Currently In The Ever By Mason Jennings see related

Wisconsin Winters. I love them.

A short story.

Lisa, 1 week ago: "Mike, can you pleeease start using that daily shower cleanser spray I bought? Please, ok?"

Mike, 1 day ago: "I think I know why my skin is so dry lately. I think it's that new body wash spray stuff you bought."

For the first time in 10 years

I am nervous. Mildy. But still nervous about about the economy. About my savings accounts, and my retirement accounts, and interest rates, and the business I've poured so much of myself into.  Part of me wants to believe it's all a false alarm. But realistically, is it? Seven-hundred fucking-billion-dollars?! I'm not opposed to paying up, with my taxes. (Is there really another option) But I'm pissed.

What the hell's happening now?    For the first time, as the adult I"ve been for 10 years, I'm questioning what I've always believed in (economically): capitalism and free market.

Capitalism, to me, does not equal GREED and non-responsibility. Capitalism means I (or anyone else) have every goddamn right to invest my money, and my time, and my intellect, and my elbow grease, into a venture I hope proves profitable.

Capitalism does NOT mean, to me, opposing government involvement, untill you need a bailout.   It means accepting reasonable and responsible regulation, that does not adversely affect your ability to make a profit.

I want to know just who the hell is responsible for this mess. "Bush Adminstration" and "hedge-fund managers" and "golf-playing-middle-aged-CEOs" isn't enough. I want names and specifics. And, as a tax-payer, and as an honest business-owner, and as an employee, and as a retirment-fund-contributor,  and as a fiscally-responsible person with a stellar credit score, who's taxes are going to go up because of this, I have the right to know.

Full-disclosure:  I'm not hurting financially from this yet. I'm not feeling the pain at the pump, or worried about my'job, or worried about my high insurance deductible. I'm just plain pissed off, because I've always been responsible about my money. I spend what I can afford. I invest aggressively what I can afford to lose.  And I invest conservatively, what I feel I can't afford to lose.

So I'm mad.  My (obvioulsy naive) faith that other capitalists have the same ideals I had has disappeared. I'm pissed because for the first time ever, I almost believe it might be a better idea to put my money under my mattress, rather than in a bank or investment vehicle.

I don't put faith in a lot. But what I did put faith in, is failing horribly.

Atlanta

I've been in Atlanta for the past week. Kicking off a large project for work. As the project manager, I'm proud to say we executed near flawlessly, and if all goes well for the next couple months, I may finally see the raise I've been (im)patiently waiting for for the past 3 years. 

I'm currently stuck in the Atlanta airport. Waiting for my flight into O'hare that's been delayed for 2 hours. I don't know if I'll make it home tonight. I miss home.

Im sitting near a very loud person speaking on his cellphone to his manager. I gather, from the one side of the conversation I can hear, that he's a musician, a songwriter, he's preparing for a fall tour, he's upset because someone didn't give him enough notice for some interview or another, he's with a bandmate, and they both look very familiar to me, and I think I may know who they are, but it would just be much, much too crazy of a coincidence if it's who I think it might be. Seriously, I think it'spossible it might be who I think it is.

Someone asked me if I was a cat -person or a dog-person this past week. I'm neither. But I did have a cat, before I gave him away to a gay guy down the street who found my "little friend just sooooooo adooooorable"  When he was a kitten, I named him Mili Milo.  I thought he was a girl. But Mili really is just sooooooo adooooorable, isn't he? I miss him.

In Late 1958

this Volkswagen Beetle was made. Most likely in August of '58.  I know it was August - or later that year - because the earlier '58's had oval rear windows. This makes them more valuable. Because they're old. And rare. And because these oval windows were just cute tiny little things, you could barely see anything out the back, and it was decided that probably wasn't such a good idea, so VeeDub did away with the cute tiny little oval windows in the latter half of 1958.

But even though this little Bug missed it'sopportunity to be fabulous and famous, by just a month or two, I still love my Bug.  I think it's cute anyways. 

Today I'll take it out for a drive, and perhaps take pictures of the whole car! And maybe the pictures won't even be fuzzy, because I will (maybe) have refrained from drinking 3 glasses of wine before snapping said pictures of my cute little bug.