The Pink Piggy Bank episode...

The other night I ran out of toilet paper. I hate when that happens. So I decided to head down to my local supermarket to replenish my TP stock. While in my bedroom I walk passed this table, hit the corner of it & set off a chain of events which will lead to this blog entry.

By kicking the corner of the table, I jostled my pink piggy bank & she decided to attack my feet.

Relax.

I have rather quick reflexes & I am able to move my foot out of the way of the falling pig.

The pig hits the floor with a loud jingling of the coins sound, but luckily she doesn't break. Although later on I will notice she has a chip in her ear.

Upon picking up the pig I realize there is some weight to her. I'm guessing she weighs about 25 to 30lbs. Then I start to wonder how much change she is carrying in her belly.

Hmmm...

I take the stopper out from under her belly & let the coins fall out onto my bed. I start picking out quarters & pretty soon I am holding $15. I decided to relieve the pig of her entire coin content...just to see how much she holds.

Off to the supermarket I go carrying the pig's belly contents in a Ziploc bag. I figure I'll use the Coin Star machine to rid myself of these coins.

Just a note...for those of you that haven't seen a Coin Star machine...it's a machine that obviously counts your spare change. For a small fee (9%) you can turn your change into bills. You simply drop the coins into the slots & let the machine do all the work of adding it all up. Once done, you get a receipt to take to the customer service desk to get your money.

As I dump my coins into the machine, I'm quickly surrounded by the sound of the clankings of quarters, dimes, nickels, & pennies being swallowed into the machine's belly. I chuckle as the sound reminds me of being in a casino in Atlantic City & I want to yell 'Jackpot'.

After about 20 minutes, the sounds stop. The machine is ready to pay me.

Cue the drum roll here...

The total turns out to be $117!!!

Woohoo!!
Jackpot!!

So yes folks, I picked up some very much needed toilet paper!

For the record, I have since refilled piggy's belly. She's going to be the keeper of the coins & I will turn to her if I need some loot to pay for one of my 40 weeks. I've been doing research on some of the suggestions for my 40 weeks. Some are going to cost a few bucks to do. Mostly the trips of course. Some require overnight stays while some just require transportation for a day. I'm going to have to start planning these out real soon. Especially if overnight stays are involved.

On my way home from a wonderful training session Monday morning, I will get an invitation to dinner with my friends Craig & Sara. Craig had won a turkey in a raffle & they wanted to make a turkey dinner. Count me in! Craig is quite the chef & will prepare a yummy meal of corn, mashed sweet potatoes, & yes, a 19lb turkey! (For the record Craig, everything was wonderful!)

Turkey always reminds me of Thanksgiving & the huge feast my mom would prepare. Mom in the kitchen as the apt filled with these yummy scents from her foods. I miss it now that my parents live in another state. But I do love our Thanksgiving dinners with my brother, sister-in-law & her mom. We still manage to fill the house with great smells of great food.

So cook a Thanksgiving dinner is on my list. I'm thinking more & more about doing that one. My friend Raul wanted to know if I plan on doing this one on Thanksgiving. Good question Raul. The answer is no. I'm definitely going to make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet potato pie, green bean casserole & mom's famous noodle pudding. I'd love to be able to pull off making a huge meal. I'd love to have my friends get together for a feast at my home.

Karaoke night is also set. I'm already clearing people's schedules to make sure they all show up. I'm just still working on the guest list...although Sara & Craig are in! In fact, I secretly think Sara is going to be the best out of all of us! I've already figured out the date, location & time for this one.

For the record, the book club is going to happen, but it's not going to be one of my 40 things. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on it & everyone wants me to start it sooner. I'm thinking I will pick a book, send out an e-mail to everyone & set up a date for when we are to get together to discuss it. I am looking forward to doing it. I think it would be fun. Plus I've been working on a reading list & it has grown from a list of ten books to nearly a hundred!

And I'm going to eat a papaya. It's also not going to be one of the 40 things I do. No, I'm going to eat a papaya because I have always wanted to taste one. So anyone have any suggestions on how to pick a good one?

There is still time to add more suggestions to my list. I'm still planning on picking 20 things & leaving the other 20 up to you my dear followers. So be ready to get interactive. I'm looking forward to all your crazy ideas on what I need to do to celebrate turning 40.

Here is the list as of tonight....

1 - full body massage
2 - take a hike
3 - frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity in NYC
4 - Gravity Hill in Bedford, Pa
5 - learn to speak Spanish
6 - read 'War & Peace'
7 - get a tattoo
8 - take Salsa lessons
9 - take a cooking class
10 - get set up on a blind date
11 - hostess a tea party
12 - ride a Harley
13 - buy 40 different pairs of socks
14 - get a make over
15 - get 40 people to join me for a picnic in a park
16 - go whale watching
17 - eat a papaya...I've never had one
18 - cook a Thanksgiving dinner
19 - sing karaoke w/some friends
20 - visit the gravesite of Billie Burke, Glenda from 'The Wizard of Oz' in Vallhalla, NY
21 - learn sign language
22 - paint my bedroom
23 - clean out the living room closet
24 - go to Niagara Falls
25 - Spend the day in Philadelphia
26 - go on a "spiritual Retreat"
27 - rodeo riding
28 - bungy jumping
29 - walk across the Brooklyn bridge
30 - go to the Statue of Liberty
31 - start a book club
32 - go skinny dipping
33 - go on a photo taking tour of Queens
34 - ask out a certain guy at the gym
35 - get a group of people to walk in the Breast Cancer walk at Jones Beach
36 - write the next great American novel
37 - go to a movie every day for one week
38 - learn to knit
39 - go to a Zumba class
40 - go to a hot yoga session
41 - try the belly dancing class at the gym
42 - visit a state/city that you've always wanted to visit
43 - try pole-dancing
44 - chop down your own Christmas tree
45 - donate to a charity you never thought you would give money to
46 - volunteer at a soup kitchen
47 - volunteer at an animal shelter
48 - go Christmas Caroling
49 - horse drawn carriage ride in Central Park
50 - ice skating at Rockefeller Center
51 - make holiday cards & gifts for 2011
52 - trip to Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC
53 - go to Junior's for a slice of cheesecake
54 - volunteer at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary
55 - go to Sylvia's in Harlem for chicken & waffles
56 - take a trip to the Long Island vineyards
57 - check out the Montauk lighthouse
58 - visit a cranberry bog
59 - go see a Broadway play
60 - visit Mark Twain's house in CT
61 - go to Atlantic City & lay down a $50 bet
62 - hot air balloon ride
63 - stock car racing
64 - white water rafting at the Delaware gap
65 - take a picture w/the Naked Cowboy in NYC
66 - go to Medievil Times
67 - go to a Murder Mystery Dinner
68 - go for dinner at Havana in NYC
69 - go to the circus
70 - go to a football game
71 - go cayaking
72 - Fleet Week in NYC
73 - Circle Line cruise around NYC
74 - Hayden Planetarium laser show
75 - Hershey Park, PA
76 - visit a dude ranch
77 - take a photography class
78 - bike riding with Hippie Dave
79 - go on a vacation alone
80 - go to the beach looking for seashells with Hippie Dave
81 - Howe Caverns
82 - go see the Mets at Citifield
83 - rock wall climbing
84 - fly a kite
85 - archery w/Anthony
86 - go to the Halloween parade in the village
87 - go to the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria
88 - go line dancing
89 - Governor's Island
90 - ride the Staten Island Ferry
91 - ride the Roosevelt Island tram

The Pink Piggy Bank...