Dollars for Doughnuts

I have a cold. People depending on my blood for survival will have to make do with others for the time being, as I'll be deemed ineligible to donate.

Seriously, no new update. I could and will pay off my credit cards this month. Expecting a major windstorm tomorrow -- whee.

I went to a discount outlet village on Saturday: every place asked me for ID when I showed my credit card. It made me resolve to call the places ahead of time, ask about prices of specific items, then getting money from the ATM. My credit card receipt signature WILL match the one on the card -- there's no reason to be lazy and ask for ID. There's no REQUIREMENT to do that. Or I could say no to the ID request, and if they refuse my card, I can make a complaint.

Here is my obligatory Veterans Day salute to those who endured horrors and fought for our countries. I will support them by supporting the legislators who fight for veterans' benefits and I will hold thoughts for my and my husband's grandfathers who served in WW II. I will also be extra patient to my cousin who has PTSD like so many people who served in Iraq.

Okay. I'm at home, I made a $1261 payment to our credit card, and have $900 left to go. This week was the first time in four months I looked at the statement (I paid on time, I just couldn't bear the guilt of the gluttony). I'm now wary of upcoming expenses: birthdays birthdays holidays in late November over here. I probably shouldn't have made so large a payment on a month when my heating bill, water bill will shoot up.

Despite our new space heater working in the living room, my cat is not leaving me alone unless I choose to be with my son. Beds, blankets, heaters, fires, and my cat wants me.

My friend "Thuc Ly" and I plan to spend maybe 20-30 minutes at least once a month discussing stocks. I am stodgy and literally by-the-numbers, looking at the online Value Line Reports. I don't know how she screens for her prospective stocks, although I know she follows Green Sheets equities, but I do trust her judgement, as I told her the name of a company whose stock I was following and she riposted with the trading symbol. We're not talking Dow 30 stocks either. I am learning to trust opening up to people.

I am cleaning up the rooms today, setting fire to things with my son, stoked on caffeine and tyrosine. Purges and wipes!

I am more than halfway through a novena for my brother, my cousin and me, and I'm seeing job-search activity (interviews, phone conversations) but of the flaky/confusing type. Like going on one interview with agency B's representation, and talking about a job in the same group agency A sent my resume in for. Awkward! I probably won't get agency B's job, which is a bummer, but there stands a chance of getting the agency A job, only agency A didn't set up the interview. I can see Agency B's viewpoint that they worked to get me the interview, so they should get representation rights. Agency A also doesn't offer 401(k) and medical benefits, whereas not only does Agency B but Agency B would give me a higher rate. Plus Agency B has placed me in three contracts consecutively.
update: found $2300 while cleaning up the house. woohoo! let's hear it for caffeine and tyrosine!

Reminisc
ences of a Chase operator

Class action lawsuit over Chase's $10 monthly fee

Chase sent my hubby a credit card solicitation. I remember when Capital One, American Express, FirstUSA used to send him offers. I can't think of why they'd send solicitations nowadays: they have been working hard to shed themselves of their icky customer base (icky defined as: people who pay in full and/or on time). Even American Express has given up on us.

I apparently still have web access to my school PTA's accounts, although I sat in person with the new team as we requested my access be removed. I'm not getting statements anymore, so that's good.

Bank of America hasn't yet tried to give us $30 annual fees on our cards -- has anyone at SavingAdvice encountered this?

Busy week for me despite rising unemployment numbers. Looking forward to earning money again, investing again. Somehow turning into community blogger/restaurant reviewer, which is a-okay with me.

We've been eating takeout more often than dining out, now that we know local restaurant staff expect 20% of the bill in tips. I remember when it was 15%, but can't imagine how service has improved 33%.

Donated some washable blankets to Tent City: a nomadic community of homeless people. The weather's been execrable as of late, so I hope they'll have some extra comfort and warmth. This sounds selfish, but I've frequently seen karma boomerang to me within 24-48 hours after I do a charitable act, and I admit to hoping that would happen.

People might be shifting their debt to home equity lines of credit, or getting their liabilities reduced or dissolved, but I like this graph. I like to think that every day, hundreds of people are fleeing from the "we raised your credit card rate to 27% because that's the major way we're getting revenues" banks.
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My COBRA premium has been approved for a subsidy. This returns $250 in my pocket, which needs to go for a new stock pot and a skillet with a lid. I will check out Lodge, Emile Henry and Le Creuset.
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For Breast Cancer Awareness month, which for me was an investigation into hidden and lesser-known carcinogens in the food supply and electromagnetic field, I had a thermogram done. I got a "questionable, but not abnormal" result, so I am scheduling a mammogram. I am not scared. Thermography detects 83% of cancers earlier than mammograms do, and without the radiation risk. I've had callbacks because some cell patch stuck out its tongue on photo day, nothing serious.
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If you believe my, my cousin's and my brother's abilities to feed our families are for the highest good, would you direct some divine energy flow into a brief intention for us? Light a candle, imagine my paystub in a pink bubble. For those who are detail-oriented, I want a job I can take one reliable bus to and from, where my skills are used for the greater good, with smart and affable coworkers, with benefits, that pays enough for me to manage the mortgage, my IRA contributions, charitable gifts, and HELOC payments, plus $400 on top of that. I started a prayer three days ago (ten more to go) and I'm feeling its power already: since I started it I had a second phone screen for a brief assignment, and I have a job interview on Friday. If you want the text of this, or to share something that worked for you, give me a private message.
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Anyone improving his or her diet and exercise plan, or resorting to alternative medicine?

I have been doing muscle testing with my boy -- his body isn't a fan of the whole wheat bread we bought, although he has cravings for it, and sugar is not my friend -- and am wondering what the health care, food processing and pharmaceutical industries would look like if we ate just what gives us energy and didn't consume food our bodies don't want. Note I'm not making any diet dictocrat statement here: if your body is weakened by grains or fruits, don't eat grains or fruits. If triple-processed newfangled soy products mess with your fertility, restrict soy to the traditionally fermented miso, natto and tempeh.
There are bodies that can live well without meat and dairy, but not every body can. Apparently there's at least one person whose body does well on hot fudge sundaes: in my opinion you are indeed blessed if your body can make good use of such a delectable treat!

I saw that the American Academy of Family Physicians announced its partnership with the Coca-Cola company. I want to see how they jointly spin the value of 39g sweetener (or sugar, if you drink Mexican Coke) for a body taking at most 2000 calories a day (US Department of Agriculture recommends no more than 40 grams of refined sugars daily). Or share the health benefits of aspartame. Maybe there's someone out there whose body can handle daily sugar intake in excess of 40g. I'm going to try testing my friends.

Me, I'm using stevia and honey to sweeten my beverages (tea, morning cup of joe). Hubby bought some agave syrup. I know the stevia and agave syrup are refined, but I gotta start somewhere. I can judge and work on only my own food choices.

I'm thinking no matter where you are on the topic of health care reform or what your body recognizes as energy-giving foods, as a consumer you undoubtedly want to spend less, and you trust your body and mind enough to let it make correct decisions for you, or learn more about self-insuring preventive maintenance to keep the bills down. The "weaken the nutritive value of food--sell it to the masses--tell them it's good for them--watch them get diabetes and cancer--tell them it's genetics--maintain immunity from liability suits" schtick shouldn't work.

An online acquaintance cried foul on Chase Manhattan raising her APR on her credit card to 30% "for no reason" (i.e., no apparent fault of her own; there are at least three reasons why Chase would raise her APR outside of any personal fault: because they can, to make up for lost profits as they are forced to comply with new credit card legislation, and to offset the losses of former irresponsible and fed-up customers).

credit card legislation + Bank + TARP funds = punished customers

If credit card interest = $0.00, account = closed

If credit card interest < $0.01, annual percentage rate = annual percentage rate + 6.50

If credit card interest > $1.00, annual percentage rate = annual percentage rate + 12.00

In honour of yesterday's World Food Day, I gave $50 to Hopelink and $25 to US UNICEF. I expect to have lots of soup this week to compensate, tardy as I was to order the month's supply of beef. Split pea soup, tomato/red pepper, chicken noodle, Good Friday vegetable soup and beet borscht.

Monday October 19 is Meatless Monday in southwestern British Columbia, Bellingham (Washington state) and other places. We'll probably recognize Meatless Monday with udon soup with tofu and wakame.

first, is BCA month in the U.S. just about American Cancer Society appeals, fun runs, and pink ribbons?

I'm asking because, better late than never, I am raising my awareness of breast cancer prevention. Ounce of prevention being a pound of cure, and probably much much cheaper than cancer treatment.

So here's what I'm doing -- instead of a mammogram I am opting for thermography. I have read some of William Dufty's Sugar Blues (did you know he was married to Gloria Swanson? And he wouldn't have written the book if her first words to him weren't "Don't touch that poison!" -- I am paraphrasing). I have also just learned about Christina Pirello, Ann Wigmore and other people who've recommended different or traditional diets.

What I'd like to know is, among the breast cancer survivors, who's made long-term or permanent lifestyle changes (diet, exercise or eliminated/reduced environmental contaminants from their habitat) and who hasn't?

Link du jour - Cancer-influenced dietary changes

I would want to know because the women I know who've had breast cancer don't say to me things like "I shoulda taken more Vitamin D" or "I cut refined sugar and flour out of my life and my cancer's never come back". I think women and men (Richard Roundtree and Peter Criss are men who've had breast cancer) would want to know how to reduce their risk, right?

Oh hey, in my quest to learn something new every week about breast cancer prevention and treatment, I learned my home country actually has a higher mortality rate per capita than does my host country. Living closer to the Arctic Circle doesn't seem to be much of a factor: Sweden and Norway have comparatively low cancer mortality rates compared to the Netherlands and Denmark.

...who was wearing a yellow motorcycle jacket with reflective striping. Sorry to say that apparently the safety design doesn't work during the daylight.

It irks me when people with supposedly "green" methods of transit do dumb things to endanger themselves or others in traffic. Maybe they're trying to be greener by reducing the population.

Although I have considered buying a Prius I understand they are very quiet vehicles and extra attention on behalf of driver, pedestrians and people sharing the road with the Prius is required to avoid collisions. A cyclist was killed in a collision with a Prius on a residential street: the Prius driver didn't see the cyclist and the cyclist couldn't hear the Prius.

Not that I'd excuse inattention among all drivers, but with old trucks, rattling diesel-run VW machines and bikes with loud pipes, one can at least hear them coming. Some pedestrians wear reflective striping and bright colours so we can be seen by traffic. When the visibility strategy fails, how can pedestrians protect themselves? I understand also that not every driver puts on headlights at dusk or at night: what are some good ways for pedestrians to see vehicles driven by people who don't want to be seen?

...does anyone else ever get frustrated with the lack of choice in specific products and wonder why, in a densely populated country, they can't get what they want?

(Me, I want bulk chlorella powder or tablets and non-HFCS soft drinks with fewer than 40 grams of sugar. My brother is going to send me some from Japan, in return for the ancho and chipotle powder that is ultra-accessible even thousands of miles from the US/Mexico border...)

I also wonder why there is so much variety in shampoo/hair products...

Fresh Picked Seattle-- a local blog dedicated to fresh, inexpensive healthful food. Found it while scrounging for quickie online notes from anyone who may have gone to the Oct. 8 Recessionomics lecture I missed.


Grocery Shopping Helper -- if you have the time and thought to write down where your most frequently purchased items are at the supermarket, you can generate a grocery shopping helper that allows you to zoom with your basket or cart to your chosen item. Watch out for the mobility scooters!

The Museum of History and Industry in my fair city is having an event tonight on the thrift of the 1930s, 1940s and 1970s.

Recessionomics: Tips for the Thrifty from the 1930s, 40s, 70s and Today
Health, Money and Home
Thursday, Oct 8, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
In the first of this four-part series, historian Roger van Oosten examines where we stand in the current recession, and suggests no-nonsense tips for moving forward. Guest experts share advice on how to manage health care on a budget, money hacks for squeezing out the last penny, and making sensible financial decisions on a daily basis.
Suggested $7 donation or simply Pay-What-You-Can at the door!

I want to go, but last night my son KNELT to beg me to go to his Open House school night. I sat out of the PTA Fall Potluck, although I did contribute some truffle brownies, and he felt I should have gone. Maybe we can do something bad like spring $$ on Ezell's, go early to his school thing, and then catch this stuff. Why can women not adapt to motherhood by cloning or having extra limbs?

Several readers have likely seen the New York Times article about Samantha Smith, the children's dance teacher who ate an Angus Beef Patty with Bacon and Cheese, processed by Cargill, and had food poisoning so awful she was in a coma for nine weeks (doctor-induced, to stop her convulsions) and became a paraplegic.

I had stopped buying commercial meat, except for the Public Market or local butcher shops, two years ago, without knowing of Ms. Smith's horrific experience. My fear that companies don't fess up to unsafe additives or practices until hundreds of thousands of people get sick or die, combined with Food Labeling laws that allow food manufacturers and processors to limit listing ingredients to what they want the customer to know, led me to limit my supermarket shopping. Now I find that Costco has its own meat processing plant so its private label ("Kirkland") products have stringent safety standards, although they probably don't control for what the animals and birds eat before they get slaughtered. Still, better than Cargill's shoddy food safety practices. In a deregulated market a company can get away with pretty much anything. I might try buying meat again from Costco, although we've had some success opening up our protein choices to include more fish and chicken. Once a month, though, my iron needs replenishing, and a 6-8 oz. steak from a pasture-fed martyr does the job nicely.
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Eight-Week Home Cure

I am eager to try this. Slowly we are changing our house so it more closely resembles a restful retreat. Now it looks like all three of our ADD-afflicted minds exploded. It's the Toxic Brain Dump. We've replaced our child's curtains that he's had since infancy with blackout shades, my husband has painted most of downstairs, and we're visiting the dump to discard our accumulated waste. Soon I hope to suppress or eliminate the bioelectronic urge in my head to borrow 18 books, 3 DVDs and 2 CDs from the library. I think my brain must be bulimic. Gorge Gorge Gorge info and new ideas. Hwaaaaaaaugh: no nutrients (good ideas put into practice) stay in the head.
I am hoping to stick with the Green Cure, like I hope to start a novena and a regular exercise program.

Slowly coming along to organizing. I may be able to plan dinner entrees by the week. One complication/pitfall I have is that some seafood I like to buy demands to be prepared/cooked as soon as possible, so I am unsure about buying mussels, for example, on Saturday and waiting until Tuesday to fix them. Yet mussels and clams can be economical and very nutritious: Vitamin C, iron, phosphorus, Omega-3 fatty acids, manganese and Vitamin B12.


Reading a great book on parent-child attachment relationships by a psychologist and a physician, both from Vancouver: Hold On to Your Kids. I recommend it for people with kidlets or planning to have kidlets. It's made me reflect on our attachment behaviours, and has given me new ideas for corrective, natural discipline.

Snarkiness is not productive. It might be counterproductive. Take for example an anti-tax commercial in which a woman opens the hatchback of her new Subaru and her three children help collect the groceries. She's talking about how she has to watch her pennies these days, yet she buys high fructose corn syrup filled carbonated drinks in two-litre bottles, resting singly in double-bagged flimsy plastic bags.

Gee, every place *I* shop at in Washington state gives me at least a five-cent credit for bringing my own bags. I must be better at watching my pennies.

I am watching my pennies these days, but I'm not about reducing the nutritional content of what I buy for my family or demanding that I remain ignorant about how manufactured or refined sweeteners jeopardize my family's health over the long term because if I and millions of other families learn something, I might not be willing to support the food processing companies by buying their products, and then the terrorists would win. Oops, the snark got out.

Sparkling water with a slice of fruit or some fruit juice mixed in would be better than cheap HFCS. I wouldn't even give that to the food bank. I bet Amy Dacyczyn of The Tightwad Gazette wasn't about feeding her six kids HFCS either. Essentially the actress who is playing a mother is mouthing dialogue scripted by PR personnel working for food processors. Average working class concerned consumers they are.

I could be snarky about HFCS, but if I wanted truly to make a change, I'd be letting people who don't like economic subsidies or free rides, or who don't want their taxes to subsidize people who make unhealthy food choices know what I know, so they can campaign and inform and inspire change. I'd do some cost and nutrition comparisons between HFCS-filled pop (or soda) and water, and let the income-challenged make decisions. I know that I needed information before I could change my food habits: my mom's deathbed plea for me to switch to relatively non-toxic (tomatoes are nightshade plants and have toxins, but man oh man I love them) natural foods was enough for me. Not everyone is as "lucky" as I to be orphaned early, and I doubt snark-filled diatribes of self-righteousness will have the impact that offering self-empowering information as a caring gesture would. I think showing consumers how small investments can pay off later is really the best way to go. People need to see a better way, and maintaining good health at low cost is a non-partisan issue that should have broad support.

Another case: I have a bicycle. I should ride it, but I don't, because I am afraid of drivers who text or talk on the phone while they're moving on the road (I don't mind when they've pulled over and stopped the car). I don't know how to avoid inattentive drivers: I wish they could flash some sign on their vehicles like "I'M CHOOSING TO PAY ATTENTION TO MY PHONE RATHER THAN THE ROAD -- TAKE A DETOUR" when their phones are in use. Being on the road with them as a scooterist or motorcyclist is scary enough. As a bicyclist, I have no gear. The best I can do is wear neon or reflective material, but what good is that when people aren't paying attention to the road? Yet I am getting messages all the time locally to choose bicycling. Why not make it safer for me to bicycle? Some cities are progressive enough to have bike-only lanes. I'd rather ride a bus because I probably won't get badly hurt by an inattentive driver. How do you inform the driver: "Excuse me, I gotta end this call. Someone's placing a HANG UP AND DRIVE bumper sticker beneath my windshield wiper."

I'd like good healthc. I am learning something new often enough to make significant changes in my diet. I don't at all assume I have the perfect diet and lifestyle, but look for ways to improve. I am displeased, yet better off for learning that the Gayelord Hauser product "Vegit" I had used for ten years has hydrolyzed protein, which has monosodium glutamate, an excitotoxin. When the Vegit runs out, I'm relying on the sea salt and kosher salt as substitute for my decade of taste excitement. I am not happy about my prescribed medications falling off the Preferred List of my husband's HMO next year. I'm not happy about paying more, but I'd be okay about making a political stand like ordering from a Canadian pharmacy. I will only allow corporate interference in my life when it's in MY best interest, and not the interest of corporate shareholders.

Okay, our own situation is compromised, but not terribly. I'm doing well with beans, dried peas, grains and vegetarian entrees.

Here's the conundrum: My brother and his wife are expecting in 4.5 months. Yay, and sugoi, right? I sent a little gift to the sister-in-law, or imoto-san.
They live in the second-most expensive city in the world. My brother lives on contracts. Utilities, transportation, clothes, everything is expensive there. Birthing is not covered by health insurance. They can expect to pay, without the benefit of epidurals or painkillers, slightly less than what we were initially charged in 2001 when I gave birth (and I had a jetted tub, excellent food, my own room, and painkillers. It was a rock star experience, complete with vomit but no groupies or Chivas Regal).

They have 500,000 yen saved so far and they fear they can't save an additional 300,000 yen. My sister-in-law will not ask her parents, who live nearby, but my brother has never had a problem asking me for money. So he did.

He is already working long hours, and his wife is too far along to start looking for a job (although, when I was as far along as she, I STARTED a two-year contract).

For me, the best options look like this:
1. Start two novenas: one for my brother to get more money through private lessons or a job in the United Arab Emirates paying much more money; one for me to get a FT/perm job paying over $65K/year, both by the end of October. I know the divine essence doesn't work on my schedule, but I'm willing to extend deadlines.

2. Find some way to leak news of my brother's predicament to my family and to his in-laws. I could get someone to write in Japanese. Offer to match yen/dollars. I may be my brother's closest surviving relative, but I am not his legal guardian.

3. Tell him no.

4. Fix my finances and see what I can give.

I don't know if Japan has installment plans for childbirth services. It seems to me that any uninsured hospital costs over 500,000 Yen should be allowed installment plans, but I don't live in Japan.

update: I did give money when I visited in February, BUT -- I was a guest and they were saving me at least 100,000 yen by letting me stay with them; in Japan I'm SUPPOSED to give money to the couple getting married as a relative and as a guest; I made my sister-in-law embarrassed and uncomfortable I agreed to my brother's request to buy them some specialty food.

Tell it like it is, lady!

She got results!

The spouse and I arranged to bring up the Thomas & Friends train table our son had for several years to the children's consignment store. He brought up the frame, I carried the table leaves. We were ninety feet from the store when a woman and her mother-in-law asked us if we were planning to sell it to the store they just left.

A conversation ensued. They bought our table, drove my husband to the house, while I walked with the mother-in-law (displaced by the bulk of the table in the vehicle). They bought the trains too. We are $65 richer from our four-block walk. This is great: our basement is gaining space! How serendipitous!

My natural gas utility is requesting a double-digit reduction in rates this winter as apparently there are ample resources for us to make it through the winter.

Looking forward to getting monthly bills under $175 through 2009-10.

Some of my honest questions are regarded as prickly or obnoxious by some people: you just can't tell who's out there on the Internet, or even why the hyper-sensitive would read blogs or go watch television so they can get themselves riled up. Sorry. I'm trying to be bland and innocuous.

How do people between the ages of 25 and 65 make time for television? Is it true that people just use it for noise? The people I know who talk a lot about television are single female senior citizens.

How many typos should I excuse/forgive on a professional staffing/recruiting company application form? I attempted an application form online and lost patience with six typos. You can imagine how few Facebook quizzes I fill in (not interested in paying for text charges, or cramming done by third parties on my phone bill, both of which can happen with these quizzes but that is fodder for more posts).

How do I get rid of fruit flies?

Is it a sign of middle-age that I am finding radio/iPod music in university-area restaurants and cafes too loud? Does noise tolerance deteriorate with age? Is loud music a covert fogey-deterrent? Or am I just sensitive to noise? I ask as I've brought up the matter with a middle-aged owner of one cafe/bar and he agrees with me and is forever telling his twenty-something employees to turn the noise down. I'm beginning to think that loud music in restaurants/coffee shops means "go away old people. Only people under 30 welcome here."

For Americans, because I've just heard some David Cross comedy: Have you actually seen a redneck fight? I've made but one visit to the South, and I had a lovely time: people were super-nice and casual-friendly. Because my husband was from a state with mixed history as far as some domestic business in 1861-1865 was concerned, and I was from a foreign country, we were treated to history lessons that the winners don't tell, plus gossip about the Faulkner Family. We saw poverty I'd never seen in this continent (or anywhere in my travels, and that includes council tenancies in East London--not Ontario!). Illuminating and fascinating. But no redneck fight.

For animal behaviourists, worldwide: my younger, smaller cat believes he is the top cat. The females in our house don't quite believe him. But we can tell he has pretensions: he gets upset when one cat rests on me, and if I am feeding treats to the other female, and he finds out about it, he'll trot over to her and bat her downstairs. The females won't go near me when he's around, on account he gets fussy/prissy/feisty. Top cats supposedly think they're more entitled because they're stronger/fitter, but what about the Emmanuel Lewises/Gary Colemans of the cat world? They're not stronger/fitter. Do purebreds think they're smarter/better than other cats?

why did I not name my cats Charlotte Rae, Dana Plato and Gary Coleman?

Link du Jour: MomLogic.com's 30-Day Recession Survival

I have a phone screen tomorrow so wish me luck if it moves you: it's a non-fattening, legal and karmic thing to do. I had a productive/happy day, full of intuition, light and magic. I wish I could bottle this stuff, seriously.

Spending more time at home makes me more present to what needs replacing and turfing. We've been buying bras (at Nordstrom, because I don't know of any other place where the bras fit me so well, and the undercarriage is top quality and on sale), duvet covers, waste baskets and rugs at IKEA. My son kept saying "I could buy this, or this or this. My bank account holds more money than this costs." I found the best way to quash his "can I haves" is with "how much do you want me to remove from your account?" I bought makeup, and coming up next will be knit dresses for the fall/winter season. On account that I have only three dresses, and one of them is for semiformal or dressy occasions and another is for warm weather. A third one makes me look pregnant. So I need dresses, but they aren't going to be Nicole Miller or Marc Jacobs or Jil Sander dresses.

My son also learned that his friend gets $5 per missing tooth. The tooth fairy gives him $1 at our home. He is feeling ripped off. I don't understand: The Upper Plate Metal Sculptor blew $3200 on the boy's orthodontics and the boy feels ripped off?

...because reboots are for installations, only.

http://templates.services.openoffice.org/ has OpenOffice templates. The more I play with Ubuntu the more opportunities I see for it to meet or surpass Windows applications, with the exception of iTunes. I have found journalling software, mortgage acceleration sheets, menu planners, invitation templates and media players.

I might get rambunctious and attempt PostGres SQL or mySQL with some XML, just to keep my skills sharp.

First: I am pumped about the purchase of four pair earrings and six tops (three of them cashmere sweaters, one silk) and two Tupperware (reg. tm) containers for $100 at a consignment store in north Seattle. I went to look at furniture, but admit I have maybe five tops, not including souvenir T-shirts to my name. It makes me happy to have cashmere sweaters under $20.

Second: I paid some of the Alberta trip off. I must practice my Japanese, along with other activities/duties too personal to add here. I said a few lines at the public market today.

Third: my boy was actually keen to take out several books from the library. It warmed my immigrant heart when he pointed out that he contributed "Canada" to the classroom list of "things that make us happy."

Fourth: not happy about gas topping $3/gallon. However, 25.5 mpg isn't horrible gas mileage.

Fifth: we are going letterboxing. I could use some chocolate.

Sixth: Gave blood, to help cancer patients. It scares me to know my cousin three years older than I was hospitalized because the chemotherapy she underwent close to annihilated her white blood cell count. When I give blood, I try to think of her and other cancer patients, instead of the idjit motorcyclists who don't cover their backs, arms, legs with appropriate gear (yes, I am a scooterist, but I'm such a mom/wimp too).

Seven: read about the trachtenburg family slideshow players, who are all about creative re-use of slides, family enterprise, and social commentary. They were from Seattle originally, and moved to New York City where they attracted the attention of ubercool people like comedian/actor David Cross and recording artist Nellie McKay.

Aren't you glad for this update?

I should be looking for either a job or a way out. I'm saddened by the apparent deterioration in the quality and circumstances of my city: the major didn't make the primary so now we have two newbie (never held public office; the mayor had been a county councilmember before) contenders. I'd rather newbies not get in right this moment. If I were the sort who believed that the best ideas come while shaving, the choice would be easier to make.

My son's school did not make Adequate Yearly Progress: I may call my mother-in-law so she can tell me that AYP is a steaming pile of scheiss (she wouldn't use that word, nor merde. She has decades of experience teaching in public schools. My son's math and chess options are in jeopardy: wouldn't it be sad if he went to school strictly to socialize with children and got his "unschooling"/education at home? One motivation for me to seek lots of work is to ensure my son has some kind of quality education. Our school is the only one in the cluster that didn't make Adequate Yearly Progress. It doesn't have Advanced Learning Opportunities funding anymore: my son participated in advanced math last year. I don't know if he's gifted though: I don't want to wreck his social life because of a cockamamie fantasy I have that he needs better. I don't understand how we can have one of the best-funded PTAs in the city (I was treasurer, I should know!) and yet not have quality education.

We blew a lot of money this summer -- garden, garage door, replacement door, orthodontics, big vacation in British Columbia and Alberta. I haven't been up to looking for a job because I'm overwhelmed as to where to begin. If I followed my heart I'd be writing articles on health and wellness. If I followed my skills/money I'd be contracting for companies soon to go under or collapsing under their weight of failed products and crumbling dominance. I want to spend more money on work clothes for me. I'm used to working in places where I could wear jeans and running shoes.

I don't understand how people could seriously entertain the untested/foofyglam option: in times of crisis I'd be more likely to choose someone who's publicly shown s/he can make necessary and tough decisions for the majority of citizens. Maybe this proves I am unfit to vote in this city/county/state/country.

it's taken a long time to make these... the immense scope and lack of resources (available resource: me) were overwhelming.

We changed our phone number after CONXTR charged us for voice mail service we never signed up for. Now we have AllianceOne and MRS Associates calling for people who used to have our phone number: this isn't so bad. I'm not getting charged $14/month for services somebody else ordered so they could go eat at Ruby Tuesday's or Outback, and the calls are recordings, mostly. When they aren't they're polite. Can some multilingual person fluent in Hindi, or Urdu or Gujarati please share the appropriate phrase that translates into English as "There is no Abraham here, I have had this phone number for a very short time. Therefore keeping this number on your file will not help you find Abraham. Please remove the phone number from your files. Have a karma-filled day"?

I like the discussion on public health: I thought I was the only person who didn't think it was cool for HMOs to refuse claims from employee benefits when the employee's spouse has a pre-existing condition. Therefore I resolved to relocate back to the homeland. I don't feel like having my health compromised just to make some corporation richer, you know?

I also closed my son's account: it was a School Savings account opened at Washington Mutual. Chase sent me a letter saying my son's assets would be seized by the FDIC if I didn't claim them. I remembered that Chase hasn't exactly improved things for former Washington Mutual accountholders. I love my son too much to let him be nickled and dimed out of his school savings account. There is nothing like a mother's love. Credit union account here we come. Naturally my little one asked me in the bank if he could gamble his funds. Good to leave them laughing.

After years of wondering to sit or get off the pot, I dreamt that I got off the pot and it felt really good. I dreamt we were cleaning out our house and my husband brought up a box containing our disconnected telephone.

We will disconnect our landline. Apparently there is at least one miscreant who enters names and phone numbers from the phone book in online surveys with throwaway e-mail addresses, so people who are on the Do Not Call list get solicited by Education Authority, Education Experts, all these online education places. Garnering and following leads that can't be verified is the new American business plan. I called the marketing company last month to ask that his listing be removed, and they complied. We were all polite and sweet about it -- I mentioned a subsidiary of theirs had a web page with an opt-out link that didn't work. I asked about the legality of that. The women removed his entry but another online education company didn't get the memo, I guess.

Another business model that is in use, but is likely from outside the U.S. is using an autodialer to dial everybody with a US phone number with a canned opening like "This is Rachel/Heather from Account Services. This is a courtesy call about your credit card -- there is no problem now, but if you want to consolidate your balances, press '1'. This is your final message. Press '2' if you don't want any more calls from us." Gee, if it's a final message I shouldn't be getting any more calls. But why is a scam so important that it can't obey the Do Not Call restrictions? And why does the company never mention its name, headquarters, or anything that would legitimate its business?

I pay for my phone. I pay telecommunications taxes, use of the line, and it's abused. It would cost me extra money to get rid of these abusers who spoof their phone numbers and disregard the Do not call list. The telecommunications companies are not offering me value. My cell phone gets Spanish recorded messages from time to time from a variety of spoofed numbers. I don't understand Spanish. I doubt it's worth picking up just so I can understand a recorded sales/marketing/possible scam message.

I am glad I finally have the energy, now that the awful heat (40C/104F no air-conditioning) has broken, to pack up and investigate what I can to put the house up for sale. I don't have what it takes to put up with banks switching from fixed to variable rates, telecommunications/online identity fraud, or neighbours who abuse their dogs. The dog next door is inside, but yelping like it's distressed. I don't know what it is about our neighborhood that attracts the "I am going to acquire an animal breed that is large enough to require acres to roam in and confine it, or chain a puppy outside for ten hours in triple-digit-F heat and then be affronted when neighbors complain" kind. They weren't here when I moved in ten years ago. Is there some neurotoxin in processed food or television programming that makes some people stupid? Has it affected me, because I haven't gotten off my duff and left?

Three tickets to St. Louis for under $1000. Keep in mind I live on the coast. Also bought expensive pair of shoes, although they were fifty percent off. They are handmade Italian shoes, and when given only two choices of the "every woman is an 8B in a population of 300 million for $49.99" and "these shoes are guaranteed to fit, never to pinch or cause blisters at the heel or crush your small toe for $224" I guess I would choose the latter. Pain is not my good friend. I am not Imelda Marcos, mind. I have rain boots, motorcycle boots, slip-ons from the maternity days, cheap Doc Martens, slippers, trainers/runners/sneakers and these new shoes.

Haircut was 20% reduced from last year. I felt so hostile and bitter yesterday I couldn't face goijg with my stylist of late because he's just over the top with the feng shui waterfall, foot massager, and oasis-feel. I wanted someone no-nonsense and sleep-deprived who wasn't afraid to verbally slap me if my hormones urged me to get out of line. Fortunately that didn't happen: I suppsoe if one is self-aware to recognize one's at high-tide, one's going to be more restrained and withdrawn.

Gardening: planted carrots, beets, leeks, parsley, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mint, strawberries, marjoram, dill, tomatoes, anaheim peppers, thyme, oregano. I wanted radishes! We have lots of kale. My son even bought a strawberry plant, and helped me add compost and scratched in tomato/vegetable food with a trowel and watered them with some extra plant food liquid.

It's odd, because someone when taking my deposit there tried to do a hard sell on me. Yet Chase's notification of changes, which includes fees for deposits in excess of $5000, has me considering taking the not-for-profit corporation's assets elsewhere, upon board and membership approval of course!

Are there really so many people who are fine to be nickel-and-dimed this way? Why are banks making credit unions out to be bleeding obvious choices for consumers?

We installed a new door today. Maybe I'll even get around to making the fireplace more efficient. I hate that I can't reduce my gas bill without sacrificing comfort in my home or spending $50K finishing the basement and adding insulated siding. I think it is time to move.

I have received yet another amendment to terms and conditions from Yank of America. Transaction Fee is to be raised to 4%. Now, my credit score is above 760, and I haven't used the card since August 2004 precisely because BoA can't see its way to being as competitive as my credit union. A big corporation like that, failing to be competitive. Why, butter my buns and call me a biscuit! [rolling eyes]
Maybe this is Yank of America's style of "wealth redistribution": make terms and conditions onerous so no literate, numerate cardholders will want to give it money, or prey upon those who can qualify only for that one card to give "bailouts" to the company.

Is it because of greed and innumerate ignorami that Bank of America has so many customers? Maybe if it lost customers it could be more competitive? Let the tyrant fall, I say. It doesn't seem to want to give me 25-day grace periods, or return the fees and billing cycle structure to what it was when I first got the card and my credit score was lower.

I spoke with Ka(y)cee at Bank of America, and I could only rule that it is because of BoA's fiscal mismanagement that it cannot reward or provide incentives to credit cardholders. It doesn't negotiate.

Link du Jour: Card Data Breached, Firm Says

A forum elsewhere asks if we can live without credit cards. Right now I am not prepared to live without them. I am thankful that the Appliance vendor took a personal check: I didn't want to give Bank of America any transaction fee revenue from my credit cards, but I think that, although I will have mostly cash with me on my Osaka trip, credit cards will be useful for my hotel stays. What was I supposed to do: get $800 from the ATM and say to the vendor 'uh, whatever clothes dryer I buy has to be less than the cash I have on me right now. I forgot to have $800 kicking around for when my appliances go kaput unexpectedly.'

After that, maybe not so much credit card use, except for the gym membership. I have fraud alert on some accounts.

Think of it:
Bank of America doesn't want me to use its cards. They'd have kept my 25-day grace period and improved the terms and conditions as my credit score rose.

Credit card processor companies who don't adequately protect their data don't want me to use credit cards. With cybercrime rising, I just don't see where this will do me any good.

I do have a fraud alert. Maybe that'll help.

update: Bank of America removed my 0% + 3.00% no-cap transaction fee offer and replaced it with a 1.99% + 3.00% no-cap transaction fee offer. Sounds like BAC REALLY wants my business!

*********
Link Bonus: Expensive things that save money -- I am vindicated! Dig the plug for cast iron and enamel cookware, fresh local organic produce, and energy-efficient appliances!

Girlfriend, this Action Plan is divine overness. And refreshingly low in calories, don't you know. It's so simple.
I do get tempted to pay off the HELOC tout de suite, but rather, I should just build that emergency fund (pie!) higher. Build the pie higher!

Then when inflation strikes and the 3% HELOC escalates, the emergency fund can take care of at least some of it. In fact, perhaps my savings should be prioritized post-Japan as:

1. Emergency Fund
2. Prepay mortgage (hey, it's the debt with the highest APR. Is there not a budget guru who advises paying off debts, highest APR first?)
3. HELOC
4. Roth
5. Everything else.

Here's the Goal for 2009. Decide how much you can afford to deposit. Now add 20% to that amount. ..in 2009 you cannot afford to be laid back and do what is easy.
You must push yourself as hard as possible to build your security as quickly as possible.

Indeed.