I monitor my credit score regularly.  While I wouldn’t say that I live in fear of identity theft, I am aware of it, and would like to avoid it.  Carrie has had some problems just because there is another Carrie Martin in Tacoma with her same birthday who is not a fine, upstanding citizen with good credit.

The scoring method has been shrouded in mystery and I have always been intrigued by the process.  (You know I love to know how things work!)

Ron at the Wisdom Journal (a great blog that I have repeatedly suggested you should investigate) has a great article that is an interview of a FICO expert that explains this stuff in simple terms for those of us who weren’t finance or economics majors.

I recently had the great pleasure and honor to conduct an email interview with Barry Paperno from www.myFICO.com. Barry is an expert in the field of credit scoring. My questions were selected from things I personally wondered about, as well as some questions I’ve been asked by readers in the past. Here is the interview in its entirety.

1. What EXACTLY is a “credit score?”
A credit score is a number that summarizes your credit risk based on a snapshot of your credit report as of a particular point in time. The credit score that matters is the “FICO” credit score, developed by Fair Isaac Corporation and most commonly used by lenders, which uses a range of 300-850 with the higher the score, the lower the risk.

2. What are the components of a credit score? (what information is evaluated and how is that information weighted?)
The five main categories of information that FICO scores evaluate, followed by their estimated weights, are:

• Payment history (35%)
• Amounts owed (30%)
• Length of credit history (15%)
• New credit (10%)
• Types of credit used (10%)

It’s a great interview.  Read it all here.

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Perhaps it is just me.  I can barely understand why a woman in her forties would want to have a baby, let alone a woman in her seventies.

Yup, you heard me right.  seventies.  A woman in India is now the oldest woman to give birth.  Spending their life savings (and also taking out a loan) on IVF, she and her husband had twins.  Twins!  At 70!

Imagine chasing two toddlers in your seventies.

Imagine dealing with two teenagers in your eighties! (OK, now I am dizzy and I need a drink.)

And all this, just because they wanted a male heir.  (Although, if they spent all the money, I am not sure what affairs the boy will have to handle, but what the hell do I know?)

Feel free to pop on over to the BBC to read all the gory details.

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Some of us won’t be traveling away this summer, and others have guests coming to visit.  Need ideas to keep you busy?

The Travel Tacoma website has a list of 100 things you can do in your own back yard.  They also have a visitors guide you can download.  Go check them out!

Here is their list:

100 Things to Do in Your Own Backyard -

Tacoma

1. Explore Tacoma’s Museum District on a Wednesday – see all three museums for discounted price!
2. Watch artisans create with molten glass in the Museum of Glass’ Hot Shop.
3. View fine art in permanent and traveling exhibits at the Tacoma Art Museum.
4. Discover Washington’s fascinating heritage at the Washington State History Museum.
5. Marvel at the glass art on the 500-foot long, pedestrian-only Chihuly Bridge of Glass.
6. View more of Dale Chihuly’s glass art in historic Union Station – for free.
7. Save the third Thursday every month for the Art Walk in downtown Tacoma.
8. Ride the free Tacoma Link light rail between the Tacoma Dome and Theater District.
9. Take in a play, ballet or concert at the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts.
10. Phone for a tour of the 1918 Pantages Theater, modeled after Louis XIV’s opera house in Versailles.
11. Listen to the Tacoma Youth Symphony & Northwest Sinfonietta chamber orchestra at Rialto Theater.
12. Browse Tacoma’s Antique Row for waiting-to-be discovered treasures.
13. Discover downtown Tacoma’s historic architecture and photogenic facades.
14. Find the many salmon sculptures – each decorated quite differently!
15. Explore the latest exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Tacoma.
16. Stroll through Wright Park – and perhaps try lawn bowling.
17. Explore the lush tropical displays at the W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory at Wright Park.
18. Experience history through remarkable documents on display at Karpeles Manuscript Museum.
19. See 400 vintage vehicles in Harold LeMay’s incredible collection at Marymount.
20. See the 85-foot totem pole in Fireman’s Park and enjoy a 180-degree view of Commencement Bay.
21. Discover Tacoma’s maritime past at the Working Waterfront Museum.
22. Visit Freighthouse Square, an eclectic mix of shops and eateries in a renovated railroad warehouse.
23. Climb the Port of Tacoma’s Observation Deck and watch cargo ships being loaded.
24. Ask the Port for a “stack” chart and identify different types of big ships.
25. Bring your binoculars to bird-watch along the Gog-Le-hi-Te wetland and trail.
26. Enjoy a meal on the deck of a Ruston Way waterfront restaurant and watch boats cruise by.
27. Walk, rollerblade or cycle along the two-mile Ruston Way promenade.
28. Kayak along Commencement Bay
29. Visit Tacoma’s historic Proctor District for great restaurants and shops.
30. Learn the story of Tacoma’s founder at the Job Carr Cabin Museum in Old Town.
31. Listen to jazz, check out a microbrewery and try a new restaurant in the Sixth Ave. District.
32. Tickle your taste buds with Asian cuisine in the Lincoln International District.
33. Visit the 1887 Brown’s Point Lighthouse – you can even be the lighthouse keeper for a week!
34. Take the kids to the Tacoma Nature Center and hike around Snake Lake.
35. Visit Point Defiance Zoo’s rare Sumatran tigers in its Asian Forest Sanctuary.
36. Watch animals display typical behavior and learn why at the zoo’s Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater.
37. Explore Point Defiance Park’s Japanese Garden, Rose Garden and other specialty gardens.
38. Step back in time to 1855 at the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum.
39. Ride a vintage train at Camp 6 Logging Exhibit in Point Defiance Park.
40. Bicycle Five-mile Drive in Point Defiance Park.
41. Rent a boat at the Point Defiance Boathouse.
42. Ride the ferry between Point Defiance Park and Vashon Island.
43. Walk along Titlow Beach at sunset for a dramatic view of the Tacoma Narrows
44. Play 18 holes at the new Scottish links-style Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place.
45. Ask for a tour of the Tacoma Dome – the world’s largest wood-domed arena.
46. Enjoy baseball when the Tacoma Rainiers play at Cheney Stadium.
47. Visit your favorite Farmers’ Market.
48. Swim or do laps in the saltwater, 112,000-gallon pool at the City of Fife Swim Center.
49. Score great bargains – ranging from sports apparel to chocolate – at Fife’s outlet stores.
50. Learn about the city’s heritage at the Fife Historical Society Museum.
51. Try your luck at the Emerald Queen Casino, owned by the Puyallup Tribe.
52. Picnic in Puyallup’s Pioneer Park and enjoy its Arts Downtown Outdoor Gallery of sculptures.
53. Tour the 1890, 17-room Victorian mansion built by Puyallup’s founder, Ezra Meeker.
54. Browse Puyallup’s Antique District with 400 dealers in 20 locations.
55. “Do the Puyallup” every September – and the Puyallup Spring Fair, too.
56. Stroll through dazzling spring bulb displays at Windmill Gardens and Van Lierop Bulb Farm.
57. Tour Sumner’s historic Ryan House, built in 1875.
58. Shop intriguing boutiques in the picturesque community of Gig Harbor.
59. Learn about the town’s Scandinavian/Croatian heritage at the Gig Harbor Historical Museum.
60. Tour the Minter Creek Salmon Hatchery near Gig Harbor.
61. Take a short hike through Penrose State Park overlooking Henderson Bay.
62. Collect sand dollars at Kopachuck State Park’s saltwater beach.
63. Explore scenic Fox Island and its historical museum.
64. Admire the Anastasia tulips and rare blue poppies at Lakewold Gardens.
65. See one of the largest rhododendron and Japanese maple collections in the NW at Lakewold.
66. Sip an old-fashioned milkshake at the Blair Drug & Hardware store in Steilacoom.
67. Find date plaques on the historic homes in Steilacoom – the entire town is on the National Register.
68. Visit the Steilacoom Historical Museum and 1857 Nathaniel Orr Home.
69. Learn about the area’s original inhabitants at the Steilacoom Tribal Museum.
70. Take the Pierce County ferry to Anderson Island and see the historic 1912 Johnson Farm.
71. Visit Fort Lewis Military Museum and learn army history from 1803 (Lewis & Clark) to today.
72. Discover the story of a former “company town” at the DuPont Historical Society Museum.
73. Bet on the race horses at Emerald Downs.
74. Meander through the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection.
75. Take a swim or go boating in Lake Spanaway or Lake Tapps.
76. Experience genuine Old West flavor at the Roy Rodeo with bucking broncos, bull-riding, calf-roping.
77. Take Northwest Trek’s naturalist-guided tram tour and see free-roaming herds of native wildlife.
78. Let your kids experience 1880’s homestead life at Pioneer Farm Museum and Ohop Indian Village.
79. Relax around the campground at Alder Lake Park near Eatonville.
80. Discover Elbe’s 1906 Evangelische Lutheran Kirche, the smallest church in the U.S. (24 feet x18 feet)
81. Ride the steam-powered Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad 14 miles between Elbe and Mineral Lake.
82. Treat yourself to a getaway at a cozy B&B in Ashford near Mount Rainier’s Nisqually entrance.
83. Encounter Buckley’s heritage in its historic buildings and at the Foothills Historical Society Museum.
84. Explore the “rails to trails” portions of the Foothills Trail on foot or bicycle.
85. Visit Chase Gardens in Orting, a classic Pacific Northwest-style garden recognized by the Garden Conservancy.
86. Pause for a picnic in scenic areas of Wilkeson, Carbonado and Mowich Lake.
87. Drive State Highway 410, the only road in Washington to be designated a National Scenic Byway.
88. Ski downhill at Crystal Mountain Resort, the Northwest’s highest, most challenging ski area.
89. Ride the chairlift up Crystal Mountain to 7,000 feet for spectacular views winter or summer.
90. Backpack or cross-country ski from hut to hut on the Mt. Tahoma Trails system.
91. Take in breathtaking vistas on your drive to Mount Rainer, fourth highest peak in the U.S.
92. Marvel at Mount Rainier’s 35-square mile ice cap and 26 major glaciers.
93. Enjoy visitor facilities at Paradise (5,500 feet), Sunrise (6,400 feet) and Longmire (2,760 feet).
94. Explore Paradise’s Jackson Visitor Center to see fascinating exhibits on “The Mountain.”
95. Learn about native flora and fauna and area geology at the small Longmire Museum.
96. Hike some of the 210 miles of trails and look for the 34 waterfalls and 62 lakes in the park.
97. View over 700 species of flowering plants, alpine wildflowers and 600-year old trees.
98. Watch for more than 130 species of birds and 50 species of wild animals.

99. Go snowshoeing or cross-country skiing at Longmire – far into the spring.

100. Camp overnight at one of the national park campgrounds.

Heinz hired a new ad company to launch their new deli mayo.  The company came up with a funny TV spot, but it has sparked controversy because it shows ….are you ready?…two men…aparantly married and raising children…kissing!

Not making out.  Not having sex.  Just a little “I’m heading to the office, see you later” kiss.

I always forget that there are some people that think “the gays” shouldn’t have families and can’t be “normal,” so this kind of thing always seems like a tempest in a tea pot to me.  As a hairdresser (and a theater major) I may have met a few of “the gays” in my time.  And some of them have families.  So it just doesn’t seem strange to me.  (I am always excited when kids have two parents of any gender because it is WAY HARD to do it alone.)

So, without further ado, here is the link to the silly little video.  Don’t watch it if it is going to upset you.

There.  You have been warned.  And don’t bother leaving any cranky remarks about how gays getting married will be the end of civilization as we know it.  To do so would be assuming that I thought the way things are is good and should be preserved.  Go bark up a different tree.

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Howdy, kids.  I don’t want you to think I have been abducted by aliens.

I have been hit with some startling news and am spending all my free time (when I might otherwise be writing to you all) researching info about doggie bone cancer.

My girl dog, Georgia Mae, is in dire straights.  She has been diagnosed with bone cancer in her right front ankle.  The tumor is getting visibly larger every day and she is lame in that foot.

I am looking into treatment options and reading real world stories of families who have gone through this with their giant breed dogs.

If you have any insight, I would love to hear it.

I promise I will be back writing as soon as I get a grip on this.

Courtesy of Ed’s Diner

I hear the Proctor Farmer’s Market has lots of food (ingredients, not prepared) items, but it is Saturday and you know where I am on Saturdays.  There is one downtown on Thursdays, but in the middle of the day.  I don’t have a scheduled lunch hour (hairdressers every where are laughing now…lunch hour…ha ha ha!)

So, much to my delight I hear we have another market on the horizon.  Tuesdays.  In the evening.  When people are off work.  And it’s right in my neck of the woods at 6th and Pine (Starbucks, Engine House, Masa, etc.)

And, even better, I hear it will be lots of food type vendors and fewer flowers and crafts.  (No, I have nothing against flowers and crafts, but I like food better!)

Maybe I’ll see you there!

Read more about it (and the cheese lady in the picture) here.

And get more specifics from the offical 6th Ave Farmer’s Market website here.

I read a lot of blogs about happiness and personal growth, etc.  This video popped up on one called Shapely Prose. If you are (or know someone) who is fat, check this out.  If you are just generally dissatisfied with your body and can’t accept yourself, check it out (and read my book! )

For the record, I have been thin.  I know what it takes to be thin.  I am not interested.  I disagree with the statement “nothing tastes as good as thin feels.”  I am perfectly content with who I am at this place in my life. If my size becomes a barrier to my desired lifestyle, I will do something about it.  In the meantime, I am fat and happy.  I wish the same for all of you.

How cool would it be to have a pair of flip flops in every color of the rainbow to match every outfit?  How about if it was one shoe, but with interchangable decorative bits?

Watch the video and order online or find a retailer, all the while asking yourself why you did not think of this brilliant idea.

I don’t think that anyone necessarily plans to be alone and lonely; sometimes it just happens. Perhaps it’s because they got caught up in a career race, or they live somewhere with a limited dating pool. Maybe they’ve been dating the wrong person, they’re divorced, or perhaps it’s because they have simply postponed couplehood until nearly everyone they know is paired up, and the ones who aren’t simply don’t look appealing. However it happens, there comes a day when as satisfying as being a singleton may have been, they suddenly realize that they…are lonely.

My friend Judie at Gear Diary is doing a series about online dating.  She is a grown woman, with a grown child, and a growing business.  She would like to have some companionship, as would, I am sure, many of you.

She has published the first in a five part series. This one is about how she is choosing which service to use.

Part 2 is about writing your profile. (I will add links to the remaining posts as I get them.)

My favorite online dating comment is from a client.  She sent an email to eHarmony after having used their service for a few months.  It went something like this:

I did as you asked.  I filled out all the forms and was completly honest.  I am pretty sure I told you that I am really shallow and that looks are improtant to me.  Why do you keep sending me ugly men?

One day last week our cute FedEx driver brought us an envelope containing a copy of Short Cuts ( a consumer magazine.)  It seemed an odd thing to be FedExed, so I gave the mag to my client and asked her to flip through and see if she could figure out why this was sent to us.

It took some time, because this is almost at the end of the magazine, but she found the reason.

In their Salon Directory, there were two salons reviewed.  Gary Manuel in Seattle, and little old us.

I only have one question.

Who the hell told them we were “warm?”

You may have noticed that we have been doing a bit of freshening up at the salon this spring.  New shampoo chairs, a new color processing zone and a streamlining of the retail space have all been completed.

If you thought we were done, you were wrong!

The large back wall that is currently covered in multi-colored squares is getting a mural.

Thanks to Rea, a School of The Arts student (who is also our client) we will be getting some lovely original art.  It will probably take the whole summer to finish and I will keep you posted of the progress.  If she’s in the salon working on it when you are there, feel free to say hello!

So far we are in the development stage.  We talked about what kind of items spoke to us and what would work for our customers.  She came back with a few rough ideas.  Here is the one that we selected as our launchpad.

Why didn’t I think of this?

See the whole menagerie here.

Pacific Grill is having an Argentine Wine dinner this Thursday (June 12, 200 .

It sounds pretty fabulous. Five wines, and a five course Chef Tasting dinner for $95 a person.

If you want to go, you better call soon.  Reservations are required.

For reservations and information, please contact Chip Venzone at 253-627-3541.

I was on the radio, and I have a link for the file of the audio, but I can’t seem to dowload it, just play it.  As we already discussed, I am not a MP3 expert.  Any of you care to help me learn this?

Here’s the link to the page.

Here’s the link they gave me for the MP3. When I click on it it opens a page and starts playing.  I tried right clicking to download, but I am not given that option.

Feel free to explain to me why I am an idiot.

If you want to listen to the show, I am the first guest, so I come on right after the hosts do their welcome.

Do you fantasize about what it would be like to be a celebrity?

I am happy being under the radar because I couldn’t bear the paparazzi, but the perks wouldn’t be all bad.

What would you like the most?  Glamour magazine asked women what they would most want and you can read the results here.