The Copper Bar

The Copper Bar is on the top two floors of the Price Tower and also happens to be where we spent most of our free time (and per diem) while on location in Bartlesville. The bartender, Amy, was amazing and would stay open late for the crazy film crew and even had the restaurant prepare special meals for the last few of us left during our final week in town. It has the same layout as our sweet suite, but with a fully stocked (copper) bar...

downstairs tables

view from loft above

upstairs bar

specially prepared last meal

 Our final car bombs.....

Money Monday$: Smaller But Still Stinkin' Pile of Debt

So it is Tuesday, sue me. I’m playing catch up and trying to get my “life” back in order after living out of my car for the past 5 weeks. And so here is long overdue next episode of Monday Monday$, errr, Tue$day. …

In January 2010, I had $49,567.28 in debt. Smallest to largest they were as follows

Wells Fargo Credit Card - $2,213.20

Honda Loan - $7,967.00

Citibank Credit Card - $9,944.36

Sallie Mae Student Loans - $12,358.08

Airstream Loan - $17,084.64

 If I didn’t get aggressive and merely made my minimum payments on everything, like originally planned, I would end up paying over $65,000 on everything. ACK! I knew it all had to go and had to go fast, but how? In the past, I had read various books by financial “experts” including Suze Orman, Jean Chatzky and a Personal Finance for Dummies book; all have different advice on paying off debt. Highest interest first, largest debt first, smallest debt first, hold onto the student loans to better leverage your money, consolidate it all and pay one payment, etc. Even with this knowledge, I was making big mistakes with my money and had not changed my behaviors.  It wasn’t until I was introduced to Dave Ramsey and “The Ramsey Plan” last year that I really changed my spending behavior. My BFF and her fiancé at the time were taking his course before they got hitched and they kindly shared everything they learned (and the DVDs) with me. You can read about his plan on his website, but basically he teaches simple “baby steps.” Save a small emergency fund, get out of debt using the “debt snowball” method of paying debts off in order of smallest to largest, save more, invest, save for college and pay off house if applicable, and give. He advocates simple methods of using cash, spending only what you have, never taking out auto loans or credit cards and other methods that we (I) have forgotten in times of easy access to “free” money. Live like no one else now (frugally while paying off debt) so you can live like no one else later (spending and giving whatever you want).  Sounds cheesy, but it works.

So I started the baby steps. I had a little savings built up for the lean times between film projects (probably around $1500). I decided that January to stop using credit cards once and for all. Previously, my unemployment M.O. was to put everything I could on credit cards, use my savings for rent and things that didn't take plastic, and then pay off the cards once I got a paying gig again. As you can see, I never quite got the "paying it off" part down and owed over $12k on two cards. When I started working again and got actual paychecks, I knocked out the Wells Fargo credit card in a couple months and canceled that card.

Next up was to assess the Airstream situation. As much as I loved that thing, I made a bad choice by taking out a loan for it. It was well "within my budget" and I was paying slightly less than I was when I was paying rent in an apartment. But as my perspective on debt changed, the Airstream turned from a symbol of freedom (hello, a home on wheels! can't get much freer than that!) to a burden. It would take me at least 4 years to pay it off and in that time, it would probably depreciate at a much more rapid rate than I anticipated, considering the wear and tear I (and my cats) put on it. So it had to go. Luckily a coworker happened to be in the market for one, she happened to mention it to me one day at work and it just snowballed from there (pun intended.) I sold it in June, which meant I paid off the loan (down to around $16k by that time) and essentially got back what I put into it (I paid $19,600 for it and had put at least $2000 worth of repairs on my credit cards in 2009). I put the profit into my new "hills and valleys" savings account and oh my God did I breathe a sigh of sweet, glorious relief. I had not had that much money in my account at one time since working on location on a film in 2005 (turns out that per diem and 6th day extra pay was pretty awesome). I decided on my "safety number" for the H&V account and threw every extra dollar I could into it. Then I paid extra on my car when I could, while maintaining minimum payments on the other debts. Two down, three more to go.

At this same time, I cash flowed the summer of weddings all over the country (and Dominican Republic). It was important to me to spend time with the lovely ladies in my life and to be there for their big days. This is where I deviated somewhat from the true Ramsey plan, as he is all about sacrifice, including vacations, travel, etc. This would be one of my "weaknesses" - travel with or to see friends. I know this, so I try to plan for it and pay for it in cash so it doesn't follow me home. At least half of that $10k on the Citibank credit card was from the last summer of weddings I had......in 2007. Ugh.

Which brings me to today. The Airstream is gone and the Wells Fargo card is paid off and closed. Currently, I owe $10,489.44 on my student loans, $8,831.50 on the Citibank credit card (10% interest on a $10k balance is $1000/year, which is why it looks like I didn't pay shit, when I did, it just is not yet enough) and $2,292.77 on the Honda for a total of $21,613.71. It is still a lot and frustrating at times, but it is a hell of a lot better than where I was a year ago. When I focus on the fact that I got rid of $26,561.88 in a year, I feel pretty darn good about it! Now, how long will it take me to pay off the rest of the debt? What will I do after that?

As Dave says: Cash is King,
Po$$

Price Tower

From my last days in Oklahoma...

After 3 weeks at the Holiday Inn (which was very new, quite clean and actually nice), we moved over to the Inn at Price Tower to live in luxury for our last few nights in B'ville, OK. The Inn is a hotel inside the nineteen story Price Tower, a multi-use skyscraper designed by some guy named Frank Lloyd Wright. The tower opened in 1956, housing the corporate headquarters for the H.C. Price Company (an oil pipeline and chemical company) as well as apartments and offices for other local residents and businesses. In 2003 seven of the upper floors were converted into hotel rooms. There are 19 rooms, including a few two-story Tower Suites like the one we stayed in. The bedroom is in the loft upstairs and the living room is downstairs and you can enter from either the 11th or 12th floors. It was a pretty sweet suite...

Upstairs

The Stairs in our room

Downstairs living area

Downstairs table, looking over loft

Stairs to the loft bedroom

Huge wall of windows

view from our room

 

Smallest, oddest shaped elevator ever

I'm Back....

Forgive me, for I have slacked in the writing/blogging/tracking department for the past two weeks. I finished up the job in Oklahoma 10 days ago, hit the road for Texas, spent time with friends in Dallas and hosted a baby shower up there, came home to NB long enough to unpack my car, say hi to my cats and then fly off to Colorado for a weekend with college friends. I could use a nap. Now I  am back and playing catch up with this blog. I've been reading and working out, don't you fret and will be updating everything soon! Many pictures to follow.....

Weekly Adventures: Pathfinder Parkway

Here in B'ville, there is an awesome 10+ mile trail that runs through the town alongside a creek - the Pathfinder Parkway. I posted briefly about it before, but only with pictures of the inspirational message mile markers. Here are some more pics from my long weekend runs over the past few weeks, some days were obviously sunnier and prettier than others. The parkway trail is my favorite part of this town, it is paved, well kept and quite pretty (though I bet it is even better in the spring when everything is actually green again). My only complaint is there could be a few more mile markers and/or signs so people (who shall remain nameless) don't end up running through a trailer park on the wrong side of the tracks trying to find the other leg of the "dog leg" trail.

You Are Here

Old car in a creek bed

Tunnel under road

Greetings from Oklahoma

I am still  here in northern Oklahoma, working my last week and not having much time for "writing" between working, reading, sweating and hanging out with some of the most awesome and hilarious crew members this side and that side of the Red River. So instead, here is first round of pictures from OK....

 

Red River

Crossing the Red River

Welcome sign at the local car rental place

Downtown Tulsa

Night out in Tulsa

Crystal Pistol - Tulsa

Deep in thought....or wine

I'm Not Mad...Just Disappointed

I had a bad day yesterday, it was totally avoidable and totally my fault. I did not do my 100 minutes, nor did I really do my 100 pages. I had a gnarly hangover, like top 5 worst I've ever had. Ugh, I know it is a terrible excuse. You would think I would learn by now and there is no reason for it other than my own bad judgment and misbehavior. I didn't do anything too stupid on Sunday night, other than drink too much and dance (and leave my car downtown, for which I got two $15 parking tickets). A bad 6th day of work combined with the entire crew arriving and having a big reunion (they all worked here together for 3 months last year), no dinner, a bar opening just for us and me getting to know everyone over car bombs (Baileys & Jameson dropped into a half pint of Guiness) and fruity rum drinks = Kate couldn't hold anything down, nor get out of bed until approximately 5pm yesterday. I couldn't even read because my head hurt so damn bad. Ugh. Embarrassing and pissed me off because I wasted a good day off because I was wasted the night before. It was a fun night, but so not worth the pain, misery and not completing my 100s for the first time this challenge.  Because The Universe seems to always have something appropriate to say, this was in my inbox yesterday (which I failed to read until today):

Low days exist to remind you that you still have choices.

High days, Kate, exist to remind you of how fast you rebound... among other things.

Boing,
    The Universe

As I am kicking myself today, I am also reminding myself to not let one bad day turn into two, so tonight I will be rebounding on the bike or treadmill at the hotel gym, furiously reading 200 pages while sweating any remaining alcohol out of my system. If I never see a car bomb again, it will be too soon. 

Weekly Adventure Destination #3: Volunteering at the Austin Marathon

Here is another weekly adventure that I am late in posting about (forgive me, I'm now on Oklahoma time).

I didn't run the Austin Marathon this year, giving my joints a little time off, but I did volunteer. I handed out medals to the marathon finishers after they crossed the finish line. This may not count as a "weekly adventure" since I have technically been there before, but not on the other side, as a volunteer. Since I'm making up all the rules for this challenge, I also get to break them, so this one totally counts! And holding 25 medals on your arm and being on your feet for 4 hours is actually a workout!

I've crossed the finish line on two marathons so far, and it took me HOURS to suffer through them both, but you can bet I will attempt a few more in the years to come, especially after watching so many people complete this feat. The coolest part about volunteering was that I watched the winners sprint their way across the finish line. The men's champion Keith Pierce, finished in 2:29:25 (average pace 5:42/mile) and the women's champion, Desiree Ficker, in 2:50:35 (average pace 6:31/mile). I can barely finish a half marathon in that time! After the elite finished, the super fast came in under 3 hours, the really fast in under 3:30, the oh-my-god-I-just-qualified-for-Boston in under 3:40, the oh-shit-I-didn't-qualify-for-Boston in over 3:41, the masses started around the 4 hour mark and then the rest trickled in, after I my shift was over.

When I ran the Austin Marathon in 2009 and 2010, I was in the post-5 hours group, alternating between jogging, walking and practically crawling. I was definitely in pain as I crossed the finish line, but the joy of finally being done drowned everything else out; I definitely had tears in my eyes as I took my medal from a kind volunteer. At this year's finish line I saw tears, vomit, bloody nipples (mostly men), sweat, elation, joy, pain, crippling pain, laughter, grimaces and many big smiles. Marathons are not a spectator sport. There is nothing that compares to actually completing 26.2 miles on your own two feet after months of preparations and training. I missed that feeling this year, but lived vicariously for a few hours through those awesome athletes who ran the Austin Marathon on the warm and humid morning of February 20th.

I didn't take too many photos, since I was busy sorting and handing out the medals, but here are a few...

The finisher medals, neatly hanging before the race

Prepping for the winners

Piles on the table

Finishers

close up of medals

Volunteer line