It's Tuesday and I guess I'm on vacation this week. My husband is off, so I found some folks to work for me at my various places of employment.  I do have my own business in a rented office and guess what? I have no business this week, vacation or not!   Is this a sign of the recession we are supposedly in?  I saw the news this morning with all these people standing in line at their bank. Seems the banking industry is now in dire straights.  When will this all end?  I need to slow down with my work but it appears I need to set my sights on "how will I make money?"  I also know this time of year is slow in my business anyway, but with my investments going downhill (i.e. retirement savings, etc.) I need to be careful, not spend where I don't need to.  Sigh....

I just viewed my electric bill for June....$435!!!!!  That's right.  It has virtually doubled since last month.  Well, maybe since April.  Shit!  That's insane.  I even keep my thermostat at 78 degrees!

And, we're doing a project this week;  Building a new fence.  Cha-ching, cha-ching....that's slang for "I'm spending ALOT of money this week and making none".  Oh, except for the fact that I finally got my stimulus check from the IRS.   Whoo-hoo!  I can pay my electric bill and go out to dinner.  GONE. 

OK, we'll eat at home;  bean tacos and peanut butter sandwiches I guess.  

I'm going to go get ready for my day of saving money.... Let's see.  Take my dogs for a walk, swim in my pool, not drive anywhere, not pay any bills, eat little, um.....resist the urge to purchase online,  turn off the air conditioner (NOT).  I think I'll start cleaning out the garage and open an Ebay account.  Sell my STUFF - yea, that's it!   And, man, do I have stuff.  Lots and lots of it.  OK, got some ideas.  I'm signing off now.

Time for Myself

Today started out as one I thought would be a non-work day.  I had plans. Yeah, well...

First I get a call for someone to do a massage at the OMNI this morning.  OK, I said, thinking only of the $$.  So, instead of going to the park with my dogs, or going to do NIA, I went to the OMNI and gave a one and a half hour massage with facial.  It's a good gig, pays really well. And, surprise, surprise, my client tipped me VERY well!  So, that was good.  Then, I get a call from a guy named Buddy.  Could I work him in for a massage this evening?  OK, sure, I said, knowing full well that I wouldn't make the 4:30 NIA class.  Sigh...  So, I went home for a short time, took my friend, Donna to the doctor, went home again for another short time, and drove back to my office where I met Buddy, the salesman from Kansas.  It was a good massage session.  Nice guy. Decent tip..., But when do I say no?  When will there be time for me?  I'm going to work tomorrow again and will be off at 3pm.  Thank God for the rest of tomorrow. It will be mine.  Or will it...?

Signing off and going to bed!  Sleep is my friend.

Drowning in paper

I stopped to think about how much disposable trash I accumulate during the course of one day.

I had lunch at Schlotzsky's: two napkins, one pizza box, a styrofoam cup and a straw, and a receipt.

I went to my office and took out a bottle of water from the fridge:  one plastic bottle.

I stopped at the mail box on the way home: two large multi-page ad flyers; two large post cards, a cheap key chain (gift from Humane Society) along with some Holiday cards, several pieces of mail of which all have disposable envelopes and most contents will be trashed now or eventually. Yesterday I received two packages, hence a large envelope and a small cardboard box full of styrofoam peanuts.

I'm looking at the floor in the room I'm in at home and I see a large box which had a new computer monitor. It's now empty with a bunch of unrecylable plastic, styrofoam and paper.

You ever notice how much packaging comes with just about anything you buy?  It's great that cardboard boxes are recycled, but so much of the contents are not.  It's scary what we throw out EVERY DAY. Each one of us. Millions of us.  I'd like to think I'm somewhat earth friendly, but when I take stock...I could do alot better.  We all need to stop and think about how and what we're using and buying every day.  I am taking my cloth bags to the grocery store now. Buying in bulk when I can, purchasing recycled goods.  But I still went and ate at Schlotzsky's today.  Not many folks are taking global warming and major environmental issues seriously.  I want to do better.  Anyone else?  I may not be here in 40 years, but my grandkids will.  What will it be like then?  God only knows...