LifePundit

Sticker Shock -- Trucks and College

Paul is thinking of getting a truck. That will make him an extra macho kind of guy, which doesn't make him entirely happy because he liked being a comfortable macho kind of guy in his comfortable car. He's tired of hearing me whine about pulling the horse trailer with a truck old enough for antique license plates, so he asked me to go look at trucks because he didn't have time.

I just bought a car last March, so I didn't think I'd have sticker shock. Was I in for a surprise! A diesel truck sounded like an economical option, since trucks get such dismal gas mileage, but there's nothing economical about a diesel truck for $57,000. And it didn't get much better mileage than the gasoline model. How can this be?

So I started looking for a used one. Saintly Brother advised, "You have to understand. You have to get a new diesel truck because the guys who buy diesel trucks love them more than their wives, so if you find a used diesel truck, it's a lemon." Saintly Brother is all about buying good used, but he has strong feelings about diesels and can recognize the same thing in others.

That was helpful. So I've quit looking, which doesn't solve any problem other than I thought I was avoiding sticker shock and my pulse and blood pressure have returned to normal.

Then I went to church last Sunday, a place you'd think you wouldn't have to worry about sticker shock. It was Youth Sunday, and one of the young ladies talked about the cost of college (worse than trucks). Sticker shock again -- but this time, it's very personal and scary. Because while I don't have to have a truck, I have to send my daughter to college.

Sure, we've been saving for it. But I think we were saving for the other colleges. The imaginary ones. The ones that cost what our colleges cost, way back yonder when you could get gasoline for 36 cents and an acre of land for $40 and nobody had ever even heard of AIDS.

This lovely young lady (I'm back at church now) talked about how much colleges cost -- and how she didn't have that kind of money. I wonder if any of us really have that kind of money. (Yes, I know, I should have married a doctor, or perhaps Paul should have married a doctor, or somebody should have done something with a doctor but we didn't.) And I was very relieved to hear that this promising young lady found a college that is giving her almost a full ride. Megabucks and well deserved, too.

Lily's smart and a good student when inspired, so maybe it's a possibility. There are college grants out there, so I suppose it's time we started looking. The link above will take you to a site where you can get free information and research about college scholarships and grants.

Now, if only we could find a scholarship to fund a truck purchase....

Is it Kitten Season Yet?

Years ago we wanted to get a kitten for Lily. I called the pound. They said to call back in a few weeks -- it wasn't kitten season. I thought it was always kitten season.

Around the same time a friend moved to California. She called the pound for a kitten. They said to call back in a few weeks -- it wasn't kitten season yet. She thought it was some kind of California thing. Whoever heard of kitten season?

Yes, just like there's strawberry season and asparagus season, there's kitten season. It is every month when I'm not looking for a kitten. If kitten season isn't upon us, it's almost here. It doesn't take much to get cats to start breeding. Kitten season or not, here are some kittens for sale. Like happy hour, it must always be kitten season somewhere in the world.

I've never had a purebred cat. Or, at least the ones that show up on my doorstep don't have papers with them. We have three cats now, though one has FIV, so I really shouldn't even be thinking about a kitten, and if my husband asks, I'm not. I'm not thinking of getting a kitten. Of course I'm not. It's not like they're cute or cuddly or anything. And they never play and make you laugh.

Truly, I adore kittens but I love cats. Izzie, our indoor kitty, is a dainty little wisp of a feminine thing, and we think she's perfect, even though she didn't get as big as I hoped. I like a zoftig cat, a Rubenesque cat. A cat of some substance. A cat that's the cat equivalent of a draft horse. A cat like the one in this picture. He's a Maine Coon cat. I hear Maine Coon Cats are laid back, fun and gentle. That's a good thing, because otherwise we'd all be dead.

That cat's over 20 pounds. I like him. I want him to sit in my lap and I'd be warm from neck to toes. While I wouldn't say we are low on cats, it wouldn't take much more than a well-spoken "meow" to persuade me that four would be the perfect number (however, I might lose a husband in the deal). Still, what's a husband when there's a world of cuteness out there with these larger-than-life Maine Coon Cats for sale?

If You Want to Learn Chinese, Here's Your Chance

If you think your accent doesn't matter, then you haven't been paying attention to John Edwards or Hillary Clinton when they're in the South. John Edwards and all the commentators call him "South Carolina's Native Son," but if that's the case, why is he the senator from NORTH Carolina? There is a difference, and I'm just pointing it out.

That's not the only thing that makes me twitch. His Southern accent! Granted, his natural accent is Southern, but nobody -- and I mean nobody -- talks like he does when he comes to S.C. and gets on T.V. What kind of accent is that?

And then there's Hillary. She's only tried it once, and I hope she never tries it again. Her fake accent was worse than the ones fat Hollywood actors use when they play a dumb, Southern sheriff. Fingernails on the chalkboard!

Which is to say, if you're trying to endear yourself to someone in another culture, such as one of the several million Chinese in China, you might want to take Chinese language training to perfect your accent. You don't want to do to their ears what John and Hillary have done to mine.

Executive Language Training school (link above) also teaches professional business English and other languages. Sometimes it's not what you say, but how you say it.

Commerce and Friendship

In my last post, I mentioned how I was trying to sell things to my friends.

That's not true. Traffic brings me money, not friends buying stuff.

The new thingie box on the side -- I'm not sure how that works and doubt that it will (for income). Just thought I'd try it. I think if people click on stuff that helps me, but I'm not sure. Only click on the things that amuse you and certainly don't feel like you need to buy anything. I'd probably get three cents if you did anyway, and then I'd lose those three cents in the washing machine.

I blog for fun and therapy. When I can pick up a few bucks, that means I can justify some of the time I'm giving this. But please don't feel like I'm rattling my tin cup and you need to drop in your change. Even if I am.

I'm a freelance writer and make much better money writing about stuff other people want me to write about. On my blogs, I get to write about what I want to write about. And then when nice people send me comments, that is absolutely thrilling.

If you see any post is categorized as "advertising," please don't feel the need to read it, though I do try to have fun with those.

Thanks, friends. Now keep your credit card in your wallet and just leave comments as payment.

And thanks for acting like this isn't the most self-indulgent, narcissistic thing you've ever heard of.

Camo Marshmallow Gun

In my never-ending quest to make money off of my friends, I've installed some kind of thingie in my sidebar that's supposed to make you buy things.

At least I'm not knocking on your door trying to sell you wrapping paper and magazine subscriptions -- at least not yet.

I did want to point out that I chose this particular thingie because it has a camo marshmellow gun, a thing you just might need should armies bearing weapons of mass calories invade your land. We already have our potato guns and have found plans for a potato cannon. Let the food fight begin!

Let's Go Somewhere!

I'm tired of being cold. Paul's tired of being cold. We're ready to go somewhere.

We're big on doing our own research and often book trips over the Internet. So far, so good. But wouldn't it be nice at the end of all that clicking and searching if you could have a minute's chat with somebody who's been where you're going? That's what's different about the folks at Dial-A-Flight. You start off online, and then before you're finished, you get to talk to somebody. The best of both worlds.

Business trips are also a possibility. They've got deals going on trips from Europe with convenient choices for a flight to New York.

Tech Support When You're Married to a Techie

My husband, Paul, isn't exactly a geek, but he could be if he tried. We met in grad school when he was the student in charge of the computer lab -- and I was the student in charge of boogering up the computers. He had to rescue all my data (this was on some monster mainframe that took up a couple of rooms) and put it into some other location on the mainframe. I guess it was a file, but I didn't know the lingo then. All I knew was that he named that location "Rosebud."

Ahhh. How romantic. How sweet. Yes, I know it was Kane's sled, but still. Just the word. Maybe he was not only the sort to rescue me from technical difficulties, but maybe he'd bring me flowers. And I thought he looked hot, too.

Thanks to his rescue, I squeaked by on my statistics project. And rather than ask me out on a date, he asked me if I could be a subject in his study project. So, all giddy, I said yes. It was some kind of statistical marketing project where I had to answer a bunch of questions on the computer. Very cozy.

Turns out he's not the sort to buy me flowers, but is the sort to buy me rosebushes so I can grow them myself. Fabulous roses, abundant roses, rewarding roses. Until you have a baby and kill all your bushes through neglect.

Paul's still involved with computers and is my last resort for tech support. Shoemaker's children and all that. I think he hates computers, and asking for help, which is always given, is not my favorite thing. It's sort of like asking him to put up the Christmas tree, before we bought an artificial one and cursing stopped being a family Christmas tradition.

Sometimes you need to seek tech support that you don't have to sleep with. When that's the case, check out Fast-teks home and business computer support. They also do home theater installation.

Getting the Help You Need in Drug and Alcohol Rehab

This is a sponsored post. We all need help sometimes. When our problems are more than we can handle and we need more help than our friends, family and social support system can give, we need to admit there's a problem and ask for professional help.

For people addicted to drugs and alcohol, the problem can be so severe and isolating that their situation can seem hopeless. They have the extra burden of feeling like they let down everyone in their lives, especially themselves.

The counselors at Stone Hawk Rehabilitation know the feeling because they've all been there. Yes, they're recovering addicts. And they're there to help people who are ready to change take the steps they need to stand on their own two feet, to be fully engaged in life and at peace with other people.

Stone Hawk's emphasis is on renewal through healthy living and changes in the body as well as the mind. They  treat drug, alcohol and other addictions. They work especially hard to help their patients return to their normal environments without returning to patterns and behaviors that could lead to relapse.

Stone Hawk claims a success rate of 76 percent.  Their facility is in Battle Creek, Michigan, in a beautiful, restful setting that looks out over St. Mary's Lake. To find out more, visit  http://www.narcononstonehawk.com

Can This Organizer Get Me Organized?

This is a paid post. I'm a sucker for organizers.

And yes, Nancy and Daphne my dear friends from college, I still struggle to have a clear path through my house so people can walk. (My dorm room is the only one featured in our college yearbook for excess personality, i.e., catastrophic messiness.)

I have gotten better over the years. But it's a struggle, and I need all the tools, organizers and gizmos I can find to help me do it.

I firmly believe, though I cannot prove it, that if everything has a place, then I will be organized. This Buxton Bag, which in the South we would call a pocketbook even if it is sort of half shoulder-bag and distant cousin to a backpack, says it can organize your life. Or rather, the ad says so. I don't think the pocketbook talks, although maybe it should. Because you see, I might start off with everything in its place, but I wouldn't leave it that way. I need a pocketbook that says, "Put that phone back where it goes."

Buxton Bag Review The Buxton products I've had in the past have been well made and well designed. In fact, the checkbook and wallet I carry now are both Buxton, and not a soul told me to tell you that even if it is true. Which it is. And this Buxton leather shoulder organizer bag looks like a good deal. If I could only find my wallet down in the bowels of my current non-Buxton pocketbook, I might even buy this organizer bag.

Now There's No Excuse NOT to Wear a Swimsuit.

This is a paid post. If you've been avoiding wearing a swimsuit because you couldn't find one that covered, contained, restrained or kept legal your, um, excess chestiness, well, the jig is up. Or is that jiggle? Anyway, we expect to find your fine self down on the beach. In the sun. Flaunting your voluptuous self. In one of BiggerBras.com full busted swimwear.
 

It really is no laughing matter (unless you take your daughter with you) if you're trying on swimsuits made for less-traditionally built women when suddenly you find yourself bursting forth. Or is that busting forth? No matter. You can get these online, so you can try them on in the privacy of your home. And you probably won't burst forth unless you're bigger than a DD or E. They look like really nice fabrics and designs (seriously!).

They have one-pieces that are very flattering (at least on their models) and the option to buy your bathing suit tops and bottoms separately for a nearly custom fit. Lots and lots of choices, too. It even says, "As seen on Oprah." Of course I don't watch Oprah, though I did run into her once at the beach. For real.