One morning without power was enough...

...but, apparently there are still 12,000  people without power in Worcester (yea, that's twelve THOUSAND, not a typo).

I "Rip van Winkle'd" it, and slept through this "ice storm" we had Thursday night and woke up Friday morning to the precious sound of my boss' voice, "RISE AND SHINE SWEETHEART! WE DONT HAVE POWER SO WE'RE GOING TO PLAY IT BY EAR...MAYBE YOU CAN WORK AT NOON. MAYBE NOT UNTIL THREE.  I JUST DON'T KNOW, LIZZY, EVERYTHINGS A MESS. I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED."  (yea, he really talks in all caps.)

(Whhhaat? No "power?" Thank God I straightened my hair the night before. First things first, right?)

Happy to get an extra hour to sleep, since I wasn't quite prepared to "Little House on the Prairie" it and begin studying by candlelight, I didn't realize how bad our precious city was until I went to Starbucks:  that little side street that connects Flagg and Pleasant was completely blocked off by an enormous tree...so much for my shortcut!  I had to navigate and weave in and out of fallen branches all along the West Side, careful to avoid fallen down power-lines.  (Must.Get.Espresso.)

For our out-of-city readers, here's a picture of the aftermath, courtesy of the Boston Globe:

Read the accompanying article, too, from December 13, "Ice Storm Paralyzes Parts of New England." 

The city is still being cleaned up and I was back to work bronzing Worcester's finest today.  Schools are closed again tomorrow:  Four day weekend for the kiddies (and Momma P)!

What's the Best You Can Do With $1.99?

Early last week, I excitedly booked myself a Saturday facial at Jeffrey Roberts. They are running excellent specials on several premium services (facials, brazilians, etc), but more on that later. About an hour before my scheduled appointment, I got a phone call canceling it! Sad, but I will reschedule for later this week.

Instead, I decided to get an oil change. I had had a bad experience previously with Valvoline, so I had been planning on taking it to the dealership. I had ALSO had a bad experience with Patrick Subaru, so myself and my hopes for a smooth oil change went to Long Subaru in Webster.

How suprised was I to find that if I was a first time customer and provided them with an email address, the oil change was only $1.99! This is only a one time deal, but still! They also washed Simba at no extra charge. That means that I got two services totaling at least $40 for $1.99!

Gas Prices Going Down?

...at least for the next 5 minutes.




I don't know about you, but I hate spending money on anything car-maintenance related - new tires, oil changes (seems I need one every 2 months with my commute!), and especially gas. With the national average topping $4.10 per gallon, I definitely found a bargain here, especially considering the other nearby choices:

• Getty Station (right next door to Cumbie's): $3.99;


• Mobile Station (diagonal from Cumbie's): $4.09.
  

There are somethings I just cannot sacrifice - fashion magazines, Starbucks, dry cleaning, the regular mani/pedi - so I might as well save a few cents here and fill up so I can continute to indulge myself later!