Mike and I are addicted to Costco. We go ever weekend. Maybe more if we’re being truthful.

This weekend we picked up a new vacuum cleaner, bottled water, dog treats, and a flu shot. Yes. A flu shot. I was so excited when I saw the nurses that I ditched Mike, plunked down my $20, and stuck my arm out. That’s $50 cheaper than at the doctor’s office!

Mike refuses to get a flu shot, but I’ve had one every year since 1999, and while I’ve come down with some nasty colds, I’ve never gotten the “coming out of both ends” flu.

So, did you get a flu shot this year? Did you get it at the doctor’s office, at church, at the local pharmacy? Or do you stay as far away from the flu shot as possible?

Dinner at our house isn’t a complete meal without dinner music (mainly because we don’t want to listen to each other chew) and Dean Martin is a favorite. Your pasta just tastes better with Dean singing That’s Amore!

Besides being recorded in one of my favorite towns, Las Vegas, Martin at the Sands features live recordings of some of my favorite songs, plus a little casual monologue by Dino.

Included in the 48 hits are:

• You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby
• That’s Amore
• Mr. Wonderful
• Dream a Little Dream of Me
• Young & Foolish

This has been bothering me for a few weeks now.

Mike and I went out to dinner with some family members (who will remain nameless in case they or other family members read my blog on the sly) and Mike was talking about all the overtime he’s been taking so that we can pay off our credit card bills and save for a house. While talking about taking extra hours, one family member turns to me and asks ” Do you work every day?”

Yes! Plus some!

Mike didn’t think anything of the question, but the timing was awfully suspicious and the tone wasn’t helping. It was like they wanted to know what I was doing with all my time while Mike was working extra hours. I should have asked why I should work when Mike’s working enough hours for both of us.

Am I overreacting or would you be offended, too? Would you have given a smart ass answer like I did?

I wasn’t going to submit an entry to be an Izea Insider because I didn’t think I’d have enough time to dedicate to the position, but we make time for things we enjoy, right? I’ve dragged my laptop everywhere from my honeymoon to funerals so I can blog, taking over 1,500 opps for PayPerPost in the process, so I think I’m ready for the commitment.

Being an Izea Insider would put the responsibility of getting the word out about all of Izea’s products and services into the hands of people like me, who interact with Izea every single day and have been spreading the word like peanut butter since July of 2006 (don’t think I don’t wear that shirt at least once a week). I’m a Postie, a soon-to-be advertiser, and a big mouth. I work full-time in marketing communications and I blog. My hobby has taken my husband and I all over the country, bought our dog, and paid for our wedding. I’ve been through the good and bad with PayPerPost, I’ve made friends and enemies, and I’m willing to talk about my success and failure.

I may not have been able to make it to Postiecon, Izeafest, or BlogWorld, but I’ve listened to sessions online and have poured over blog entries by those lucky enough to attend, living vicariously through them. I even had the honor of participating in a virtual cake plow!

I was able to meet up with Lisa and attend Agency Bootcamp this summer (that’s my big blond head on the bottom right). We jabbered on and on like old friends (that happens when you read someone’s blog every day) during our time stuck in rush hour traffic and driving in circles trying to find Garrett Popcorn.

My blog is my hobby (I made my dog a blog for cryin’ out loud) and I think that’s reflected in a positive way in my entries. I use YouTube, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Entrecard, LinkdIn, flickr, and Facebook daily (though I do have to admit to deleting my MySpace after my MIL sent me a friend invite), but I don’t keep track of stats or use feeds. I visit blogs, leave comments, hold contests, offer help to other bloggers when I can and I take help when it is offer to me. I keep blogging fun so that I keep blogging. Judging by the amount of comments I get, the friends I’ve made, and the friends and family who randomly tell me they found my blog, I think I’m doing a pretty good job getting the word out just by having fun.

I’m ready for anything being an Izea Insider throws at me. Except maybe that blog makeover. I just paid to have my blog redesigned and I love it. Maybe a little too much. But besides that, I’m ready!

I just found out that Penn Station East Coast Subs opened in our area, and I am suddenly craving a grilled artichoke sandwich.

Penn Station is one of the many restaurants I miss from my time in Indianapolis (Yats, Bazbeaux’s Pizza, and Cheeseburger in Paradise being a few of the others) so I think I know what’s for dinner!

If you don’t live in the midwest, you might not know that we have a tendency to switch from the AC to the heat within 24 hours. I’ve seen temperatures drop 30 degrees between breakfast and lunch, so when the weather man predicted snow flurries this week, I rushed to the store to find a mens wool coat for my husband and something just as warm for myself. Not surprisingly, the rest of the Chicagoland-area had the same idea, and while I was able to nab something decent for myself, there was nothing to be found for Mike.

But that’s just as well, because I wouldn’t have found anything as warm or fashionable as a Sanyo wool overcoat, which are the absolutely epitome of style.

As casual outerwear or as a topcoat for a formal event, everyone can see that a Sayno coat is well made and fits like a glove. My favorite is the Glenbroke with it’s high neck and military inspired closure. It’s also made of angora and wool, and fully lined with Breath Thermo liner for extra warmth.

If only they made a woman’s version! I’d take my down coat back to Burlington in a second!

I don’t know why Annalynn McCord is wearing this outfit, and I don’t want to know. I made it through one whole episode of 90210 while resisting the urge to throw a shoe at the screen everytime she appeard, and that was enough for me. You can roll your eyes at the complete getup over here.

The only comment I want to make is that if you don’t have any boobs and you must resort to wearing chicken cutlets, make sure to cover them with an actual shirt.

Unless you want to burn the shit out of your hand, don’t buy Campbell’s Select Harvest Bowls.

They changed how the lid snaps to the bowl, and the flimsy tabs do not keep the lid in place. That means no lunch, a burnt hand, and a floor and counter that need to be cleaned.

My sister lives in NYC and scored an invite to Perez Hilton’s big party last Friday. She suspects that Perez is totally on something and may need a stint in a drug or alcohol treatment center, just like the celebrities he writes about. Besides being strangely lethargic, especially at a Hollywood party, Perez has recently dropped a ton of weight and was looking especially skinny.

Is this a sign of tough times for Perez? Is the hAArd pAArtying just too much for him to handle? I’m sure Lindsay and Britney would recommend Promises to Perez. He should check it out before he has to start drawing white noses on himself!

The Bloggy Giveaways are back! I can’t believe this is the 3rd giveaway I’ve been involved with, and the prizes just keep getting better and better!

Since Christmas will be here before we know it, I’d like to share some of my family’s favorite holiday movies! Every year, we have a small stack of holiday movies that get played over and over again, and every few years, a new movie is good enough to make it into rotation.

Our favorites include:

• Christmas Vacation
• Elf
• A Christmas Story
• Home Alone
• Television Christmas Classics (Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snowman, Frosty Returns, The Little Drummer Boy)

One lucky winner will take home all five movies, plus some holiday candy and goodies that I’ll throw into the gift bag. Come back and enter every day for your chance to win by leaving a comment, and don’t forget to check out More giveaways at the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival.

A little bit of trivia: The man questioning Kevin in the trailer isn’t in the film, it’s the woman who asks him the questions in the supermarket in the actual movie.

One entry per person per day until midnight on Friday, October 31st. US residents only. Winner will be announced on Saturday, November 1st and will be notified by email and have 1 week to respond, so please make sure to comment using your real first name and email address.