Archive for December, 2010

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35!


21 Dec

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Posted in Friendship, Marriage, Relationships | Comments Off

Today is my birthday, my 35th birthday. It is also my grandparents’ 65th wedding anniversary. That’s a milestone I look forward to reaching. But for now, I am happy with where I am.

I have a husband I love, 2 dogs who bring joy to me every day, a job I like, a house that is our home, and an amazing and diverse group of friends.

I am lucky enough that I will get to spend time in the presence of those friends this evening, at my favorite restaurant. Mango curry and good conversation- what more could a girl want.

Split Government


20 Dec

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Posted in Politics | Comments Off

I like a split government. I would actually like it even more if we had more than two major parties. I think more gets accomplished when the differing sides have to work together. This is the way our government is supposed to work. I may not like all of the compromises, but they almost certainly better represent the American people than just doing what I would want done. And, I’m not always right. It is good to hear the arguments from all sides. I don’t think either party should ever be able to hold the government hostage to its whims.

Financial Politics (2)


19 Dec

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Posted in Budgeting, Finances, Politics | Comments Off

There is a Bible story about Joseph interpreting the Pharaoh’s dream of seven fat cows followed by seven starving cows. Joseph tells the Pharaoh that it means that there will be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and that in order to make it through the famine years, they should save during the years of plenty.

This is sound fiscal advice, advice I wish our government would follow. We may not know when the lean years will come, but they always do. They ALWAYS do. During the years of plenty, we should be funding our future.

Financial Politics (1)


18 Dec

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Posted in Budgeting, Finances, Politics | Comments Off

I am a social liberal (who’d have guessed, right.). And while my nature is to be fiscally conservative, our government isn’t, and has never been (at least in my lifetime), so I would rather we spend the money on liberal social programs.

I should clarify, when I say I am fiscally conservative, I don’t mean we should spend more on the military (payroll yes, other things, not so much), or give tax breaks to the rich. I mean, we should be responsible with our spending, in the same way that as an individual, I need to be responsible my money.

Curing AIDS


17 Dec

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Posted in Healthcare, Politics, Science | 2 Comments »

In my lifetime, AIDS went from a guaranteed death sentence to a chronic illness. This is a good thing, but…

I can’t help but wonder if we could have cured AIDS/HIV by now if that’s what our pharmaceutical companies were looking to do. March of Dimes worked. We found a cure/vaccine for polio. We’ve done it for measles, mumps, rubella. The thing is, a shot you get once in your life, or once every 10 years, doesn’t make money for the drug companies.

Drugs you have to take every day for the rest of your life, though, that’s good business.

MythBusters (ep 158)


16 Dec

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Posted in Burn Notice, Mythbusters, Television | Comments Off

I know, the MythBusters entry is late. Here’s the thing, last night was one of my least favorite episodes for a couple reasons. 1) I’m not a Seth Rogen fan. In fact, he’s the reason I’m not excited about the Green Hornet movie. 2) Superhero myths are always going to be busted.

Superheroes come from comic books, and even techie superheroes operate on comic book physics, which never really work in the real world.

I loved the MacGyver episodes for the exact opposite reason. So how about giving me a Jeffrey Donovan Burn Notice MythBusters episode. That I would love.

Stop Excessive Spending, but No One’s Ever Asked for a Smaller Gift


16 Dec

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Posted in Advertising, Finances | 1 Comment »

(More ranting against luxury car commercials.) I hate the current advertising slogans. Its like the people who write these things do not live in the real world.

Acura wants us to put an end to excessive holiday spending and buy an Acura. Perhaps they do not know what excessive means?

Lexus tells us that no one ever wanted a smaller gift. They apparently don’t have wives or girlfriends who have ever dreamed of the perfect diamond earrings.

I know I’m not the target audience, but having a slogan that actively makes me dislike you doesn’t seem like a good plan.

Surprise! It’s a 5 Year Loan


15 Dec

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Posted in Advertising, Finances | 1 Comment »

Luxury car commercials always annoy me to some extent- who needs real silver dust polished in to the dashboard? But around the holiday season, it’s worse.

Every we have the conversation regarding one of us buying the other a car as a gift. And the decision is- don’t do it, bad plan. Even if you can afford to pay cash for a car (which most of us can’t), does this really seem like a good unilateral decision? (Then there’s the Buick commercial where the wife gets the husband a car and he’s all happy until he sees a new Buick…)

Corporate Charity


14 Dec

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Posted in Advertising, Finances | Comments Off

It feels wrong to have a pet peeve against any kind of charitable giving, but I do. I have no problem with companies who advertise how much they have donated. I have no problems with the “for each purchase we’ll donate” programs. Its when the two are combined that I get annoyed. For each purchase we’ll donate $X (up to $XXX).

Here’s the thing, if you have a limited budget of $XXX to donate, donate it. But if you’re asking me to purchase (or do) something in order to “earn” the donation of $X, don’t put a limit on it.

On Being a Feminist (8)


13 Dec

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Posted in Discrimination, Finances, Politics, Work | Comments Off

There’s a suit against Wal-Mart that going to the Supreme Court. The only thing being decided is whether or not the plaintiffs can bring the case as a class action. It involves up to 1.6 million women, in 3,400 stores and 170 job classifications. Too big, too difficult to manage, Wal-Mart claims.

But if there is no class, will Wal-Mart ever have to change their practice of discriminating against women? Will 1.6 million women sue? Or 3,400, or 170? Not likely, because most women Wal-Mart employs don’t have the resources.

Being poor is not a license for employers to discriminate.

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