Housing Crisis: Take Responsibility

February 26, 2009 · Filed Under , · 9 Comments 

I saw the following story on CNN about a lady, Minta Garcia, a school bus driver, who bought an $800,000 house with her husband and now wants Obama to come in and bail her out because her house is now only worth $675,000. WOW…..are you kidding me!! Take a look and please leave your opinion of this story.

My Thoughts:

  • My first thought was to pack up and buy a 500 acre piece of property in Montana, off the grid of course.
  • Once I cooled off, I wondered where the husband was. I think he probably was not a sympathetic character so CNN decided to focus only on the wife and kids.
  • Bus drivers just don’t live in $800,000 houses, they never have and they never will.  So the fact that we are going to come up with a government program to keep them in their home is just INSANE.
  • “Your home is not a credit card.” Amen brother.
  • What should we have done? How about we let it play out naturally. Lots of people will lose their homes, prices will drop even more, but we will reach the bottom naturally. Then we will start to build back up the right way.
  • In a related story, a grocery clerk, who bought a Bentley last year, can’t afford to make the payments. Anybody want to bail him out with their hard earned money?

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5 Things I Have Learned About Blogging

February 24, 2009 · Filed Under · 3 Comments 

So I have been doing the whole blogging thing for a couple years now and have really enjoyed it. Although the number of posts I write per week has declined, I still really get a kick out of taking an idea in my head and putting it on digital paper. I want to take a moment and go over 5 things that I have learned and wished I knew when I started doing this. Hopefully these tips will make it easier for somebody else who is thinking of starting a blog of their own.

  1. Figure out what you like to talk about. I can’t remember how many times in the beginning that I started writing a post only to stop half way through due to boredom. Call it laziness if you want, but I chalk it up to the topic just not interesting me. Figure out the topics that really get your juices going, because in the long run it will make your blog so much more fun and rewarding.
  2. Comment a lot on your blog and others. I have noticed that a lot of people have found this site by following comments I left on other blogs. Don’t just say, “nice post” either, leave a well thought out comment that actually adds to the discussion. Also, leave a comment to those that take the time to comment on your blog, this is a great way to get a good discussion going.
  3. Don’t force it. If you don’t feel like writing on any particular day, DON’T! In the beginning, I thought I would have to write something everyday for anybody to ever come back to my blog, not true! Plus you will just burn yourself out. Some days, for whatever reason, I just don’t feel like writing and have no inspiration, that’s OK. Other days, I have got my Mo-Jo going and I am a writing machine, let it come to you naturally.
  4. Always be on the lookout for good stuff to blog about. I keep a small notebook with me all the time so when a topic that I think would be interesting to blog about comes to me, I just jot it down. Otherwise I know I will forget. I try to blog about real life stuff, so most of my ideas come from observing life around me.
  5. BE PATIENT! This is the biggest piece of advice I can give. At first, it will feel like you are just rambling on and on to yourself, but if you stay focused on your topic and try to bring something of interest that might help somebody else, people will take notice and tell their friends.

I find the best blogs are those that don’t just preach about what they feel they are an “expert” in, but rather try to make the conversation a 2 way street and admit when they might not know all the answers. It continues to amaze me how much I have learned from reading and responding to the comments that people leave on this blog. This is by far the greatest impact that my blog has made on me.

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Comfort Foods For The Uncomfortable

February 17, 2009 · Filed Under · 3 Comments 

Sorry for my lack of blogging recently. My wife and I, and our 3 kids, have all had some form of Influenza the past week. We have never received a flu shot in the past, but we are strongly considering changing that policy next year! Brutal stuff. I literally felt like I had been hit by a truck. OK, maybe that’s a small exaggeration, how about a golf cart (at full speed).

But anyways, I have had endless moments laying in bed trying to figure out what foods sound good for my aching soul. Here is what’s on my current ‘I’m a Sicko’ shopping list. Don’t worry, unlike some of my other lists I have done for this blog, this list is clean and rated G.

  1. Lipton Cup-a-Soup Chicken Noodle – Love it. Want it. Need it. Dream of it. Sodium in a cup never tasted so good.

  2. Gatorade - Need it. Drink it. Sweat it. Pee it. Any color. Any flavor. All the colors taste the same when you have the flu anyways.

  3. Del Monte Sliced Peaches - Don’t ask me why, but this fuzzy fruit always tastes really good to me when I’m sick. They have to be the kind in 100% juice though. Otherwise they are too sweet in the syrup.

  4. Campbell’s Chunky Baked Potato Soup – This is probably a weird one for some, but this stuff hits my G spot when I am recovering from the flu! I actually had a bowl of it for breakfast this morning. Yes, I said for breakfast! I am so stoked that I still have 4 cans in the pantry.

Please add to my list! What foods or drinks strike your fantasy during the cold and flu season? Look forward to reading your comments. Hope you stay healthy. One tip: Stay out of my house!

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20% Off Coupon for Mandee.com

February 5, 2009 · Filed Under · 3 Comments 

I was made aware of an online coupon that I wanted to share. The retailer is Mandee.com and they specialize in apparel and clothing for young ladies and women. Their stuff looks very reasonably priced and pretty hip. Then throw in the 20% off coupon (code: BAILOUT) and you can get a great deal. This coupon expires on 2/28. Worth a look, you gotta love a wardrobe bailout….at least this bailout makes sense!

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