Wellbeing

Tasting the pain.

5:45 a.m. I wake up only because I am woken. 6:47 a.m. I leave for the work later than I wanted to and earlier than I wanted to, all at the same time. 7:10 a.m. I arrive at work. 8:00 a.m. I notice that my nose is running. 10 a.m. I notice that my face hurts. 12:10 p.m. I sense the same nasal stuff running in the back of my throat and mouth. 1:30 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. (at five minute intervals) I…
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Kitchen Sink

No.

There are some things in this world that I refuse to do. I will not spank my child. I will not listen to country/western music. I will not share eating utensils with others. I will not buy another american car. I will not eat reheated leftovers. Wait a minute… no leftovers? Yes, you heard me right. With almost religious fervor, I have resisted countless overtures to box up, refrigerate, and…
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Kitchen Sink

I looked across the room, and what did I see?

I was at my doctor’s office for my weekly allergy shot. In front of me, in line to check out, was a mother and her little girl. The woman sitting behind the desk was chatting up the mother, but I have no idea what they were talking about. Normally this would not be terribly interesting, and it still isn’t, but I am going somewhere with this. My spider sense tingled when I heard one of…
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Family and Friends

Would you like to think about it?

It is the middle of the afternoon and I am taking advantage of my fifteen minute, after lunch break. This is a rare occurrence. I’m taking advantage of this time granted to me by my employer to think about what I want to do tonight. This is not normally a concern on a Wednesday afternoon, but then this is not my ordinary Wednesday afternoon. Today has some extra significance. No, I’m…
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Going for Broke

You win some and you loose some, but you still get a cool car.

I won the buy/lease debate. I lost the small car/big car debate. We bought a Honda CR-V, the little SUV. We bought the bottom of the line, no extras added version; but it still came with plenty of powered accessories: power windows, power door locks, cruise control, et al. It was also my first experience haggling over price, and the first time something I said elicited something like an angry…
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Beth

Cars, front seats, and airbags.

You might have heard that we were having trouble with Cheryl’s lemon Saturn. When Cheryl’s car goes caput, I go to my parent’s house for a loaner. This last time the loaner was none other than THE MR-2. A little two door, mid-engine, sports car made by Toyota. My dad has a fun little manual five speed. The next morning I realized an opportunity for some daughter-father bonding…
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AppleKitchen Sink

Getting your money’s worth.

How much is a good song worth to you? Do you believe music is property that should be bought and sold, or do you believe it belongs in the public domain? How do you keep people making music if music is free? I’ve heard several arguments both for and against Apple’s new music download service. For me, it’s a simple moral question. Music is someone’s craft. Like any other…
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Going for Broke

To buy or to lease?

When last we communed, I was about to euthanize Cheryl’s car. Well, it turns out it didn’t quite come to that. Cheryl is once again driving around in her golden lemon on wheels. But we have been discussing the possibility of replacements. The problem is that we really like our money, what little we have of it. A new car will force a separation, one that we don’t take lightly. In…
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