It’s time for yet another installment of my monthly series: Baby steps to getting green.
This month’s change wasn’t a very conscious one, so it’s shouldn’t be too hard to adopt.
I’m a neat-freak so it isn’t a surprise that this post will address cleaning or more expressly laundry.
I’ve changed my brand of detergent to Arm & Hammer Essentials. It’s a supposedly green version of the Arm & Hammer brand that I have been using for years. I said the change was an unconscious one because I bought the detergent because it was on sale, I only noticed it was green after I got it home.
I did some research (by research, I mean Googled it) and found that it is actually Phosphate-free and plant-derived, in the good way, not just for marketing reasons. It’s also double concentrated, so there is more product with less packaging. And they make a dye/scent-free version, for those who are sensitive to that…I found a lot of eco-freaks were really sensitive to dye/fragrances (wussies).
And to answer the common question, “Yeah, it’s green, but is it AS good?”
I can assure you that it is.
And here’s the kicker, it even works well in cold water. Which is the bigger change I have made with regards to laundry. I have quit using hot or even warm water, short of 1-2 loads a month (when using bleach on whites).
Something like 90% of the energy consumed by washing clothes is used in heating the water. I’ve been “going cold” for the past couple months and see no difference in the cleanliness of my clothes. So it makes no practical sense to use the heated water.
Again, I am not going to save the world by myself or by making these small steps. But every little bit helps, especially if we all begin making these changes.
*In that vein, I want to give a shout-out to one of my readers, who actually went out and bought a recycle mug after my last “baby steps” post. Thanks for reading and making the world a lil better place.
As always if you have any ideas or stories to share, please feel free to leave a comment.
Here’s a link of 10 Free Ways to Save Energy on Laundry.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Dogma had alot of stuff right.
This was going to be one of my patented rants about so-called “Bible Thumpers.” You know who they are: The Jesus-fish bumper-sticker having, “God Bless You” phone call ending, uber-judgmental types, who “really figured life out” once they started going to church…
But I am not gonna do it.
If someone has found a place in life that they are ok with their relationship with whatever God they believe in, I am not going to knock it. I will just say, “Good for you…but it ain’t for me.”
What I am gonna do is explain why I’ll never be one of them.
For the most part, I am not a fan of organized religion. I love the idea, but I think on the whole it is too easily corrupted by human influence.
Chris Rock, playing the 13th Apostle Rufus, had a line in the movie Dogma that really illustrates my point:
“He (referring to Jesus Christ) still digs humanity, but it bothers Him to see the shit that gets carried out in His name - wars, bigotry, but especially the factioning of all the religions. He said humanity took a good idea and, like always, built a belief structure on it…I think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier. Life should malleable and progressive; working from idea to idea permits that. Beliefs anchor you to certain points and limit growth; new ideas can't generate. Life becomes stagnant.”
I have always thought of religion as a just-in-case scenario. I’d have to classify myself as an Pseudo-Agnostic: One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God…to that end, I also believe it is impossible to know that there isn’t a God.
So, just-in-case God exists, I better get on-board with this religion thing.
My first memories of church where like many others, unquestionably believing whatever was told to me a Sunday School or in the parts of sermons I wasn’t sleeping through. I then attended college where I stopped attending church and came to my Agnostic realization. But since graduating and dealing with the real world, I have moved away from my Agnostic stance and back to Christianity. There is simply too much amazing stuff in this world for everything to be hap-hazard and random. And really, if you live your life by the standards laid-out by Christianity (or any other major religion) you end-up living life as a pretty alright guy.
Really there's nothing to lose. Not a bad situation.
My background explained, I’ll get into my concept of religion and why organized religion is not for me.
I see religion as a very individualistic situation. It’s your mind, your soul, your decisions. So what does meeting with people once a week for an hour really do for you?
I understand the sharing of ideas and attempting to gain a greater understanding of whatever religion/religious text, but when it comes down to it, when you die and face judgment, You are all-by-your-lonesome.
No Pastor to back you up, no Mom to take blame, no church members to share burden.
That being said, I think it’s important to ponder religion. Religion came about as an attempt by man to explain: The “hows” and “whys” of the world.
I am not advocating living willy-nilly and throwing religion and morals to the wind. I am just not sure that paying tithes and being preached-at for an hour a week makes you a better candidate for the afterlife.
It’s what you do that really matters.
For most people church is misunderstood. Going to church regularly doesn’t automatically make you a good person. Being a good person does. And it is possible to be a good person without ever having heard of Jesus, Abraham or Mohammed. Religion is an active, not passive endeavor. It requires research, thought and contemplation...please note that nowhere listed there was the word judgment.
My issue with church comes from those church-goers who think they have accomplished something special by going to church. The air-of-superiority that comes along with being “saved,” is my biggest gripe with organized religion. Being judgmental is so counter to the major tenets of Christianity that is amazes me people don’t see their hypocrisy.
I was raised in the church, and am a better person for it. But when I strayed away from the church, I luckily ended-up surrounded by good people who were educated and religious. We ended-up sharing/debating our ideals, in much the same way a Pastor would sermonize their beliefs.
What I came away with was a better understanding of religion and myself. The overwhelming concept that I garnered from these conversations was that “no one has it figured-out.” That realization really wrecked the house of cards that had been built around religion for me. My Pastor, although very smart and learned in religion, was still just a man, like me, and therefore was fallible. He was the exception to the rule in that he never purported himself to be anything more that a man who was called to God, who was trying to figure the world out just like everyone else.
Which is really what it is all about.
Being religious isn’t about tithing more, or baking the most cookies for the bake sale so that you can note the good deed in the yearly Christmas letter, while noting how good God was to you this year as a(n implied) result.
It’s about living a good, honest, pious life. Religion can offer a roadmap of how to get there, but the onus is on you to make the journey. One great thing is that there is assistance along the way, (churches, books, people) but it’s important to remember these can be distractions as much as aid.
All-in-all the journey is yours alone and no one but God can meet you at the goal.
But I am not gonna do it.
If someone has found a place in life that they are ok with their relationship with whatever God they believe in, I am not going to knock it. I will just say, “Good for you…but it ain’t for me.”
What I am gonna do is explain why I’ll never be one of them.
For the most part, I am not a fan of organized religion. I love the idea, but I think on the whole it is too easily corrupted by human influence.
Chris Rock, playing the 13th Apostle Rufus, had a line in the movie Dogma that really illustrates my point:
“He (referring to Jesus Christ) still digs humanity, but it bothers Him to see the shit that gets carried out in His name - wars, bigotry, but especially the factioning of all the religions. He said humanity took a good idea and, like always, built a belief structure on it…I think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier. Life should malleable and progressive; working from idea to idea permits that. Beliefs anchor you to certain points and limit growth; new ideas can't generate. Life becomes stagnant.”
I have always thought of religion as a just-in-case scenario. I’d have to classify myself as an Pseudo-Agnostic: One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God…to that end, I also believe it is impossible to know that there isn’t a God.
So, just-in-case God exists, I better get on-board with this religion thing.
My first memories of church where like many others, unquestionably believing whatever was told to me a Sunday School or in the parts of sermons I wasn’t sleeping through. I then attended college where I stopped attending church and came to my Agnostic realization. But since graduating and dealing with the real world, I have moved away from my Agnostic stance and back to Christianity. There is simply too much amazing stuff in this world for everything to be hap-hazard and random. And really, if you live your life by the standards laid-out by Christianity (or any other major religion) you end-up living life as a pretty alright guy.
Really there's nothing to lose. Not a bad situation.
My background explained, I’ll get into my concept of religion and why organized religion is not for me.
I see religion as a very individualistic situation. It’s your mind, your soul, your decisions. So what does meeting with people once a week for an hour really do for you?
I understand the sharing of ideas and attempting to gain a greater understanding of whatever religion/religious text, but when it comes down to it, when you die and face judgment, You are all-by-your-lonesome.
No Pastor to back you up, no Mom to take blame, no church members to share burden.
That being said, I think it’s important to ponder religion. Religion came about as an attempt by man to explain: The “hows” and “whys” of the world.
I am not advocating living willy-nilly and throwing religion and morals to the wind. I am just not sure that paying tithes and being preached-at for an hour a week makes you a better candidate for the afterlife.
It’s what you do that really matters.
For most people church is misunderstood. Going to church regularly doesn’t automatically make you a good person. Being a good person does. And it is possible to be a good person without ever having heard of Jesus, Abraham or Mohammed. Religion is an active, not passive endeavor. It requires research, thought and contemplation...please note that nowhere listed there was the word judgment.
My issue with church comes from those church-goers who think they have accomplished something special by going to church. The air-of-superiority that comes along with being “saved,” is my biggest gripe with organized religion. Being judgmental is so counter to the major tenets of Christianity that is amazes me people don’t see their hypocrisy.
I was raised in the church, and am a better person for it. But when I strayed away from the church, I luckily ended-up surrounded by good people who were educated and religious. We ended-up sharing/debating our ideals, in much the same way a Pastor would sermonize their beliefs.
What I came away with was a better understanding of religion and myself. The overwhelming concept that I garnered from these conversations was that “no one has it figured-out.” That realization really wrecked the house of cards that had been built around religion for me. My Pastor, although very smart and learned in religion, was still just a man, like me, and therefore was fallible. He was the exception to the rule in that he never purported himself to be anything more that a man who was called to God, who was trying to figure the world out just like everyone else.
Which is really what it is all about.
Being religious isn’t about tithing more, or baking the most cookies for the bake sale so that you can note the good deed in the yearly Christmas letter, while noting how good God was to you this year as a(n implied) result.
It’s about living a good, honest, pious life. Religion can offer a roadmap of how to get there, but the onus is on you to make the journey. One great thing is that there is assistance along the way, (churches, books, people) but it’s important to remember these can be distractions as much as aid.
All-in-all the journey is yours alone and no one but God can meet you at the goal.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The Fuddy-duddy effect
I came across a piece last week by syndicated columnist George F. Will that got me a little riled-up.
Here’s a link: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/373230_will03.html
While Will does raise a couple of good points, I think this piece exemplifies why so many older folks are uncomfortable with the idea of electing Barack Obama.
I remember having a discussion with a Hilary Clinton supporter debating the merits of each candidate. And the discussion about Obama kept coming back to one question: “Change, just what does that mean?”
At the time, I couldn’t answer that question to either the Clinton-supporter’s or my satisfaction.
After a bit of reflection I am still trying to come-up with a solid definition, but here’s my working definition.
Change:
- In politics as usual.
- In how America, views/interacts with the rest of the world.
- In what Americans expect from their government.
- Anything but George Bush.
Thank goodness for term limits, the rule hosed us by forcing Clinton from office, but we all win this time around when Bush gets sent packing.
My definition of change seems to really scare older, I mean, more experienced-voters. As evidenced by this snip-it from Will’s column: ”Swift and sweeping changes are almost always calamitous consequences of calamities,”
Change is scary, so I understand the knee-jerk “sky-is-falling” reaction to anything new. But I cannot comprehend how someone as intelligent as Will can insinuate that an Obama presidency will be a “calamitous consequences of calamities” when you look at the last eight years and consider his predecessor.
The sentiment is that with anyone but Obama, you are getting a known quantity, which I am willing to concede. John McCain, once the maverick of the Senate, has now fallen into line with the status-quo republican election machine and now looks to be G.W. 2.0. What’s really scary about this new McCain is that he seems to have a bit of a Napoleon Complex. As in, he needs to prove that he is not just a replacement for G.W., but that he’s even tougher on terrorism. I am absolutely terrified to see what “calamity” will come from that.
America has never had its hands clean when it comes to foreign policy. As I’ve noted before, America has been bully to the world. And regardless of the President, democrat or republican, has steadfastly acted in ways that bettered American interests abroad regardless of consequences.
The time has come for that to change.
This is an example of the change that Obama supporters like me are talking about. Obama is willing to talk with other countries. I am encouraged by that. My foreign policy experience is a bit thin, but last time I checked, it’s hard to negotiate when one party has the barrel of a gun in their mouth.
Who knows what will happen if Obama and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Hugo Chavez sit-down for brandy and cigars at Camp David. But I am worried where we’ll end-up if they don’t. Just the idea that some of these politically marginalized countries may have a seat at the table will be enough to ease tensions and start a dialogue that will lead away from worrisome rhetoric and possible military action.
Will’s argument seems to be based on the sentiment that the world is too big and one man is too insignificant to make any real change. Perhaps that is experience speaking to my youthful ambition. Or perhaps that is just the cynicism of the elderly looking back on their own wasted life.
Just because you’ve been there and done that, doesn’t mean it’s the only way it can be done. America can elect its oldest President ever and maintain the status quo. Or America can roll the dice on change and elect Obama.
Honestly, I can’t see anyone doing worse than the guy who’d been in office the past eight years. But I’d hate to give McCain a chance to surprise me…
Here’s a link: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/373230_will03.html
While Will does raise a couple of good points, I think this piece exemplifies why so many older folks are uncomfortable with the idea of electing Barack Obama.
I remember having a discussion with a Hilary Clinton supporter debating the merits of each candidate. And the discussion about Obama kept coming back to one question: “Change, just what does that mean?”
At the time, I couldn’t answer that question to either the Clinton-supporter’s or my satisfaction.
After a bit of reflection I am still trying to come-up with a solid definition, but here’s my working definition.
Change:
- In politics as usual.
- In how America, views/interacts with the rest of the world.
- In what Americans expect from their government.
- Anything but George Bush.
Thank goodness for term limits, the rule hosed us by forcing Clinton from office, but we all win this time around when Bush gets sent packing.
My definition of change seems to really scare older, I mean, more experienced-voters. As evidenced by this snip-it from Will’s column: ”Swift and sweeping changes are almost always calamitous consequences of calamities,”
Change is scary, so I understand the knee-jerk “sky-is-falling” reaction to anything new. But I cannot comprehend how someone as intelligent as Will can insinuate that an Obama presidency will be a “calamitous consequences of calamities” when you look at the last eight years and consider his predecessor.
The sentiment is that with anyone but Obama, you are getting a known quantity, which I am willing to concede. John McCain, once the maverick of the Senate, has now fallen into line with the status-quo republican election machine and now looks to be G.W. 2.0. What’s really scary about this new McCain is that he seems to have a bit of a Napoleon Complex. As in, he needs to prove that he is not just a replacement for G.W., but that he’s even tougher on terrorism. I am absolutely terrified to see what “calamity” will come from that.
America has never had its hands clean when it comes to foreign policy. As I’ve noted before, America has been bully to the world. And regardless of the President, democrat or republican, has steadfastly acted in ways that bettered American interests abroad regardless of consequences.
The time has come for that to change.
This is an example of the change that Obama supporters like me are talking about. Obama is willing to talk with other countries. I am encouraged by that. My foreign policy experience is a bit thin, but last time I checked, it’s hard to negotiate when one party has the barrel of a gun in their mouth.
Who knows what will happen if Obama and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Hugo Chavez sit-down for brandy and cigars at Camp David. But I am worried where we’ll end-up if they don’t. Just the idea that some of these politically marginalized countries may have a seat at the table will be enough to ease tensions and start a dialogue that will lead away from worrisome rhetoric and possible military action.
Will’s argument seems to be based on the sentiment that the world is too big and one man is too insignificant to make any real change. Perhaps that is experience speaking to my youthful ambition. Or perhaps that is just the cynicism of the elderly looking back on their own wasted life.
Just because you’ve been there and done that, doesn’t mean it’s the only way it can be done. America can elect its oldest President ever and maintain the status quo. Or America can roll the dice on change and elect Obama.
Honestly, I can’t see anyone doing worse than the guy who’d been in office the past eight years. But I’d hate to give McCain a chance to surprise me…
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Baby steps to getting green
I normally post some long-winded rant or frilly epiphany that I have come to recently.
This is not going to be one of those posts.
I am going to start a monthly series: Baby Steps to getting green.
It's pretty simple.
I post (at least) one change I've made this month in an effort to be a little greener.
Hopefully you'll join me and post your changes as comments so that we can all encourage/educate each other in an effort to lessen all of our foot prints.
I wrote a previous post in this vein, but seeing as there is always room for improvement, I thought this would be a beneficial exercise.
This months "geenery" is: Buying a reusable travel coffee cup.
I go to Starbucks everyday for lunch. Using a paper cup, one of those "don't-burn-your-hand" sleeves and a plastic top. Seeing as I eat lunch 5 days a week, that equates to alot of paper cups, save-the-hand sleeves and plastic lids that go straight into the trash.
Buying this reusable cup will lessen my lunch-associated waste to nearly zero. Which is pretty cool. And a darn good return on my $10 investment.
See, it doesn't have to be anything too big, but every little bit helps.
Please pass along your ideas. Let's keep this going!
This is not going to be one of those posts.
I am going to start a monthly series: Baby Steps to getting green.
It's pretty simple.
I post (at least) one change I've made this month in an effort to be a little greener.
Hopefully you'll join me and post your changes as comments so that we can all encourage/educate each other in an effort to lessen all of our foot prints.
I wrote a previous post in this vein, but seeing as there is always room for improvement, I thought this would be a beneficial exercise.
This months "geenery" is: Buying a reusable travel coffee cup.
I go to Starbucks everyday for lunch. Using a paper cup, one of those "don't-burn-your-hand" sleeves and a plastic top. Seeing as I eat lunch 5 days a week, that equates to alot of paper cups, save-the-hand sleeves and plastic lids that go straight into the trash.
Buying this reusable cup will lessen my lunch-associated waste to nearly zero. Which is pretty cool. And a darn good return on my $10 investment.
See, it doesn't have to be anything too big, but every little bit helps.
Please pass along your ideas. Let's keep this going!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Tis the season.
Seeing as we are in the throes of yet another summer wedding season, I have been pondering just that issue: Marriage.
*Not that it’s even a remote possibility for me at the moment. But heading to a wedding every other week, tends to get a dude to thinking.
In my first draft, I tome’d about how I find marriage to be an illogical decision and a poor financial move on top of that. I also questioned why people needed a stamp from the government, their religion and/or their friends for their relationship to be recognized.
Surprisingly these weren’t simply the rants of a perpetually-single, seemingly-chauvinist guy like myself, but sentiments shared by my married/co-habitating friends both male and female.
Then, this past weekend, I actually headed to my first wedding of the season. And I remembered why marriage is such a big deal.
So here’s my newly amended take on Weddings/Marriage:
The wedding is a chance for two people to share their relationship with those they care about. It’s a chance to peek into a one-on-one relationship and see just why each party is so gonzo for each other.
The marriage, while a one-on-one commitment, does take maintenance and having a few folks around to remind the wedded parties why they tied-the-knot in the first place is never a bad thing.
I don’t discount marriage, it’s a great, if not antiquainted, institution. But logical, it isn’t.
That logic point was big hurdle in my mind. But what this weekend hammered home for me was that logic doesn’t always reign supreme. Logic may always be right…but that doesn’t always equate to fun.
For example, logic (my train of thought) would note that marriage is a 50/50 proposition at best which are not very good odds. And the cynic (being me) would note that American society does not foster an environment that rewards long-term commitments of any sort.
Sadly, in this society, marriage is about like buying a car: Enjoyed at first, but easily traded-in once the initial euphoria has worn-off and real costs of the investment are realized.
Despite all of the above, people still get married. And with that there is hope. There are many an upside to tying-the-knot. In marriage, a person is banking-on the best in their partner.
I don’t want to live in an unfeeling world governed by logic. Logic can mitigate risk, but without risk there are no rewards. I had forgotten that.
The wedding this weekend was a much appreciated eye-opener.
So to those of you newly- or soon-to-be weds, I say “Thanks for the invite and Good Luck.”
*Not that it’s even a remote possibility for me at the moment. But heading to a wedding every other week, tends to get a dude to thinking.
In my first draft, I tome’d about how I find marriage to be an illogical decision and a poor financial move on top of that. I also questioned why people needed a stamp from the government, their religion and/or their friends for their relationship to be recognized.
Surprisingly these weren’t simply the rants of a perpetually-single, seemingly-chauvinist guy like myself, but sentiments shared by my married/co-habitating friends both male and female.
Then, this past weekend, I actually headed to my first wedding of the season. And I remembered why marriage is such a big deal.
So here’s my newly amended take on Weddings/Marriage:
The wedding is a chance for two people to share their relationship with those they care about. It’s a chance to peek into a one-on-one relationship and see just why each party is so gonzo for each other.
The marriage, while a one-on-one commitment, does take maintenance and having a few folks around to remind the wedded parties why they tied-the-knot in the first place is never a bad thing.
I don’t discount marriage, it’s a great, if not antiquainted, institution. But logical, it isn’t.
That logic point was big hurdle in my mind. But what this weekend hammered home for me was that logic doesn’t always reign supreme. Logic may always be right…but that doesn’t always equate to fun.
For example, logic (my train of thought) would note that marriage is a 50/50 proposition at best which are not very good odds. And the cynic (being me) would note that American society does not foster an environment that rewards long-term commitments of any sort.
Sadly, in this society, marriage is about like buying a car: Enjoyed at first, but easily traded-in once the initial euphoria has worn-off and real costs of the investment are realized.
Despite all of the above, people still get married. And with that there is hope. There are many an upside to tying-the-knot. In marriage, a person is banking-on the best in their partner.
I don’t want to live in an unfeeling world governed by logic. Logic can mitigate risk, but without risk there are no rewards. I had forgotten that.
The wedding this weekend was a much appreciated eye-opener.
So to those of you newly- or soon-to-be weds, I say “Thanks for the invite and Good Luck.”
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
You need a Kleenex?
“When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life is hard,’ I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?’”
- Sydney J. Harris
I came across that quote this morning and it seems to encapsulate the sentiment of this post.
The economy looks to be in the toilet.
Seemingly everywhere you turn there is more bad news.
Housing prices are falling (glad I own a home), unemployment is up (at least it’s not me this time) and Starbucks is closing stores!
I am pretty sure that Starbucks closing stores is one of the 7 signs of the apocalypse, but I need to double-check Revelations.
I only half-heartedly pay attention to the talking heads on TV as they report on the worsening economy. It’s not until my life is affected that I begin to take note. (I’ve never said that I am NOT a selfish S.O.B.)
So it’s as my friends and I begin to ratchet-back spending, that I take note. Happy hour isn’t a daily occurrence anymore. After attending 15+ Mariners games last season, I’ve been to 2 this season. Most importantly, I am bringing my lunch to work, I’ve never done that…even in elementary school.
Apparently this is life in a recession. And yes, folks, we are in a recession.
I feel partially responsible for this financial quagmire, having been a part of the over-heated real estate/mortgage market that inflated housing prices which lead to the weakening of the dollar.
But I am not losing too much sleep over it, I was a small cog in a much bigger and supremely dysfunctional industry. Besides, I am too busy worrying about how I am going to make my next mortgage payment.
Somehow I am staying afloat, even though I am making less now as a working stiff, than when I was an unemployed bum. So I can sympathize with friends as they lament their current financial situations…to a point.
I am single, the last of a dying breed, among my friends. As such, I am the sole bread winner. I get to pay all bills on my own.
So when married/co-habitating friends being to whine about how hard it is to make ends-meet I say “Buck up.” You are crying to the wrong person.
Not to discredit the financial woes of anyone, but complaining to me about money when two people are putting pennies in the piggy bank, seems a little oblivious.
I feel for you to a point, but am amazed at how unaware of the audience you are.
Everyone needs a sounding board. And I’d imagine that discussing finances with a significant other can raise more issues than are resolved. So feel free to share your dilemmas, but keep my (and all single people’s) situation(s) in mind…Single folks are in the game with one had tied behind their back relative to couples. So if I seem a little hardcore or uncaring, I’m sorry.
I’ll admit, two people do still incur expenses, but the major ones: Rent/Mortgage, Utilities, Groceries, etc. are shared. As such, the are effectively halved when in a (fair) relationship. So when I look at the situation(s) from the outside it’s shocking that finances are a problem.
It’s not easy, but I have been able to make my finances work. So when I hear complaints, one question pops into my head: How can two people, two minds, two incomes have it that much harder than me?
I guess it could be that I am a financial wiz. But I doubt it.
Just had to get that off my chest.
- Sydney J. Harris
I came across that quote this morning and it seems to encapsulate the sentiment of this post.
The economy looks to be in the toilet.
Seemingly everywhere you turn there is more bad news.
Housing prices are falling (glad I own a home), unemployment is up (at least it’s not me this time) and Starbucks is closing stores!
I am pretty sure that Starbucks closing stores is one of the 7 signs of the apocalypse, but I need to double-check Revelations.
I only half-heartedly pay attention to the talking heads on TV as they report on the worsening economy. It’s not until my life is affected that I begin to take note. (I’ve never said that I am NOT a selfish S.O.B.)
So it’s as my friends and I begin to ratchet-back spending, that I take note. Happy hour isn’t a daily occurrence anymore. After attending 15+ Mariners games last season, I’ve been to 2 this season. Most importantly, I am bringing my lunch to work, I’ve never done that…even in elementary school.
Apparently this is life in a recession. And yes, folks, we are in a recession.
I feel partially responsible for this financial quagmire, having been a part of the over-heated real estate/mortgage market that inflated housing prices which lead to the weakening of the dollar.
But I am not losing too much sleep over it, I was a small cog in a much bigger and supremely dysfunctional industry. Besides, I am too busy worrying about how I am going to make my next mortgage payment.
Somehow I am staying afloat, even though I am making less now as a working stiff, than when I was an unemployed bum. So I can sympathize with friends as they lament their current financial situations…to a point.
I am single, the last of a dying breed, among my friends. As such, I am the sole bread winner. I get to pay all bills on my own.
So when married/co-habitating friends being to whine about how hard it is to make ends-meet I say “Buck up.” You are crying to the wrong person.
Not to discredit the financial woes of anyone, but complaining to me about money when two people are putting pennies in the piggy bank, seems a little oblivious.
I feel for you to a point, but am amazed at how unaware of the audience you are.
Everyone needs a sounding board. And I’d imagine that discussing finances with a significant other can raise more issues than are resolved. So feel free to share your dilemmas, but keep my (and all single people’s) situation(s) in mind…Single folks are in the game with one had tied behind their back relative to couples. So if I seem a little hardcore or uncaring, I’m sorry.
I’ll admit, two people do still incur expenses, but the major ones: Rent/Mortgage, Utilities, Groceries, etc. are shared. As such, the are effectively halved when in a (fair) relationship. So when I look at the situation(s) from the outside it’s shocking that finances are a problem.
It’s not easy, but I have been able to make my finances work. So when I hear complaints, one question pops into my head: How can two people, two minds, two incomes have it that much harder than me?
I guess it could be that I am a financial wiz. But I doubt it.
Just had to get that off my chest.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Anybody got a fire extinguisher?
(This is a slightly edited repost from an article I originally wrote 01/29/02 for The Western Front)
It's funny how a little thing like a house fire can put things in perspective.
Well that's just what happened to me last week. A house fire, in which the cause was not determined.
Nothing too big, just five fire engines, an ambulance and the battalion commander.
I kept the whole sight of firefighters strolling into my humble abode, pick-axes and chainsaws in hand, at bay by focusing on the real tragedy.
The tacos.
My roommate came home earlier that night and decided to fix dinner for the roommates, a rare, but nice event.
Just as we began to sit down to our delectable Tex-Mex feast, we realized that the smoke in the house wasn't from the carbonized taco shells left in the oven.
An hour or so later, the fire department deemed the structure relatively safe and we returned to our home, minus a front porch.
But most of all we returned to our waiting, yet very cold, tacos.
At first I was weirded-out, but then I realized it really wasn't that bad.
You've gotta love your life when the biggest tragedy you can imagine is letting your tacos get cold.
The important thing was that no one was hurt.
Keeping things in perspective can be a daunting task. Especially for students who are getting their first taste of independence in the somewhat real world.
It's a good thing this happened to me right now.
Not because I want to give even more of my hard-earned money to the landlord, but because I'm graduating and getting ready to move into a world that isn't underwritten by financial aid.
It may seem odd for the guy who argued for Abercrombie and Fitch downtown, against Martin Luther King Day and is a self-proclaimed wise-ass to discuss the merits of all things immaterial, but I am.
Call me crazy, almost having your house burn down tends to make one a little introspective.
I began to think about what would happen if I had lost all of my stuff and the stuff I had worked so hard to accumulate over the past few years. The resounding answer I found myself uttering was, "Nothing."
It's easy to get wrapped-up in all things unimportant.
When we are engrossed in trivial matters it becomes easy to see how little things can be blown out of proportion.
The success of shows like "Friends" and "Seinfield," illustrate this point.
The real world will always be there. Don't be in such a hurry to be a grown-up.
Take time to smell the roses and play a couple rounds of Frisbee golf. You've got the rest of your life to fret over bills, work and how the kids are getting home from soccer practice.
Enjoy freedom while you can.
Nonetheless, the real world cometh and the high-and-mighty Western Front columnist must leave his throne and bid his home and homies adieu.
A friend of mine in high school had a senior quote that read, "Five years are better than four."
There's some truth to that.
It's a little disconcerting when the department secretary and numerous professors see you and ask, "Are you still here?" But when weighed against parking cars for a living or working at Haggen, school is pretty damn cool.
So I continue on the odyssey of the one who is Homer having had a few revelations.
God bless The Beaver Inn. Downtown is even more worthless than Valentine's Day. President Bush is a moron and buses rule.
I leave you with these parting words, borrowed from Adam Sandler in "Billy Madison":
"Stay here. Stay as long as you can. For the love of God, cherish it."
Note: There may be an updated version of this commentary in the mix. But I was reminded of the column this morning as I was sitting on the sidewalk during not one, but two false fire alarms at 3 and 4 AM. The sentiment rang as true this morning as it did six years ago...I used to be smart or something.
It's funny how a little thing like a house fire can put things in perspective.
Well that's just what happened to me last week. A house fire, in which the cause was not determined.
Nothing too big, just five fire engines, an ambulance and the battalion commander.
I kept the whole sight of firefighters strolling into my humble abode, pick-axes and chainsaws in hand, at bay by focusing on the real tragedy.
The tacos.
My roommate came home earlier that night and decided to fix dinner for the roommates, a rare, but nice event.
Just as we began to sit down to our delectable Tex-Mex feast, we realized that the smoke in the house wasn't from the carbonized taco shells left in the oven.
An hour or so later, the fire department deemed the structure relatively safe and we returned to our home, minus a front porch.
But most of all we returned to our waiting, yet very cold, tacos.
At first I was weirded-out, but then I realized it really wasn't that bad.
You've gotta love your life when the biggest tragedy you can imagine is letting your tacos get cold.
The important thing was that no one was hurt.
Keeping things in perspective can be a daunting task. Especially for students who are getting their first taste of independence in the somewhat real world.
It's a good thing this happened to me right now.
Not because I want to give even more of my hard-earned money to the landlord, but because I'm graduating and getting ready to move into a world that isn't underwritten by financial aid.
It may seem odd for the guy who argued for Abercrombie and Fitch downtown, against Martin Luther King Day and is a self-proclaimed wise-ass to discuss the merits of all things immaterial, but I am.
Call me crazy, almost having your house burn down tends to make one a little introspective.
I began to think about what would happen if I had lost all of my stuff and the stuff I had worked so hard to accumulate over the past few years. The resounding answer I found myself uttering was, "Nothing."
It's easy to get wrapped-up in all things unimportant.
When we are engrossed in trivial matters it becomes easy to see how little things can be blown out of proportion.
The success of shows like "Friends" and "Seinfield," illustrate this point.
The real world will always be there. Don't be in such a hurry to be a grown-up.
Take time to smell the roses and play a couple rounds of Frisbee golf. You've got the rest of your life to fret over bills, work and how the kids are getting home from soccer practice.
Enjoy freedom while you can.
Nonetheless, the real world cometh and the high-and-mighty Western Front columnist must leave his throne and bid his home and homies adieu.
A friend of mine in high school had a senior quote that read, "Five years are better than four."
There's some truth to that.
It's a little disconcerting when the department secretary and numerous professors see you and ask, "Are you still here?" But when weighed against parking cars for a living or working at Haggen, school is pretty damn cool.
So I continue on the odyssey of the one who is Homer having had a few revelations.
God bless The Beaver Inn. Downtown is even more worthless than Valentine's Day. President Bush is a moron and buses rule.
I leave you with these parting words, borrowed from Adam Sandler in "Billy Madison":
"Stay here. Stay as long as you can. For the love of God, cherish it."
Note: There may be an updated version of this commentary in the mix. But I was reminded of the column this morning as I was sitting on the sidewalk during not one, but two false fire alarms at 3 and 4 AM. The sentiment rang as true this morning as it did six years ago...I used to be smart or something.
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