Tuesday, March 11, 2008
-
Im on a blogging roll of paper towels today.
I was just microwaving my smart choice in our office kitchen. I looked around, reading random things like sweet and low ingredients (because that is what people do when they are waiting for things to heat up in the microwave), when my eyes came across the paper towels on top of the refrigerator. On the paper towel packaging said, "featured designs of Jennifer Brinley (or something like that) and I laughed a little. Was there a celebratory dinner and drinks soiree for Jennifer after she learned she was going to be a featured designer for "Sparkle" paper towel? Did she get cards in the mail from her grandma telling her how proud she was and how she saved the plastic wrapping and displayed it on her refrigerator only to take it down for bragging rights at bingo night? Did she get a new office with a big comfy chair and a view? What made Jennifer's Apple and Pear design stellar, and so much more special than any of the other designs she was up against or any other pear and apple design I have ever seen, for that matter? Where does Jennifer go from here? How does she get better than "featured designer"? What is next- Levins, Bryant park?
Frankily, I expected more from Jennifer. I think she set the bar too low, and played it safe. I can only hope she digs deeper next time and really expands her creativity. - One of our friends commented on a picture of me from last March, and mentioned how amazing it is how much as happened in the last year.
Last march this was me:
This March, this is what I have:
That little bump, turned into this little boy. Jack makes responsible, grounded, motivated, and a mom. Jack truly is a cure for everything. He is the cure for a bad day, the cure for a boring day, and even though he can create a lot of headaches- he also slyly carries the antidote to take them away. He makes problems seem less important. He makes my life more important. He gives me purpose and something to look forward to every day. He is a part of me, literally and figuratively. He makes us a family.
The most important things in my life used to revolve around what kind of shoes I was wearing and where I was going out that night. Now the most important things revolve around giggles, crawls, smashed peas in my face, and boxes of Luvs in my trunk.
Looking back, I can not believe how blind I was, how naive and clueless. I have learned to need and not to want. To brush things off and not to dwell. To sleep on 4 hours of sleep a night. To work harder than I ever thought I could. To love more than I ever thought possible. - Work in accounting and tax preparing, I get a lot of questions from our clients relating to the tax rebate coming in the spring/summer. I too, was initially excited about getting the money. Bill and I will get $1500, what isn't to be excited about? The more I thought and learned about it, the more I started to wish it was optional.
The economic stimulus rebate is anything but a gift from the government. It is not "free" money. It is not even a "refund" for past taxes we have already paid. Instead, all it will do is give us less back for our 2008 refunds. I do not know about you, but like most of America, I have come to depend my tax return refund as a lovely little bonus to my income every spring. Next spring, me and everyone else will have to take their rebate and subtract it from their 2008 refund. That means, that some people will not even get a refund next year- which decreases the stimulus the economy gets every tax season.
If the government REALLY wants to stimulate the economy and put more money in peoples' pockets- lower gas prices!!!! I know, I spend almost (if not more than) $400 in gas alone a month, and that is not including extra trips to work I might have to make or trips to visit Bill's parents, etc. If gas prices were lower, not only would I have more money left over from saving on filling up the car, but grocery prices would be lower as well. Hmm...wow...so, that means that all we would have to do is give the greedy oil and gas moguls less money...because, let's be honest...do they really need an extra couple billion dollars a year on top of the billions the already have? Let's give the majority of the population more money and in turn people would not only be spending more in general, but they would probably be more willing to travel more places and probably end up spending close to the amount of money in gas that they did when it was $4/gallon. Weird. Then, the government wouldn't have to make up some bogus rebate (usually you get a rebate AFTER you shell out your money and you usually do not have to return it...).
0 comments:
Post a Comment