on the road to finding peace, love and understanding in a really f*cked up world...
Friday, September 30, 2005
Dollars and Sense
OK, I admit it... I've got some serious issues when it comes to worrying about money, way beyond what "normal" people must feel.
This recently became apparent when I didn't have any work for 10 days. I believe I described the way I felt to a friend as "having a 300 lb. man stand on my chest" the whole time.
Thankfully, I'm working now. However, I resigned myself to explore this experience in an attempt to never feel that oppressive weight again.
One thing I'm trying to come to grips with is that I'll never have enough saved to feel safe. No one does... hell, the economy could crash around us and render all currency worthless tomorrow. There is nothing I can do about that... it is out of my control.
Accepting that sometimes life is certain and sometimes it's not, the yin to the yang, is the nugget I'm seeking to integrate.
So, I'm hoping that the next time the fat man comes back (oh, he will... it is inevitable...), he will have shed some pounds and not linger so long.
Get the T-shirt here... I'm thinking of getting it for Mike. He is at the pump often, and therefore, pissed off often. His hideous commute is eating half our budget, it seems.
My friend Suzie just sent me this email that I had to post:
The link below was on Baby Center - AP board and I had to share it with you. Why even have a baby? Is this product even safe? Let's just think of all kinds of ways not to hold, love and nurture our babies!! http://www.petitecreations.net/FrMom.htm
President Bush asks Condi Rice if he can go potty at the U.N. (Reuters photo; article is here.) One would think that the leader of the free world doesn't need to ask permission to pee. Isn't that one of the perks of the job?
Since I know my husband is probably lurking around my blog these days, I thought I'd give him a mission with purpose: Where the hell are all the spoons?
I type this as I eat my yogurt with a fork and drip all over my keyboard.
The uneasy paradox which so many live with in this country - of being first-and-foremost rugged individuals, out to plunder what they can and paying as little tax as they can get away with, while at the same time believing that America is a robust, model society - has reached a crisis point this week.
This is my inaugural post and I was hoping to start on a positive note. However, it would be strangely disconnected from reality to not acknowledge the heavy sadness blanketing our household.
The events on the Gulf Coast are almost too painful to deal with. Conversations with Mike, the hubby, revealed that this tragedy had been modeled by scientists at L.S.U. for years.
It is unbelievable how prophetic this article from 2001 is today:
Scientific American: Drowning New Orleans [ CIVIL ENGINEERING ] A major hurricane could swamp New Orleans under 20 feet of water, killing thousands. Human activities along the Mississippi River have dramatically increased the risk, and now only massive reengineering of southeastern Louisiana can save the city.
Maybe this will be the wake-up call other low-lying coastal communities need. How sad no one in New Orleans seems to have gotten the memo...