HOME AGAINFirst of all, I'm back home in the lovely suburbs of Philly again. GO PHILLIES!!! The good news is our "Obama/Biden" signs haven't been snagged and are still standing on our front lawn. And thank goodness, really, otherwise I'd have to replace them with the "Kerry/Edwards" sign I've got framed in my living room. The bad news is I have to unpack. I don't know about you, but there is a drastic difference between packing (good!) and unpacking (evil!). I look forward to going through the mail (blatant lie) and getting my life back to "normal." (If that ever actually happens, I'll be sure to let you know.)
FINAL DEBATE / A SPECIAL KIND OF DUMB
Before I give you my schpiel (or "spiel" whichever spelling you prefer) on Obama's upcoming landslide, I have to mention this hilarious blog my sister, Laurie, turned me on to the other day: margaretandhelen.wordpress.com. It's written by two 82 year-old women who are a total hoot! Really, this is a must-see.
Now, for my take on Debate #3: Duh, Obama won. By like, omigod, a mile and a half. Or possibly even two! Really, people, is there some sort of competition here? It's almost as ridiculous as watching Bush debate Kerry. Why are the Republicans so stupid? Is it genetic? If McCain referred to Joe the Plumber (who, btw, is not a certified plumber!) one more time, I was going to have to find him and hurt him. (McCain, not Joe the Nonplumber. My skimpy frame is no match for Joe's fake plumber muscles. McCain, however, I could take with my eyes closed, which is how I'd prefer to view him.) Speaking of which, his pompous rolling of the eyes and incessant blinking is enough to make anyone crazy. Four years of that, and I'd be locked up in a padded room. (Hopefully, with a lot of other formerly sane Americans and with cases of 2006 WillaKenzie Estates Pinot Noir!) Obama is clearly the winner here, and I predict will be on November 4th. At that point, I pray I never have to see the the ugly and annoying faces of the Dynamic Duo again (guess which one's ugly and which is annoying). Do you know how lame you have to be to make Dan Quayle seem smart? It's a special kind of dumb.
Funny Bumper Sticker Alert: Honk if you know how many houses you own!
FROM GREED TO GREEN
Mark my words: I think the fallout from the worldwide financial meltdown will actually be good! This is a gigantic wake-up call to all who have fallen into the "keeping up w/the Joneses" trap (I'm at the top of the list). Hopefully, we will transform from "Greed" to "Green" and start living like this is, in fact, our only planet, that we must take care of it responsibly and treat it with respect, and that we will start treating our bank accounts the same way - with responsibility and respect. I saw a great video the other day of this woman who had over 100 credit cards from which she was more than $30K in debt. In less than two years she managed to climb out of her debt. "Don't bother to keep up with the Joneses," she said, "The Joneses are broke!" How true! What are we trying to prove? I have been totally guilty of this awful crime for far too long. With you and God as my witness, I am turning over a new leaf! For starters, I promise to cut my facials back from once a month to every other month. Hey, a girl has to start somewhere! (Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It's been 45 days since my last facial.)
What are you willing to cut down on and/or give up? (And, please don't say, "sex." First of all, that's plain stupid. Secondly, it won't help the economy or planet any. And, most importantly it will make you less interesting and noticeably grumpier, and it's already hard enough putting up w/you the way you are.)
FINAL DEBATE / A SPECIAL KIND OF DUMB
Before I give you my schpiel (or "spiel" whichever spelling you prefer) on Obama's upcoming landslide, I have to mention this hilarious blog my sister, Laurie, turned me on to the other day: margaretandhelen.wordpress.com. It's written by two 82 year-old women who are a total hoot! Really, this is a must-see.
Now, for my take on Debate #3: Duh, Obama won. By like, omigod, a mile and a half. Or possibly even two! Really, people, is there some sort of competition here? It's almost as ridiculous as watching Bush debate Kerry. Why are the Republicans so stupid? Is it genetic? If McCain referred to Joe the Plumber (who, btw, is not a certified plumber!) one more time, I was going to have to find him and hurt him. (McCain, not Joe the Nonplumber. My skimpy frame is no match for Joe's fake plumber muscles. McCain, however, I could take with my eyes closed, which is how I'd prefer to view him.) Speaking of which, his pompous rolling of the eyes and incessant blinking is enough to make anyone crazy. Four years of that, and I'd be locked up in a padded room. (Hopefully, with a lot of other formerly sane Americans and with cases of 2006 WillaKenzie Estates Pinot Noir!) Obama is clearly the winner here, and I predict will be on November 4th. At that point, I pray I never have to see the the ugly and annoying faces of the Dynamic Duo again (guess which one's ugly and which is annoying). Do you know how lame you have to be to make Dan Quayle seem smart? It's a special kind of dumb.
Funny Bumper Sticker Alert: Honk if you know how many houses you own!
FROM GREED TO GREEN
Mark my words: I think the fallout from the worldwide financial meltdown will actually be good! This is a gigantic wake-up call to all who have fallen into the "keeping up w/the Joneses" trap (I'm at the top of the list). Hopefully, we will transform from "Greed" to "Green" and start living like this is, in fact, our only planet, that we must take care of it responsibly and treat it with respect, and that we will start treating our bank accounts the same way - with responsibility and respect. I saw a great video the other day of this woman who had over 100 credit cards from which she was more than $30K in debt. In less than two years she managed to climb out of her debt. "Don't bother to keep up with the Joneses," she said, "The Joneses are broke!" How true! What are we trying to prove? I have been totally guilty of this awful crime for far too long. With you and God as my witness, I am turning over a new leaf! For starters, I promise to cut my facials back from once a month to every other month. Hey, a girl has to start somewhere! (Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It's been 45 days since my last facial.)
10 comments:
I hope something good comes out of this recession. So far, I've been nothing but depressed about it. I do fundraising work for a nonprofit and...well...it ain't pretty. Seems many people are cutting back on charitable donations, for starters. Not to mention the state of the endowment and city/state budget cuts.
I've cut back by taking the bus and subway instead of a cab, and I've tried to reduce the amount of cash that seems to just disappear every time I leave the house.
Hi Deb,
I'm not sure if being green is going to get us through the next 10 years--but I'm willing to try! It is nice to try to see a silver lining though--so I appreciate that perspective. Watching our retirement funds dwindle is no fun, as many of us know. I'll come back for some inspiration as soon as I can come out from under the covers.
Judy
Wendy, I know it's really hard on charities right now, and that's a true problem. Good for you, though, for utilizing NYC's awesome public transportation! I think that's far more commendable than my reduction in facials...!
Judy, Hey, girlfriend, everything will be OK. After the election, we'll slowly but surely start turning this great, big ship around and there will be a beautiful, bright light at the end of the tunnel. (Are you ready for a rousing round of Kumbaya?) Seriously, climb out from under the covers. We need you!!
Hello ladies! (does that qualify as a comment, Debbie?)
I'd always been careful, even before the meltdown, so it didn't have that great an impact here. I guess the change I've made is with driving, not hopping in the car so easily for errands, but waiting till I can accomplish several in one outing.
I have been penny pinching since the stock market has dropped in significant numbers.
I'm not so Green, but I wouldn't mind giving is a shot.
Jannelle Davis
Hi Debbie,
I'm adding your blog to my favorites list! Although, I have to warn you my reading time is greatly offset by 2 crazy young ones. Keep it coming though!
Tam
Didn't i leave a post here about pedicures???
Hmm... lost in cyberspace.
I applaud your call "to live more efficiently” I don’t like to call it sacrifice; it’s just changing your perspective. Living efficiently has it’s own rewards; many are just as gratifying as living in excess. We all can learn from this environmental and financial “wake up call”.
What I’m doing different this year is that I’m commuting to work on my motorcycle until there is snow on the ground. At 45 mpg it gets twice the mpg as my car. Yesterday I made it comfortably with a 28 degree start temperature. And I love the 50-60 degree afternoons. I also have been consistently riding by bicycle once a week since last April, so I’m planning on keeping that up until there is ice on the ground. That may sound a little hard core for some people, but I love the fact that I can cut my gas consumption in half by using the things that a already have…..save the fact that I did by a good pair the winter riding gloves…..finger tips are the weak link
if deb can go on 1 facial every 2 months then i can ride to work in freezing temperatures
Anyway….keep up the good work.
Keith, I'm glad you realize the depth of my commitment to living more efficiently (by cutting back on facials). Smaller folks might consider this gesture "shallow," "petty" or "vain." You get me, that's what I love about you. Also, you really are the man. Biking to work in the cold? I'd rather skip facials for an entire year!
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