else is illegal?
- A debt collector may not harass you or use intimidating language against you or attack your personal character in any way
- May not call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. without your specific consent
- May not continue calling numerous times per day, with the sole intent to harass
- May not call your workplace without your employer’s consent
- Can not use false or deceptive statements, such as misrepresenting themselves as attorneys or government officials (or Dominos pizza men;)
- Can not threaten to send you to jail or insinuate you are a criminal
- Can not send you misleading documents that can be construed as legitimate legal papers, such as issuing a false summons
- Can not threaten to garnish your wages or file a lawsuit unless they intend to
- May never threaten you with violence
- Can not be deceptive in misrepresenting the amount of debt they claim you owe
NEVER give a debt collector your bank account information or pay by check with a traceable routing number. Many folks in this industry have no qualms on cleaning out your account and helping themselves to much more than you initially agreed upon.
There’s another pertinent reason not to immediately fork money over until a debt has been properly validated – the debt may, in fact, legally be expired.

Debt Statute of Limitations
Did you know that debts expire after a certain amount of time passes? This is why paying any amount towards an old debt might be one of the stupidest things you could possibly do in some cases.

If you haven’t paid toward a debt in a long time, after a set number of years after the account has gone delinquent (usually four to six years – depending on state), you’re no longer under legal obligation to pay the debt. This is called a debt’s Statute of Limitations (or SoL).
Here’s a complete list of each state’s Statute of Limitations.

However, every time you pay a nickel towards a debt before it’s Statute of Limitations has arrived, you’re actually resetting the clock on the debt. If you’re a few months away from your SoL and pay any portion thereof, the legal timer starts all over again. You’ve just unwillingly renewed your debt, and an agency is legally able to continue pursuing collection from you for another four to six years (depending on your specific state’s SoL).
How ironic is that? In a sense you’re being punished for trying to partially pay what you can on a debt you necessarily can’t afford to pay off.
Be warned also; in some states just admitting guilt on the phone by agreeing to payment is enough to reset the SoL timer - so tread carefully and use common sense. Make sure the agency first coughs up all appropriate legal documents to prove the validity of the debt.
If you don’t know what the debt is or if you suspect the debt may be approaching or past its legal SoL, demand a validation process immediately.
It’s imperative to never admit fault to a debt or agree to pay any amount toward a debt until the debt has been properly validated in writing by the collection agency.

Use Debt Validation To Protect Yourself
Why is this imperative? Because ironically, the majority of the time the collection agency *can’t* properly validate the debt, especially if it’s old. They have a hard time producing the proper legal documents to legitimize that you actually owe a debt.
Many times these scumbag ‘bottom feeders’ bought the debt off from the main creditor for pennies on the dollar. Now they’re in diligent pursuit to make your life miserable, and will attempt to strangle as much money out of you as they possibly can. This isn’t even mentioning -on top of- charging exorbitant fees.

For example, a collection agency may pay $20 for an old, SoL $1,000 + debt, and will do anything they can to intimidate the victim into paying. Anything they receive past their initial investment of $20 is lining their pockets and making them extremely wealthy.
And don’t be surprised if the debt has magically morphed into an outrageous sum.
The good news is once you actually challenge these collection agencies, many times they’ll suddenly (and very conveniently) disappear. They’ll sell your debt for a reduced cost of $10 to another collection agency, and then someone new will start to call and harass you.
According to The Credit Info Center, collection agencies may pay for portfolios of debt at the following rates:
Recently been charged off: 6 to 7 cents on the dollar
Accounts that are slightly older and on which a collection agency or two has already taken a whack: 1.5 cents to 2 cents on the dollar.
Years-old, out-of-statute debts: A penny or less.
These types of sleazy debt collectors are famously known as bottom feeders, zombie debt collectors, or junk debt buyers.
(Some good sources to check out: Zombie Debt is Hard to Kill, Return of the Living Debt)

What to do if you’re contacted by a collection agency

If a collection agency contacts you over the telephone, politely ask for their name and contact information. Then firmly state you’d like further information about this alleged debt and will be in touch shortly for validation purposes. Immediately hang up the phone.
At the very least, figure out what debt collection agency is contacting you, and then immediately HANG UP. Just knowing their relevant contact and mailing information is all you’ll need to take the next crucial step in fighting back.

Before validation never, ever admit guilt of a debt.
Your conversation will be recorded and any slipup or naive language on your part can be used against you later if it should go to court, especially if you unknowingly use language that admits fault to an alleged debt. So stay off the phone to protect yourself. Keep all further correspondence strictly to writing.

I strongly recommend not speaking with a debt collector over the telephone under any circumstances. You are under no legal obligation to speak with a debt collector over the phone and, in fact, it’s one of the most foolish things you can do.
The debt collector is banking on the fact they can use intimidation scare tactics to shaken the situation and cause you to slip up. They hope you’re uncertain and, unfortunately, like the majority of their victims, aren’t properly aware of your legal rights.
Collection agencies will use any tactics necessary, even extremely unethical ones, to get you to admit fault or force any type of payment.

This is especially true if the debt is an old zombie debt. The collector is desperately trying to force you into unknowingly resetting your Statute of Limitations, especially if the debt is drawing closer to expiration. They know once SoL hits, they’re powerless to legally collect from you.

Remember, paying any portion of a SoL debt is admittance of guilt and will renew the debt and start the ticker again - even if the debt is all ready expired.
Deception is rampant in this industry. Protect yourself as thoroughly as you can with knowledge. Bare in mind that collection agencies have no power and should not be trusted.
Put the Collection Agency on the Defensive With Validation

Once a collection agency has contacted you, now it’s time to immediately take control of the situation and put the collection agency on the defensive. Force the collection agency to first legally validate the debt by proving you actually owe it.

NEVER agree to make any type of payment towards an alleged debt unless you receive proper written validation and must settle as your only option. I can’t stress this enough. Any payment agreement between you and the debt collector is your immediate admittance of fault. In some states it’s also enough to reset your Statute of Limitations.

First make the collection agency responsible for proving you owe an alleged debt still within the Statute of Limitations.
And then make them prove they are legally entitled to collect from you.
You will not receive this type of courtesy unless you demand it.

Restrict all correspondence to writing and keep a record of every type of documentation you receive from the collection agency. Send *everything* certified mail with return receipt requested to keep for your own records. This is crucial in providing accurate proof and documentation that you are trying to resolve the matter but the agency has thus far failed to prove you legitimately owe them anything.

All right, so you have the collection agency’s address. You’re pissed because these scavengers are making billions every year off the misery of others with their sleazy tactics. You’re ready to challenge them and stand up for your rights.
So now what?
Validation letter. This is the ultimate weapon in your arsenal to get rid of many unscrupulous debt collectors. After you’ve been contacted by a collection agency, you’ll want to force them to validate the debt to prove you actually owe them something, and that the debt hasn’t expired past the SoL.
Limited cease and desist. If these buggers will not stop calling, you can legally force them to by issuing a limited cease and desist request in writing (illustrated below)
Send a validation letter immediately by certified mail with return receipt requested. Here’s an example of a validation letter:

Your Name123 Your Street AddressYour City, ST 01234
ABC Collections123 NotOnYourLife AveChicago, IL
Date:
Re: Acct # XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Dear Scumbag Collector:
This letter is being sent to you in response to a notice sent to me on February 15, 2007. Be advised that this is not a refusal to pay, but a notice sent pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 USC 1692g Sec. 809 (b) that your claim is disputed and validation is requested.
This is NOT a request for “verification” or proof of my mailing address, but a request for VALIDATION made pursuant to the above named Title and Section. I respectfully request that your offices provide me with competent evidence that I have any legal obligation to pay you.
Please provide me with the following:
* What the money you say I owe is for;* Explain and show me how you calculated what you say I owe;* Provide me with copies of any papers that show I agreed to pay what you say I owe;* Provide a verification or copy of any judgment if applicable;* Identify the original creditor;* Prove the Statute of Limitations has not expired on this account* Show me that you are licensed to collect in my state* Provide me with your license numbers and Registered Agent
At this time I will also inform you that if your offices have reported invalidated information to any of the 3 major Credit Bureau’s (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion) this action might constitute fraud under both Federal and State Laws. Due to this fact, if any negative mark is found on any of my credit reports by your company or the company that you represent I will not hesitate in bringing legal action against you for the following:
* Violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act* Violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act* Defamation of CharacterIf your offices are able to provide the proper documentation as requested in the following Declaration, I will require at least 30 days to investigate this information and during such time all collection activity must cease and desist.
Also during this validation period, if any action is taken which could be considered detrimental to any of my credit reports, I will consult with my legal counsel for suit. This includes any listing any information to a credit reporting repository that could be inaccurate or invalidated or verifying an account as accurate when in fact there is no provided proof that it is.
If your offices fail to respond to this validation request within 30 days from the date of your receipt, all references to this account must be deleted and completely removed from my credit file and a copy of such deletion request shall be sent to me immediately.
Also include a limited cease and desist clause.
I would also like to request, in writing, that no telephone contact be made by your offices to my home or to my place of employment. If your offices attempt telephone communication with me, including but not limited to computer generated calls and calls or correspondence sent to or with any third parties, it will be considered harassment and I will have no choice but to file suit. All future communications with me MUST be done in writing and sent to the address noted in this letter by USPS.
It would be advisable that you assure that your records are in order before I am forced to take legal action. This is an attempt to correct your records, any information obtained shall be used for that purpose.

Best Regards,
Your SignatureYour Name

Remember That You’re Not Alone
There is a plethora of information available on properly handling debt collectors and junk debt buyers. I am by no means a professional or a lawyer and I strongly urge everyone to take the time to properly do their research.
These techniques are powerful in fighting against unethical and illegal collection tactics. But they only work if you know how to use them properly.
You can also follow my personal journey on the nightmare of being sued and fighting an invalidated debt. As an update, I filed my answer with the court last month and, ironically, have yet to hear from the ‘law firm’ again.

Arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible and protect yourself from victimization and abusive practices. Even if you legitimately owe a debt, you still have the right to be treated fairly and have your privacy respected.

Recommended Sources: Privacy Rights Debt Collection Practices, Federal Trade Commission Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

Clean Like A Maid!

I love reading other people's blogs and I found this about cleaning. The full blog link is above in the title.

Let's talk about cleaning. Cleaning is a drag. I hear there are people out there that actually like to clean, but I am not one of them, even though I used to work as a housecleaner. The good thing about having that job is, I learned to clean very quickly and efficiently. Now, I pass that knowledge along to you, Curbly readers!

The mantra of the company I worked for was top to bottom, left to right. This way you could easily walk into any room and know exactly where to get started. The work was divided into"wet rooms" (bathrooms and kitchens) and "dry rooms" (living room, dining room, bedrooms). If we were lucky and weren't understaffed, we'd go out with a partner and one person would do the "wet rooms" and the other person would do the "dry rooms". One "wet room" and one "dry room" would be "deep cleaned" each cleaning.

I still clean my house.......

Hippo and Tortoise, Best Friends

Awww, I saw this story on Oprah today. How cute!!!

An orphaned hippo adopted a tortoise as his parent after surviving the Tsunami. See the NPR link above for the story.

Blueberry Chocolate and more Native Foods

I've started to realize that I'm writing way too much about food. I should go on a diet or something. If all this food stuff is too much, let me know and I'll stop!

Anyway, I went to Native Foods again yesterday. I had the Soba Dan Dan Bowl. It consisted of Soba (Japanese buckwheat) noodles, fresh steamed veggies, blackened tempeh, and a spicy peanut dressing. It was large enough that I was able make two meals out of it. The peanut dressing was not what I expected, but in a good way. When I think of peanut sauce, I always think of Thai Peanut Sauce that is sweet, coconutty, and creamy. It's always the same thing over and over. This sauce was different, a litle spicy, a little tangy, with some texture. Different in a good way.

I also had the Save the Chicken Wings which is battered soy. The batter was the same as the Indonesian Tempeh Chips (reviewed in earlier blog). The soy was a spongy, chewy texture. Again, pretty good. But I love fried foods. :o) This one came with your choice of ranch or spicy BBQ sauce. I tried the spicy BBQ which was tangy, garlicky, and delish. I prefer the Indonesian Tempeh Chips over the Save the Chicken Wings.

I went to the Westwood Farmer's market today and I'm disappointed that next week it will be gone. I guess they market is being closed down to make room for trucks being used for construction. That really sucks. I enjoyed taking a walk to the market, getting some exercise, and fresh air. They had great fresh strawberrys and clementines. I will miss it.

I also tried a new chocolate I read about at http://veganreview.blogspot.com/
Endangered Species Chocolate Dark Chocolate with Blueberries. Yummy! I like the nice change of dried pieces of sweet blueberries mixed into the chocolate. Endangered Species uses Ethically Traded chocolate. The company also donates 10% of its profits to help protect endangered species. http://www.chocolatebar.com

Native Foods Restaurant

I ate at Native Foods in Westwood twice last week.

I had the Indonesian Tempeh Chips which are battered and fried tempeh strips served with sweet soy sauce. They also have vegan bbq and ranch sauces as well. It was a fairy large serving of 6 or 8 rectangular pieces that looked like fried fish from English Fish and Chips. They were damn good and stayed kinda crispy even after cooling down in a box.

I also had "Sam's Native Cheesecake" which is a vegan cheese cake served w/ Blueberry puree. It was kind of good, but it wasn't real cheesecake. They use Tofutti cream cheese substitute which I am not a big fan of because they use hydrogenated oils (aka Trans Fat).
Another day I had the Rockin Morrocan special. I had it once a few years ago and I didn't like it so much, but I guess my taste buds have changed because I liked it this time. As a special it came with a ceasar side sald which was good also.

Then I had an Elephant Ruby's Chocolate cake. It came with a side of peanut butter icing which I think could have been more peanut buttery. The cake was really dense and soggy. It reminded me of a soggy brownie. I've had better vegan chocolate cakes before. I'm not sure I would pay $4 for this again when I can get an AMAZING vegan chocolate cake from Follow Your Heart for $3.50 (see my other review).