A lot are writing about the end of the semester -- which don't get me wrong I am glad to be finally finished, but I experienced some new developments in garage saling this past weekend.
We had a very large sale at my home this past Saturday -- total there were 6 families that sold at our sale. Our garage sale was HUGE. Every kind of children's clothing, furniture, adult clothing, shoes, purses, books, you name it, we had it. I made a huge sign for the front of our home (we live on busy St. Louis Ave) and we started getting a steady stream of customers about 7 in the morning.
The day started out good and we were getting rid of tons of things, but this garage sale we all experienced something different than previous experiences with garage sales.
We had a total of 5, yes, I said FIVE different people/couples come up to us and ask us what our plans were with the clothing and other misc items after the garage sale. Since there were 6 families involved we couldn't speak for everyone, but honestly no one had really thought that far yet. In fact, most of us were hopeful that our 15 totes full of stuff would be gone by the end of the day. All of these people wanted to know if they could accept donations. Actually make that 3 people. The other two were with charitable foundations at local churches or Crosslines and knew poeple that needed these things. I was appalled by there balls. Especially those who were personally asking for those things themselves. COME ON PEOPLE! We had everything marked so incredibly cheap. My wife prices Gymboreee outfits my daughter outgrew for less than a dollar. Most stuff was $0.25 or less. Everything was priced to GO FAST. And yet, they still asked for our things.
That's why it kills me to see on craigslist people begging for stuff -- "single mom really needs things, can't pay much, any donations would help. God bless." God bless? GOD BLESS?? I'll show you God bless! Okay, so my attitude isn't really a servant of giving, it just seems people have no integrity anymore and aren't afraid to ask for anything. Go to our Wal-Mart and see 4 people with signs asking for money or anything (while smoking a cig). I know the economy is tough right now and yes, I do give and do donate, but don't expect it. It kind of takes the joy out of giving if you are begging for my things.
Am I wrong for thinking this way? We ended up keeping all our unsold things and yes, we do plan on donating everything -- to the Salvation Army.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Debt and FPU
Last week we joined a financial class at our church -- an 8 week Sunday 9AM morning class that promises to give us the tools to financial freedom.
The trend for being debt-free is on the rise, especially in churches, who have offered multiple classes over the last few years that boast "be debt free in one year." The invitation is appealing.
Debt is everywhere. I got my first credit card when I was 18 and at the age of 23 had to consolidate due to too many payments that I couldn't make. At 23, I had a personal loan for the amount of $8,000 to pay off all my credit cards. Since then I have paid off that loan, but now my wife and I have a Discover card that has about $800 on it. Not too bad, you say? Well American debt is on the rise. The struggling economy has called for desperate measures. It's not uncommon for me to be told that someone had to put groceries on a credit card just to be able to eat for the next week.
I hate hearing that, but I think there are two sides to every coin. As Americans we have become conditioned to think that we have to have more and that bigger is better. A smaller house isn't nearly as appealing as a larger home. We have become the most materialistic (and obese, but don't get me started on that) country. We think that we should have the right to have certain things: nice houses, brand new cars, new things, new computers, nice iphones, mp3 players, season passes to Six Flags, etc. The reality is here and is a slap on the face: while all those things are nice, they aren't what brings substance to life. We aren't entitled to everything that we think we are. You think if you work hard you should be able to "indulge" and buy those nice things. Most of us really can't "buy" anything. We are able to get "credit" to be loaned money to have these things. It's a false sense of reality. We don't own anything in our lives.
My wife and I started the David Ramsy plan half-way back when she was pregnant with our now 18month-old daughter. At that time we were bringing home almost $4,000 month and had NO savings or NO retirement or anything to show for it. We didn't even have two car payments, my wife's car was paid for so we were only paying $300.00 month for my car. Our house payment is $600. And yet, time and time again we were always short at the end of the month. Once we budgeted and started our savings plan we were able to put away one of my wife's full paychecks into our savings and we paid off some minor debt. We had almost $10,000 in savings when our daughter was born and after she was born padded it to another few thousand. Things have changed a lot since the recent events of my wife's pregnancy and having to pay $6,000 to Freeman for a basic birth and hospital stay. We also have to pay entirely for my wife's maternity leave. But our goal is still the same.
As we continue with this class we know that our priorities have shifted slightly, but we still want to be debt free (aside from our house) withine two years. We both have 8 year old vehicles. We go to garage sales and we rarely eat out. But we take long bike rides, go to the park, and spend time together as a family which is worth far more than material things can give us.
The trend for being debt-free is on the rise, especially in churches, who have offered multiple classes over the last few years that boast "be debt free in one year." The invitation is appealing.
Debt is everywhere. I got my first credit card when I was 18 and at the age of 23 had to consolidate due to too many payments that I couldn't make. At 23, I had a personal loan for the amount of $8,000 to pay off all my credit cards. Since then I have paid off that loan, but now my wife and I have a Discover card that has about $800 on it. Not too bad, you say? Well American debt is on the rise. The struggling economy has called for desperate measures. It's not uncommon for me to be told that someone had to put groceries on a credit card just to be able to eat for the next week.
I hate hearing that, but I think there are two sides to every coin. As Americans we have become conditioned to think that we have to have more and that bigger is better. A smaller house isn't nearly as appealing as a larger home. We have become the most materialistic (and obese, but don't get me started on that) country. We think that we should have the right to have certain things: nice houses, brand new cars, new things, new computers, nice iphones, mp3 players, season passes to Six Flags, etc. The reality is here and is a slap on the face: while all those things are nice, they aren't what brings substance to life. We aren't entitled to everything that we think we are. You think if you work hard you should be able to "indulge" and buy those nice things. Most of us really can't "buy" anything. We are able to get "credit" to be loaned money to have these things. It's a false sense of reality. We don't own anything in our lives.
My wife and I started the David Ramsy plan half-way back when she was pregnant with our now 18month-old daughter. At that time we were bringing home almost $4,000 month and had NO savings or NO retirement or anything to show for it. We didn't even have two car payments, my wife's car was paid for so we were only paying $300.00 month for my car. Our house payment is $600. And yet, time and time again we were always short at the end of the month. Once we budgeted and started our savings plan we were able to put away one of my wife's full paychecks into our savings and we paid off some minor debt. We had almost $10,000 in savings when our daughter was born and after she was born padded it to another few thousand. Things have changed a lot since the recent events of my wife's pregnancy and having to pay $6,000 to Freeman for a basic birth and hospital stay. We also have to pay entirely for my wife's maternity leave. But our goal is still the same.
As we continue with this class we know that our priorities have shifted slightly, but we still want to be debt free (aside from our house) withine two years. We both have 8 year old vehicles. We go to garage sales and we rarely eat out. But we take long bike rides, go to the park, and spend time together as a family which is worth far more than material things can give us.
Money and Career
When I was 8 years old my family (all 5 of us kids) packed up our station wagon and left our large home in New Hampshire. At the time I didn't understand why we had to leave all our friends and our family (most of my family is still located there). My parents sold everything -- including their $250,000 home and came to Missouri with a sack full of cash.
I didn't know it at the time, but my mom, who is a compulsive gambler, had borrowed thousands of dollars from her sisters and didn't pay them back so she ran from them by moving to Missouri.
We paid cash for our modest home in Carthage and bought everything -- including another vehicle with cash. It seemed like the high life. My dad settled into two jobs (again) and my mom stayed hom with us kids.
It took two years before the government caught on and we found out that the little law called "capital gains" would take everything -- home, cars, furniture, and just about everything. Pretty soon we were moving into the smallest home I've ever lived in -- a trailer home in a modest mobile park just outside of town. I remember thinking that we were now officially poor.
Since then my family has never recovered. As my siblings got older the legacy of the poor working class has continued.
I always prided myself on being the hard worker and not following in my family's footsteps, but looking back I realized I have set myself exactly like how they were. At 21 I bought my own house and worked two jobs, but I never really thought about preparing/investing in my future for providing for a family. I only thought about myself. When I met my wife she was in nursing school and her only ambition was money. Her mom told her "don't rely on anyone else but yourself." It was a great sentiment because she finished school and now we are living off of her income. Sadly enough I look back and this year marks my 10 year reunion. I tell my wife...what have I truly accomplished in the 10 years that I've been out of school? I don't have a degree or a career. I make no money. I stay home with my daughter while my wife leaves for work at 6:15 every morning. As a man there is no pride that exists in my being. I know that really I've accomplished nothing for myself or for my family.
However, there is nothing that I would change with my relationship with my wife and my daughter was the biggest blessing that we could've ever asked for. As far as love, I've accomplished more than I thought possible.
I am determined to finish my degree so one day I can say I have a "career" and then maybe I will be able to provide enough for my family. After that my life will be accomplished -- a loving family and a career.
I DO NOT plan on passing the legacy of my family onto my children or continuing it with myself.
I didn't know it at the time, but my mom, who is a compulsive gambler, had borrowed thousands of dollars from her sisters and didn't pay them back so she ran from them by moving to Missouri.
We paid cash for our modest home in Carthage and bought everything -- including another vehicle with cash. It seemed like the high life. My dad settled into two jobs (again) and my mom stayed hom with us kids.
It took two years before the government caught on and we found out that the little law called "capital gains" would take everything -- home, cars, furniture, and just about everything. Pretty soon we were moving into the smallest home I've ever lived in -- a trailer home in a modest mobile park just outside of town. I remember thinking that we were now officially poor.
Since then my family has never recovered. As my siblings got older the legacy of the poor working class has continued.
I always prided myself on being the hard worker and not following in my family's footsteps, but looking back I realized I have set myself exactly like how they were. At 21 I bought my own house and worked two jobs, but I never really thought about preparing/investing in my future for providing for a family. I only thought about myself. When I met my wife she was in nursing school and her only ambition was money. Her mom told her "don't rely on anyone else but yourself." It was a great sentiment because she finished school and now we are living off of her income. Sadly enough I look back and this year marks my 10 year reunion. I tell my wife...what have I truly accomplished in the 10 years that I've been out of school? I don't have a degree or a career. I make no money. I stay home with my daughter while my wife leaves for work at 6:15 every morning. As a man there is no pride that exists in my being. I know that really I've accomplished nothing for myself or for my family.
However, there is nothing that I would change with my relationship with my wife and my daughter was the biggest blessing that we could've ever asked for. As far as love, I've accomplished more than I thought possible.
I am determined to finish my degree so one day I can say I have a "career" and then maybe I will be able to provide enough for my family. After that my life will be accomplished -- a loving family and a career.
I DO NOT plan on passing the legacy of my family onto my children or continuing it with myself.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Crib Hunting
Not that anyone really cares too much about buying/selling cribs, I found this interesting due to a recent recall with Graco and Simplicity cribs.
Now that many of us utilize craigslist and ebay it makes it easier and cheaper to buy used/like new large items. My wife and I bought a double stroller with a carseat and two bases for $125 on craigslist and bought a like new, but used crib for $75 on craigslist. We are in the age of buying used due to tighter finances and a struggling economy so revenues like craigslist make it more affordable to buy larger baby items.
However, we just learned that recently several hundred kinds of cribs made by Graco and Simplicity have been recalled. This is scary for us since we really aren't sure what brand our $75 crib is and we know for sure our daughter's convertible crib is a Graco. It seems as soon as you buy something it is recalled for some reason or another.
The recent recalling is because of a number of deaths due to suffocation because the side rails on these particular cribs are able to go up and down and have been doing so at the hands of the older infants/toddlers.
The brand Simplicity has been the subject to many recalls and is no longer in business as of 2010, however many people continue to sell used cribs and must be aware of this potential health hazard.
You should take the advice of several websites that offer advice about what kind of cribs would work best for you. There are many different options available now with cribs. Some cribs convert into a toddler bed, some have drawers under the mattress, some have both sides that go up and down, the options are crazy. I'm a guy and all these options give me a headache.
The best way to find out subscribe to Consumer Reports website (it costs only a few bucks a month) and it has several in-detail articles that offer their own safety reports about a variety of cribs. They are also a great resource for just about any other product available on the market. I have used them for vehicle purhasing and camera purchasing.
We will probably just stick to the cribs we have, but pay extra attention for any possible problems. I want to say that a bumper helps, but this has been proven false recently too so I guess the only option is to watch your children sleep for the rest of their lives so they don't harm themselves in any crib (I'm being sarcastic here).
Now that many of us utilize craigslist and ebay it makes it easier and cheaper to buy used/like new large items. My wife and I bought a double stroller with a carseat and two bases for $125 on craigslist and bought a like new, but used crib for $75 on craigslist. We are in the age of buying used due to tighter finances and a struggling economy so revenues like craigslist make it more affordable to buy larger baby items.
However, we just learned that recently several hundred kinds of cribs made by Graco and Simplicity have been recalled. This is scary for us since we really aren't sure what brand our $75 crib is and we know for sure our daughter's convertible crib is a Graco. It seems as soon as you buy something it is recalled for some reason or another.
The recent recalling is because of a number of deaths due to suffocation because the side rails on these particular cribs are able to go up and down and have been doing so at the hands of the older infants/toddlers.
The brand Simplicity has been the subject to many recalls and is no longer in business as of 2010, however many people continue to sell used cribs and must be aware of this potential health hazard.
You should take the advice of several websites that offer advice about what kind of cribs would work best for you. There are many different options available now with cribs. Some cribs convert into a toddler bed, some have drawers under the mattress, some have both sides that go up and down, the options are crazy. I'm a guy and all these options give me a headache.
The best way to find out subscribe to Consumer Reports website (it costs only a few bucks a month) and it has several in-detail articles that offer their own safety reports about a variety of cribs. They are also a great resource for just about any other product available on the market. I have used them for vehicle purhasing and camera purchasing.
We will probably just stick to the cribs we have, but pay extra attention for any possible problems. I want to say that a bumper helps, but this has been proven false recently too so I guess the only option is to watch your children sleep for the rest of their lives so they don't harm themselves in any crib (I'm being sarcastic here).
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Why can't Spanish speaking people learn English?
Disclaimer: I am in no way a racial person. I do not consider myself to be any better or worse than any ethnicity that exists out there. This is just meant to be a rant on my soapbox and nothing physically violent will come from it.
I was 8 when I moved to Carthage with my parents. At that time I was extremely unaware of the two different kinds of Spanish speaking people: Guatemalans and Hispanics. I saw them in my school -- children my age who spoke very little English and who often translated for their parents.
It didn't seem like a big deal until I got older. Any job in Carthage it seemed like a desired quality would be Spanish speaking. No, not Hispanic of Guatemalan Spanish speakers, but biligual English speaking people. You had to be able to speak both English and Spanish fluently.
It didn't make any sense to me that people who were immigrants (sometimes even illegally) were being catered to. Anywhere you saw it, older Spanish speaking people relying on their children to translate or even do some kind of sign language to get their point across.
The language barrier is great and in some ways continues to grow, but I don't understand why we are encouraged to learn their language if they don't have to learn English? Doesn't that enable them?
My wife has witnessed this time and time again being in the medical field -- Spanish speaking nurses preferred over non-Spanish speaking. One of her close friends landed a much coveted job that she applied for over and over again and this girl speaks fluent Spanish. The hospital has used and abused her, sending her all over to translate and not paying her a penny more than her nursing salary. But in her particular area a lot of Spanish speaking mothers need a translator and she is demand.
The translators in her hospital get paid more than the nurses do. Both have a bachelor's degree, but the translators make significantly more.
Am I going in the wrong field???
Please don't misunderstand me, it is just frustrating that in some ways it feels like we are enabling the non-English speaking community.
My wife and I have been to Mexico 4 times. No English speaking Mexicans there -- they all spoke Spanish and we had to learn a few phrases in order to make our stay easier. If we went anywhere in the world we wouldn't be catered to. And why should we be? We would choose to live in the country that speaks French/Spanish/German/Portuguese we should learn their language.
Okay, I'm off my soapbox. Now I'm off to learn Spanish since that may help my marketability in this area and my starting wage may be greater.
I was 8 when I moved to Carthage with my parents. At that time I was extremely unaware of the two different kinds of Spanish speaking people: Guatemalans and Hispanics. I saw them in my school -- children my age who spoke very little English and who often translated for their parents.
It didn't seem like a big deal until I got older. Any job in Carthage it seemed like a desired quality would be Spanish speaking. No, not Hispanic of Guatemalan Spanish speakers, but biligual English speaking people. You had to be able to speak both English and Spanish fluently.
It didn't make any sense to me that people who were immigrants (sometimes even illegally) were being catered to. Anywhere you saw it, older Spanish speaking people relying on their children to translate or even do some kind of sign language to get their point across.
The language barrier is great and in some ways continues to grow, but I don't understand why we are encouraged to learn their language if they don't have to learn English? Doesn't that enable them?
My wife has witnessed this time and time again being in the medical field -- Spanish speaking nurses preferred over non-Spanish speaking. One of her close friends landed a much coveted job that she applied for over and over again and this girl speaks fluent Spanish. The hospital has used and abused her, sending her all over to translate and not paying her a penny more than her nursing salary. But in her particular area a lot of Spanish speaking mothers need a translator and she is demand.
The translators in her hospital get paid more than the nurses do. Both have a bachelor's degree, but the translators make significantly more.
Am I going in the wrong field???
Please don't misunderstand me, it is just frustrating that in some ways it feels like we are enabling the non-English speaking community.
My wife and I have been to Mexico 4 times. No English speaking Mexicans there -- they all spoke Spanish and we had to learn a few phrases in order to make our stay easier. If we went anywhere in the world we wouldn't be catered to. And why should we be? We would choose to live in the country that speaks French/Spanish/German/Portuguese we should learn their language.
Okay, I'm off my soapbox. Now I'm off to learn Spanish since that may help my marketability in this area and my starting wage may be greater.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Oklahoma City Bombing
Today marks the 15 year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Most of us that are old enough to remember can remember the exact moment they found out about this devestating life changing moment that happened in the United States. In 1995 that was the largest act of terroism ever to occur. Unfortunately since then we have witnessed several other terrorist-like attacks with the largest being of course the attack on September 11th. For most of us that seems like a violent attacks on our land in our lifetime, but we really have been fortunate compared to most third world countries where attacks seem like a normal part of life.
A total of 168 people were killed during the Oklahoma City bombing some of them being children. I remember watching a special after the clean up of the bombing and a family was able to have closure because the authorities recovered one of their 6 year-old daughter's hands in the rubble. I was in the 6-7th grade when I heard this, but it made such an impact on me. I felt so thankful that I didn't have to experience my family members being completely destroyed and only having a body part left of them.
We all also remember the daunting story of the bomber, Timothy McVeigh, who showed no remorse for this actions. If you are really that demented you can watch the documentary made by MSBNBC that includes clips of audio from his confession. He goes into detail about his plan to kill many people along with his co-conspirator, Terry Nichols. Anyone who has kept up with this story know that the day of his execution, while controversial, was secretly welcomed by most and I know that some of us wish we could see more evil people also meet their doom.
I know it was a horrible event, but I think that it's entirely appropriate for students who were too young or not born yet to experience some of this painful tradegy. We need to be aware of these horrible things in order to fully appreciate the life we have been allowed to live (free of tragic occurrances). Hopefully most of us will be spared from the world's ugliness during our lifetime, but we shouldn't ever forget those lives lost from events such as the Oklahoma City Bombing.
A total of 168 people were killed during the Oklahoma City bombing some of them being children. I remember watching a special after the clean up of the bombing and a family was able to have closure because the authorities recovered one of their 6 year-old daughter's hands in the rubble. I was in the 6-7th grade when I heard this, but it made such an impact on me. I felt so thankful that I didn't have to experience my family members being completely destroyed and only having a body part left of them.
We all also remember the daunting story of the bomber, Timothy McVeigh, who showed no remorse for this actions. If you are really that demented you can watch the documentary made by MSBNBC that includes clips of audio from his confession. He goes into detail about his plan to kill many people along with his co-conspirator, Terry Nichols. Anyone who has kept up with this story know that the day of his execution, while controversial, was secretly welcomed by most and I know that some of us wish we could see more evil people also meet their doom.
I know it was a horrible event, but I think that it's entirely appropriate for students who were too young or not born yet to experience some of this painful tradegy. We need to be aware of these horrible things in order to fully appreciate the life we have been allowed to live (free of tragic occurrances). Hopefully most of us will be spared from the world's ugliness during our lifetime, but we shouldn't ever forget those lives lost from events such as the Oklahoma City Bombing.
1st Visit
We just got back from my wife's first prenatal visit. We got to see our little baby for the first time on ultrasound it was waving with its stub arm and we could see its little heart flicker. I was so glad to have seen all of this considering the circumstances and stress that have been surrounding this little fellow. All looked good and our midwife was very reassuring.
We also met with Susie, the financial aid lady who was extremely kind. She put us on a self-pay payment plan of a tidy little sum of $300/month for all the prenatal visits. She also gave us Freeman's hospital plan that is just for self-payers and is quite a substantial discount. We also have to have that paid for before we go in to have our baby.
Even though it has been scary with everything that is going on and the uncertainty of our future we do know that the Lord promises to take care of us and to take care of my wife and baby. We sold a vehicle to pay for the hospital bills and maternity leave so even though we are down to one vehicle we are getting by okay!
So I guess this is to be continued for the next seven months as my wife is 10 weeks and 2 days counting......
We also met with Susie, the financial aid lady who was extremely kind. She put us on a self-pay payment plan of a tidy little sum of $300/month for all the prenatal visits. She also gave us Freeman's hospital plan that is just for self-payers and is quite a substantial discount. We also have to have that paid for before we go in to have our baby.
Even though it has been scary with everything that is going on and the uncertainty of our future we do know that the Lord promises to take care of us and to take care of my wife and baby. We sold a vehicle to pay for the hospital bills and maternity leave so even though we are down to one vehicle we are getting by okay!
So I guess this is to be continued for the next seven months as my wife is 10 weeks and 2 days counting......
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Tax Day
As most of you know today is April 15th, marking the deadline for tax season. Accountants, CPAs, and other like employees can breath a sigh of relief as they see this year come to an end.
We all know that we hate paying taxes. For the majority of us (the working class) we make up the most of America and pay in the most taxes. For some of us our return was smaller than in previous years due to Obama's stimulus plan last year and for some of us we had to pay in for the first time.
It always amazes me to hear about celebrities who fail to pay on their taxes. One of my favorite actors of all times, Wesley Snipes, has been a variety of action movies has decided to quit pay taxes. Wesley quit paying in 1997 and after his $58 million dollar income from that year, demanded that the IRS pay him back the $7 million he paid in. That amount of money just blows my mind. $7 million dollars. Most of us will be lucky to even make a million in our lifetime, but $7 million? And just to taxes?
Wesley Snipes refused for so many years that he eventaully was called to court and was charged on three accounts of refusing to pay his taxes. He was sentenced to pay the IRS back taxes and serve three years in prison. He is now walking the streets on bail.
You want to think that this kind of protest is worthy of admiration and respect, but I think otherwise.
I do not believe in paying ungodly amount of taxes. Each year my personal property tax goes up, our food taxes increase, and the amount we have to have withheld from employment checks keeps increasing, but I don't sympathize with this man. He made so much money and while $58 million to us seems so incomrehensible, the amount he paid in taxes is pocket change to him. I think it all boils down to greed. A greedy man wants all his money. And because of his money he doesn't have to servce jail time or pay the consequences of his behavior.
Laying that all aside, it was appealing to know that some retailers and food-chains are taking into consideration the poor people's pocketbook by offering discounts or free food on this particular day. If you call your local McDonalds you could get a second Mcdouble or Big Mac for just a penny. Worth the phone call if you ask me!
Don't forget about Starbucks free coffee day. Bring in a reusable mug for a free cup of joe.
And then comes in the advice about how to spend your return (if you got any...). Most of us would like to think we are pretty savy with our money, but truth and the economy proves that most of us live off of credit cards and loans.
My wife and I have started the Total Money Makeover and since that we have accumulated a nice savings and have paid off some large items and have less than $400 on a credit card. Though the recent change in situations (i.e. pregnancy) things have changed slightly, our goal does not: pay off everything, live minimally, and enjoy things in life that are free. So far we are doing okay and rarely deviate off that path.
Okay so go pay your taxes and try to enjoy doing it by partaking in freebies and thinking about how you are going to spend your refund.
We all know that we hate paying taxes. For the majority of us (the working class) we make up the most of America and pay in the most taxes. For some of us our return was smaller than in previous years due to Obama's stimulus plan last year and for some of us we had to pay in for the first time.
It always amazes me to hear about celebrities who fail to pay on their taxes. One of my favorite actors of all times, Wesley Snipes, has been a variety of action movies has decided to quit pay taxes. Wesley quit paying in 1997 and after his $58 million dollar income from that year, demanded that the IRS pay him back the $7 million he paid in. That amount of money just blows my mind. $7 million dollars. Most of us will be lucky to even make a million in our lifetime, but $7 million? And just to taxes?
Wesley Snipes refused for so many years that he eventaully was called to court and was charged on three accounts of refusing to pay his taxes. He was sentenced to pay the IRS back taxes and serve three years in prison. He is now walking the streets on bail.
You want to think that this kind of protest is worthy of admiration and respect, but I think otherwise.
I do not believe in paying ungodly amount of taxes. Each year my personal property tax goes up, our food taxes increase, and the amount we have to have withheld from employment checks keeps increasing, but I don't sympathize with this man. He made so much money and while $58 million to us seems so incomrehensible, the amount he paid in taxes is pocket change to him. I think it all boils down to greed. A greedy man wants all his money. And because of his money he doesn't have to servce jail time or pay the consequences of his behavior.
Laying that all aside, it was appealing to know that some retailers and food-chains are taking into consideration the poor people's pocketbook by offering discounts or free food on this particular day. If you call your local McDonalds you could get a second Mcdouble or Big Mac for just a penny. Worth the phone call if you ask me!
Don't forget about Starbucks free coffee day. Bring in a reusable mug for a free cup of joe.
And then comes in the advice about how to spend your return (if you got any...). Most of us would like to think we are pretty savy with our money, but truth and the economy proves that most of us live off of credit cards and loans.
My wife and I have started the Total Money Makeover and since that we have accumulated a nice savings and have paid off some large items and have less than $400 on a credit card. Though the recent change in situations (i.e. pregnancy) things have changed slightly, our goal does not: pay off everything, live minimally, and enjoy things in life that are free. So far we are doing okay and rarely deviate off that path.
Okay so go pay your taxes and try to enjoy doing it by partaking in freebies and thinking about how you are going to spend your refund.
Family Drama
Apparently growing up I was oblivious to the whole family dynamics/drama aspect because I never realized it existed. Until I met my wife's family. Anyone who has seen the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" would see things how it is in her family (except for the Greek part). I remember meeting her family for the first time and being sufficiently overwhelmed -- they were loud, laughing, in-your-face kind of people who loved to eat, drink (sweet tea), and be merry. I wasn't used to this kind of behavior. I was used to having a quiet family dinner at special occasions, but even then my family is absent in almost every form so seeing the broad contrast between the two almost gave me an anxiety attack. Almost. Now that I've been in her family for 6 years I have witnessed things first hand. The family who almost always has something dramatic going on: runaway sister, abusive brother-in-law, mouthing off little brothers, just to name a few. There is always something. But in the end I realize something about them. Despite the bickering, opinion filled lunches and dinners we almost always laugh and have a good time. Yes they are up in our business, yes they annoy me, and yes, I will go crazy because of them one day, but in the end they really do all love each other. I have witnessed this time and time again.
As for my family, drama still exists, just in the silent dinners and family gatherings where we all pretend everything is kosher and no one has any problems with anybody. They just are better at keeping their mouths shut.
I think I prefer the loud-mouthed ways myself.
As for my family, drama still exists, just in the silent dinners and family gatherings where we all pretend everything is kosher and no one has any problems with anybody. They just are better at keeping their mouths shut.
I think I prefer the loud-mouthed ways myself.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Fat Melting Injections
Once again our fat obsessed society has fallen for an injection that supposedly is given to decrease the amount of adipose tissue in various parts of your body.
This form of fat removing involves no surgical procedure or anesthesia. It is called a lipodissolver that if injected into the fattest parts of your body (arms, legs, abdomen) it causes the fat to breakdown and decrease the amount of fat in those particular spots of the body. Thie type of fat dissolver has been promoted as being safe and effective at getting rid of excess body fat.
Lipodissolving injections have been routinely used in spas and other non-medical areas all over the country. People have been paying large amounts of money to get these particular injections with the hopes that it will help the battle the bulge.
However, the FDA is putting out a warning to people who have been using these injections. They are claiming that these injections are not necessarily safe or effective to use and not be treated for their danger.
However, recent claims are showing that some of the people who have been using the injections as form of fat burners have had adverse reactions to them. Most of the negative side effects include: burning at the injection side, hard lumpy areas where injected, and brownish spots at the infected site.
I say there's no way to get ride of your large amounts of adipose tissue unless you cut back on the food you consume and increase the amount of exercise you get. There is no other way of trimming down. We all look for quick fixes and something that is easy for us to do (diet pills, extreme diets, etc) and that just isn't how our bodies work. For some of us fat naturally clings to us. Our society is so inactive now it's not surprising that a large amount of us are suffering from being overweight. Cut out your calories and get moving...that's the safe answer for all of us.
This form of fat removing involves no surgical procedure or anesthesia. It is called a lipodissolver that if injected into the fattest parts of your body (arms, legs, abdomen) it causes the fat to breakdown and decrease the amount of fat in those particular spots of the body. Thie type of fat dissolver has been promoted as being safe and effective at getting rid of excess body fat.
Lipodissolving injections have been routinely used in spas and other non-medical areas all over the country. People have been paying large amounts of money to get these particular injections with the hopes that it will help the battle the bulge.
However, the FDA is putting out a warning to people who have been using these injections. They are claiming that these injections are not necessarily safe or effective to use and not be treated for their danger.
However, recent claims are showing that some of the people who have been using the injections as form of fat burners have had adverse reactions to them. Most of the negative side effects include: burning at the injection side, hard lumpy areas where injected, and brownish spots at the infected site.
I say there's no way to get ride of your large amounts of adipose tissue unless you cut back on the food you consume and increase the amount of exercise you get. There is no other way of trimming down. We all look for quick fixes and something that is easy for us to do (diet pills, extreme diets, etc) and that just isn't how our bodies work. For some of us fat naturally clings to us. Our society is so inactive now it's not surprising that a large amount of us are suffering from being overweight. Cut out your calories and get moving...that's the safe answer for all of us.
Sacrifices
Some of you read a recent blog of mine about my wife's pregnancy and lack of health issurance. I thought I would give you an update (if you are interested...).
When we found out we were pregnant we had no health insurance. We were very scared. My wife's jobs all are on a prn basis so that means all benefits are given up to get paid more. We had been living okay without them and were planning on getting private benefits when she took a pregnancy test and it was positive.
Thankfully we have been blessed and have been provided for by our gracious God. Each day He seems to remind us that He is in charge of our lives and will take care of us. After we were turned down for Medicaid we were devastated, but we knew something would work out. This last year we started following the David Ramsey debt method and had saved up enough money to buy my truck cash (we sold our car with the car payment). Right now we own both our vehicles. We decided last week to put my truck up for sale and then use that money to pay for all our medical expenses. Our OBGYN office has been extremely gracious and we are making payments to them and also arranging payments for Freeman.
We will have to go get another vehicle (eventually) that will require a payment each month, but we are thankful for the opportunity to be able to sell a vehicle we own and use that for her maternity leave and medical costs.
That being said I have come to realize that things I valued 5 years ago really don't seem that important anymore. When you are required to sacrifice things (especially material objects) you come to realize their poor value. Most of the time I don't mind giving up stuff I once thought was so important, but seems to small to me now. Maybe it's because my wife and I have had to give up several dreams and objects :) for the birth of our first child and we are getting used to the thought of giving up everything for the people you love. Honestly we put so much value into materialistic things and to realize their lack of value is enlightening. There is so much more to our earth than the things we can't take to heaven with us. It's about investing into our families, our children, our friends. Investing into things we can take to heaven.
Our journey has slowly begun, but sometimes I look at my wife and think "I wouldn't do this with anybody else."
Oh and P.S. Another praise report we found out my lack of employment will give me grants for the fall so I'm probably transferring to PSU and then will be a stay-at-home dad to my soon to be 2 kids while going to school.
When we found out we were pregnant we had no health insurance. We were very scared. My wife's jobs all are on a prn basis so that means all benefits are given up to get paid more. We had been living okay without them and were planning on getting private benefits when she took a pregnancy test and it was positive.
Thankfully we have been blessed and have been provided for by our gracious God. Each day He seems to remind us that He is in charge of our lives and will take care of us. After we were turned down for Medicaid we were devastated, but we knew something would work out. This last year we started following the David Ramsey debt method and had saved up enough money to buy my truck cash (we sold our car with the car payment). Right now we own both our vehicles. We decided last week to put my truck up for sale and then use that money to pay for all our medical expenses. Our OBGYN office has been extremely gracious and we are making payments to them and also arranging payments for Freeman.
We will have to go get another vehicle (eventually) that will require a payment each month, but we are thankful for the opportunity to be able to sell a vehicle we own and use that for her maternity leave and medical costs.
That being said I have come to realize that things I valued 5 years ago really don't seem that important anymore. When you are required to sacrifice things (especially material objects) you come to realize their poor value. Most of the time I don't mind giving up stuff I once thought was so important, but seems to small to me now. Maybe it's because my wife and I have had to give up several dreams and objects :) for the birth of our first child and we are getting used to the thought of giving up everything for the people you love. Honestly we put so much value into materialistic things and to realize their lack of value is enlightening. There is so much more to our earth than the things we can't take to heaven with us. It's about investing into our families, our children, our friends. Investing into things we can take to heaven.
Our journey has slowly begun, but sometimes I look at my wife and think "I wouldn't do this with anybody else."
Oh and P.S. Another praise report we found out my lack of employment will give me grants for the fall so I'm probably transferring to PSU and then will be a stay-at-home dad to my soon to be 2 kids while going to school.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
April Fool's Day
Everyone tries to think up a good trick for April Fool's day and I am no exception. I remember growing up trying to "fool" my family into something that I saw in the sky or something that I did.
April Fool's Day started back in 1539 because of a hilarious poem by Flemish who wrote about sending his servant on a series of wild-goose chases on April 1st. Since the start with this poem people all over the world have been attempting to fool people around them on the first day of April.
In the list of "Top 100 April Fool's Jokes" you get to read all about some of the larger scale hoaxes that were played on many people.
Swiss farmers were viewed on television harvesting spagetti pieces from trees while the broadcaster boasted "Swiss farmers harvesting spagetti from the spagetti tree." Viewers were captivated and call the television channel to which there reply was simple: "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."
Taco Bell announced that they had purchased the Liberty Bell and had renamed it to be the "Taco Liberty Bell." This caused an outrage from the general public in which later Taco Bell admitted to their false information and apologized.
In 1989 in London many people gathered around a field to see the much talked about UFO that was circling the city. When it landed and the police came up to it they ran after seeing a small man in a tin suit come out of the UFO. Turns out the 36-year old inventor of this UFO-looking hot air balloon was forced to land after being drifted off course making his April Fool's joke come one day early.
Burger King anounced in 1999 for the first time ever a left-handed whopper. This ad was published in USA today and Burger King had to rebuttle there statement telling of it's falseness.
So what would be your best idea of an April Fool's joke? Get on this website for a list of practical jokes that would surely be for a good laugh.
April Fool's Day started back in 1539 because of a hilarious poem by Flemish who wrote about sending his servant on a series of wild-goose chases on April 1st. Since the start with this poem people all over the world have been attempting to fool people around them on the first day of April.
In the list of "Top 100 April Fool's Jokes" you get to read all about some of the larger scale hoaxes that were played on many people.
Swiss farmers were viewed on television harvesting spagetti pieces from trees while the broadcaster boasted "Swiss farmers harvesting spagetti from the spagetti tree." Viewers were captivated and call the television channel to which there reply was simple: "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."
Taco Bell announced that they had purchased the Liberty Bell and had renamed it to be the "Taco Liberty Bell." This caused an outrage from the general public in which later Taco Bell admitted to their false information and apologized.
In 1989 in London many people gathered around a field to see the much talked about UFO that was circling the city. When it landed and the police came up to it they ran after seeing a small man in a tin suit come out of the UFO. Turns out the 36-year old inventor of this UFO-looking hot air balloon was forced to land after being drifted off course making his April Fool's joke come one day early.
Burger King anounced in 1999 for the first time ever a left-handed whopper. This ad was published in USA today and Burger King had to rebuttle there statement telling of it's falseness.
So what would be your best idea of an April Fool's joke? Get on this website for a list of practical jokes that would surely be for a good laugh.
Running
Running has never been one of my favorite types of workouts especially with my especially small 5'5" frame, but lately I have been exploring the idea of incorporating running into my regular routine.
I used to go to the Y and lift weights and work on machines, but since I've gotten married and had a child (not me personally, my wife!) I've noticed this bulge coming from the abdominal area (aka dunlap's disease).
Back in highshool I was smaller than most of my friends, but topped the scale at 200 pounds...a pretty hefty amount for a guy my size. I lifted weights in highschool and was bulky, but once I graduated and stopped my weights class my muscle went bye-bye.
At 20 I decided it was time for a change and right after I moved into my own home I started the Adkin's diet and working out. Some days I would get on the treadmill for over an hour and then lift weights. Pretty soon I had trimmed down and became a nice 150lbs. My wife even said the first thing she noticed about me was my big muscles. :)
So imagine what life and stress will do for most...I stopped the Adkin's diet and slowly became less and less active with the increased responsibilities in my life. Now I'm topping the scale at a 170lbs.
So that is why I am back running. Only this time I'm running outside -- with a friend -- on a daily basis and we are both trying to trim down our spare tire and train for the Boomtown day's 5K run. Eventually I would like to be in a half-marathon then a marathon. I'm not quite there yet, but I am getting there. Being physically active is essential for our health, physically and mentally.
I used to go to the Y and lift weights and work on machines, but since I've gotten married and had a child (not me personally, my wife!) I've noticed this bulge coming from the abdominal area (aka dunlap's disease).
Back in highshool I was smaller than most of my friends, but topped the scale at 200 pounds...a pretty hefty amount for a guy my size. I lifted weights in highschool and was bulky, but once I graduated and stopped my weights class my muscle went bye-bye.
At 20 I decided it was time for a change and right after I moved into my own home I started the Adkin's diet and working out. Some days I would get on the treadmill for over an hour and then lift weights. Pretty soon I had trimmed down and became a nice 150lbs. My wife even said the first thing she noticed about me was my big muscles. :)
So imagine what life and stress will do for most...I stopped the Adkin's diet and slowly became less and less active with the increased responsibilities in my life. Now I'm topping the scale at a 170lbs.
So that is why I am back running. Only this time I'm running outside -- with a friend -- on a daily basis and we are both trying to trim down our spare tire and train for the Boomtown day's 5K run. Eventually I would like to be in a half-marathon then a marathon. I'm not quite there yet, but I am getting there. Being physically active is essential for our health, physically and mentally.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Legal Marijuana Use
We have all heard about it: marijuana used strictly for medical purposes only.
Currently we have 14 states that have in some form or another legalized marijuana.
Interestingly, since the beginning of time marijuana has had many, many uses. The plant itself is used for fabric (hemp), rope, food, and even incense. It has also been viewed as a useful plant for many different things and only in the recent decade has it been considered a potential danger to people.
Marijuana has helpful for many things over time and was not ever used in terms of smoking until more recently.
Which brings me to the recent topic seen on msn.com: Wal-Mart employee fired for marijuana use. The 29 year-old fellow, a 5 year native to this particular Wal-mart suffers from an inoperable brain tumor and sinus cancer. Making just $27,000 he supports his two children on that income. After multiple attempts at routine pain medication this man was not responding well to it's typical pain relief. His physician used his last resort: prescribed him regular marijuana use. The fellow always carried his medical card stating he had a prescription for marijuana use, however he was only to use it at home and away from work.
This young man claims he never went to work high and was always careful when using and never ever smoked while on the job. However, after looking at Wal-Mart policies, the manager of the store opted for a random drug screen on him and fired him on the spot once finding the results.
The kicker is: can a medically prescribed drug prevent you from getting a job? It can in most states. If employers believe that you are potentially going to violate a policy that states "all employees who are a potential safety hazard or may cause negligence to customers must not remain employed" (I paraphrased) they may fire you.
Sadly enough, this man has spoked with many different lawyers and despite their own personal furry for his tragic situation they are unwilling to take on his case because of federal law. Federal law is held above state law. So this leaves this particular man in a sad predicament: he can't work because he has been given medical marijuana, but now he can't pay his bills. What do you do in a situation like this?? Live in constant pain while working or lose everything to be pain free?
I hope I'm never in this situation.
Currently we have 14 states that have in some form or another legalized marijuana.
Interestingly, since the beginning of time marijuana has had many, many uses. The plant itself is used for fabric (hemp), rope, food, and even incense. It has also been viewed as a useful plant for many different things and only in the recent decade has it been considered a potential danger to people.
Marijuana has helpful for many things over time and was not ever used in terms of smoking until more recently.
Which brings me to the recent topic seen on msn.com: Wal-Mart employee fired for marijuana use. The 29 year-old fellow, a 5 year native to this particular Wal-mart suffers from an inoperable brain tumor and sinus cancer. Making just $27,000 he supports his two children on that income. After multiple attempts at routine pain medication this man was not responding well to it's typical pain relief. His physician used his last resort: prescribed him regular marijuana use. The fellow always carried his medical card stating he had a prescription for marijuana use, however he was only to use it at home and away from work.
This young man claims he never went to work high and was always careful when using and never ever smoked while on the job. However, after looking at Wal-Mart policies, the manager of the store opted for a random drug screen on him and fired him on the spot once finding the results.
The kicker is: can a medically prescribed drug prevent you from getting a job? It can in most states. If employers believe that you are potentially going to violate a policy that states "all employees who are a potential safety hazard or may cause negligence to customers must not remain employed" (I paraphrased) they may fire you.
Sadly enough, this man has spoked with many different lawyers and despite their own personal furry for his tragic situation they are unwilling to take on his case because of federal law. Federal law is held above state law. So this leaves this particular man in a sad predicament: he can't work because he has been given medical marijuana, but now he can't pay his bills. What do you do in a situation like this?? Live in constant pain while working or lose everything to be pain free?
I hope I'm never in this situation.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
A "bump" along the way
This past Friday my wife woke me up bright and early, half crying, half crazy to tell me that she was pregnant (it was 6:30 in the morning and she was getting ready for work). After that was a blur as I held her while she wept on my shoulder before going to work her 12 hour shift.
My wife and I have decided that our plans never work out. Ever. Any time we make substantial plans they always go completely off course. Sometimes I wonder if it's God's hand making the plans or Satans (or both). In this case we had our next two years completely planned out:
1) I raise our daughter while go to school full time for a bachelor's degree
2) My wife work full time (and then some) to pay for our living expenses.
3) We attempt to pay off $6000 remaining balance on our second mortgage and then pay off my mother-in-law. After that we would have NO debt other than our house and school loans.
Once we found out about the pregnancy it left us in a scary position: my wife has no health insurance. We were picking out a plan through Anthem last week to buy it privately. Now no one will touch her with a 10 foot stick. This leaves us in a scary position: pay for all her medical costs out of pocket or get government assistance. My wife cringes at the thought of being on Medicaid however would it be worth it getting more in debt to have a baby in addition to having to save because my wife has no maternity leave???
So right now our plans have changed. Granted, we are THANKFUL to have this little one and even though he/she isn't coming at our optimal time, it is the Lord's timing for us and we are trying embrace the idea of having two little ones under the age of two (it's kind of scary!).
I'm trying not to freak out being a unemployed full-time student. I want to provide for my family and right now I am not and if I go out and get a job the most I would be making would be $10-$12. That is not enough for us to live off of. My wife keeps insisting that I stay in school, I say drop out at least of the time being. How can I work full time, take care of two kids, and go to school full time?? So there you have it. Our three goals for the next two years are somewhat up in the air right now. I don't know what we should do or what would be best for us right now.
All I know is that we need lots of prayer!
My wife and I have decided that our plans never work out. Ever. Any time we make substantial plans they always go completely off course. Sometimes I wonder if it's God's hand making the plans or Satans (or both). In this case we had our next two years completely planned out:
1) I raise our daughter while go to school full time for a bachelor's degree
2) My wife work full time (and then some) to pay for our living expenses.
3) We attempt to pay off $6000 remaining balance on our second mortgage and then pay off my mother-in-law. After that we would have NO debt other than our house and school loans.
Once we found out about the pregnancy it left us in a scary position: my wife has no health insurance. We were picking out a plan through Anthem last week to buy it privately. Now no one will touch her with a 10 foot stick. This leaves us in a scary position: pay for all her medical costs out of pocket or get government assistance. My wife cringes at the thought of being on Medicaid however would it be worth it getting more in debt to have a baby in addition to having to save because my wife has no maternity leave???
So right now our plans have changed. Granted, we are THANKFUL to have this little one and even though he/she isn't coming at our optimal time, it is the Lord's timing for us and we are trying embrace the idea of having two little ones under the age of two (it's kind of scary!).
I'm trying not to freak out being a unemployed full-time student. I want to provide for my family and right now I am not and if I go out and get a job the most I would be making would be $10-$12. That is not enough for us to live off of. My wife keeps insisting that I stay in school, I say drop out at least of the time being. How can I work full time, take care of two kids, and go to school full time?? So there you have it. Our three goals for the next two years are somewhat up in the air right now. I don't know what we should do or what would be best for us right now.
All I know is that we need lots of prayer!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Community Clinic
Due to my recent employment my family and I walked into some unknown territory. Losing my job was bad enough, but I also lost all insurance benefits. I was fired on October 30th, my benefits ended the 31st. At the beginning of November my wife and I were scrambling for private insurance. We first planned on using Cobra, but after looking over the package we were appalled at the cost: $1300.00/month for our current plan. I almost had a heart attack.
This has caused us to look into (for now) other means of obtaining adequate health care.
Here in Joplin you see two clinics: Family Access Care and The Joplin Community Clinic. Both are usually packed and hard to get into, but see people and base their pay on their current income. With the rise in unemployment rates rising to a staggering 10.4% currently more and more people are uninsured.
It makes sense then that you have to use the resources around to get the care you need and the use of health clinics are on the rise. It would also make sense the the government, who frequently helps support community clinics would focus more on these local resources to help families in need. Quite the contrary.
The story of a lady who deals with being uninsured is quite scary: this lady has a 5 week son who suffered from a stroke and menigitis and she has been currently taking him to the Family Access Care Clinic for regular visits. Recently the Missouri House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that cut $9.23 million dollar grant that is distributed to care clinics like FSimiamily Access Care.
Similarily, a clinic in Tulsa has had their funding cut short, stopping them from adding on to their ever growing facility. This facility has more than doubled their patient numbers in the last two years and are dealing with major sickness in tight quarters. Their bid to add on won't be addressed for at least another two years, making the addition to the clinic seem more like a dream rather than reality.
The "Family Van" has been visiting the Boston are since 1982, providing regular low cost/free medical screenings such as blood pressures saw a large budget cut last year. This van has been a resource utilized to the community and has helped recognized people at high risk for cardiovascular and pulmonary disorders.
So you see? The need for health care assistance is ever rising, don't cut a resource out of our community. The need will never go away. Obesity is here to stay and so are all the health risks and diseases that go with it. Makes me sick, literally.
This has caused us to look into (for now) other means of obtaining adequate health care.
Here in Joplin you see two clinics: Family Access Care and The Joplin Community Clinic. Both are usually packed and hard to get into, but see people and base their pay on their current income. With the rise in unemployment rates rising to a staggering 10.4% currently more and more people are uninsured.
It makes sense then that you have to use the resources around to get the care you need and the use of health clinics are on the rise. It would also make sense the the government, who frequently helps support community clinics would focus more on these local resources to help families in need. Quite the contrary.
The story of a lady who deals with being uninsured is quite scary: this lady has a 5 week son who suffered from a stroke and menigitis and she has been currently taking him to the Family Access Care Clinic for regular visits. Recently the Missouri House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that cut $9.23 million dollar grant that is distributed to care clinics like FSimiamily Access Care.
Similarily, a clinic in Tulsa has had their funding cut short, stopping them from adding on to their ever growing facility. This facility has more than doubled their patient numbers in the last two years and are dealing with major sickness in tight quarters. Their bid to add on won't be addressed for at least another two years, making the addition to the clinic seem more like a dream rather than reality.
The "Family Van" has been visiting the Boston are since 1982, providing regular low cost/free medical screenings such as blood pressures saw a large budget cut last year. This van has been a resource utilized to the community and has helped recognized people at high risk for cardiovascular and pulmonary disorders.
So you see? The need for health care assistance is ever rising, don't cut a resource out of our community. The need will never go away. Obesity is here to stay and so are all the health risks and diseases that go with it. Makes me sick, literally.
Home Improvement
Since I was younger I've always enjoyed hands-on projects. I helped my dad do handy-man projects at the house and when I was in junior high I built my own chicken coop and raised my own chickens. My dad showed me how to install a hot water heater when I was in my teens. Doing all these projects only facilitated my thirst for all home improvements.
When I was 21 I bought my own home. I owned it for one year when I helped put on a new roof. When my wife and I were serious we tore up all the carpet in the house and refinished the hardwoods. We also put a new ceiling in my bedroom.
After my wife and I got married we bought a flip home for $8,000. That turned out to be a disaster, but we didn't know it at the time. We financed for an additional $8,000 and an additional $16,000 we finished it. The home went up for sale for $41,000 and this all happened the time the housing market went to the toilet. We ended up selling it to an 80 year-old lady (who was buying rentals to invest in her retirement) for a lovely $22,000. We lost our pants on the deal. All those months of spending weekends/evenings at the place making the house that was once infested with cats urinating all over the hardwood floors to a home that smelled and was livable.
That being said the house we are living in now we have almost completely remodeled. I did all the tile in the bathroom (working on the 2nd bathroom now) and am planning puttin in Allure flooring in the kitchen/hallway plus putting in a small picket fence in our front yard. I think I'm a glutten for punishment. It seems every single time I start a project it always costs double what we estimated and takes twice as long. Yet I get burnt out and decide never to do another home improvement project 3 months down the road I put myself back into yet another project!
I think my business degree will help me get a better job, but won't let me do what I love to do: anything with my hands that involves working on a home. I say sometimes I hate it, but I really do enjoy this kind of work. I wish I could make big money doing construction or flipping homes, but my last experience has put a bad taste in my mouth.
If you ever need anything done give me a call. If anything I have all the tools you need, probably.
When I was 21 I bought my own home. I owned it for one year when I helped put on a new roof. When my wife and I were serious we tore up all the carpet in the house and refinished the hardwoods. We also put a new ceiling in my bedroom.
After my wife and I got married we bought a flip home for $8,000. That turned out to be a disaster, but we didn't know it at the time. We financed for an additional $8,000 and an additional $16,000 we finished it. The home went up for sale for $41,000 and this all happened the time the housing market went to the toilet. We ended up selling it to an 80 year-old lady (who was buying rentals to invest in her retirement) for a lovely $22,000. We lost our pants on the deal. All those months of spending weekends/evenings at the place making the house that was once infested with cats urinating all over the hardwood floors to a home that smelled and was livable.
That being said the house we are living in now we have almost completely remodeled. I did all the tile in the bathroom (working on the 2nd bathroom now) and am planning puttin in Allure flooring in the kitchen/hallway plus putting in a small picket fence in our front yard. I think I'm a glutten for punishment. It seems every single time I start a project it always costs double what we estimated and takes twice as long. Yet I get burnt out and decide never to do another home improvement project 3 months down the road I put myself back into yet another project!
I think my business degree will help me get a better job, but won't let me do what I love to do: anything with my hands that involves working on a home. I say sometimes I hate it, but I really do enjoy this kind of work. I wish I could make big money doing construction or flipping homes, but my last experience has put a bad taste in my mouth.
If you ever need anything done give me a call. If anything I have all the tools you need, probably.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The reality of reality TV
Every time I turn on the channel I see yet another reality TV show. On primetime television you will see The Bachelor or The Biggest Loser or Dancing with the Stars. Switch to TLC and you'll see 19 Kids and Counting, or how about HGTV The Biggest Bang for your Buck or Holmes on Homes. They are on every stinkin' channel.I get so sick of seeing all these people ready to have their 5 seconds of fame.
We know how it can all go sour. It's hard to miss the recent events of Jon and Kate plus 8 and their ugly breakup or The Bathelor how one of girls slept with someone behind the camera (I think a producer). It really gross.
What makes these shows so appealing for so many people? They gross some of the highest revenue out of all the shows on tv today. The Biggest Loser is among the top rated. Is it really that entertaining to watch large people kills themselves with a nazi trainer yelling in their ear? Is it really that entertaining to watch them drip with sweat and puke with overcoming nausea while they wail in agony? What fun is it to watch people suffer?
I try to stay away from as much reality tv as I can. My daughter and I watch some Disney morning shows, completely void of reality tv. Then I go to redbox and rent the latest flick to get my kicks. It's far more entertaining anyway.
We know how it can all go sour. It's hard to miss the recent events of Jon and Kate plus 8 and their ugly breakup or The Bathelor how one of girls slept with someone behind the camera (I think a producer). It really gross.
What makes these shows so appealing for so many people? They gross some of the highest revenue out of all the shows on tv today. The Biggest Loser is among the top rated. Is it really that entertaining to watch large people kills themselves with a nazi trainer yelling in their ear? Is it really that entertaining to watch them drip with sweat and puke with overcoming nausea while they wail in agony? What fun is it to watch people suffer?
I try to stay away from as much reality tv as I can. My daughter and I watch some Disney morning shows, completely void of reality tv. Then I go to redbox and rent the latest flick to get my kicks. It's far more entertaining anyway.
South Paw
Let's face it: most of the amentities in existence are made for the right-handed person. Anything from scissors, desks, peelers, baseball mitts, power tools, and pens/pencils all cater to the right-handed person.
It was interesting for me because I grew up being a lefty (I think maybe my distant great-uncle might have been a lefty), but otherwise there is no first degree relative who is left-handed. Imagine my surprise when I started dating my wife and found out something interesting: we are both left handed. There is no family that she knows of who is left handed other than her father who could have been as a child, but in the 1950s it was socially unacceptable to be anything different than right-handed (thus he grew up writing right handed).
While no studies are conclusive about what it means to be a lefty they have found a strong connectiong between being a South Paw and specific diseases: celiac disease, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, dyslexia, ulcerative colitis, stuttering, myasthenia gravis, and are more prone to alcohol and nicotine abuse.
Some studies link advantages to be left-handed such as: better recovery after a brain injury, greater emotional expressivity with the face, and better spatial relations. Left handers also have some advantages at some sports such as baseball and tennis.
The determination of which hand is dominent is undecided though possibly the combination of strong genetics and a human genome, although they are unsure of which one at this time.
Only 10% of the population are left handed...my wife and I make up that minority. Other than occasional discrimination with daily use of thing especially scissors we make do just fine. It fact it has encouraged us to become more ambidextrous in nature. My wife and cut using scissor with her right hand better than her left. I bat right-handed. I throw right-handed. Those are just a few I could think of.
So far my daughter has shown right-handed tendencies. My wife and I don't know what we are going to do. Trying to teach her anything will be a challenge for the both of us!
It was interesting for me because I grew up being a lefty (I think maybe my distant great-uncle might have been a lefty), but otherwise there is no first degree relative who is left-handed. Imagine my surprise when I started dating my wife and found out something interesting: we are both left handed. There is no family that she knows of who is left handed other than her father who could have been as a child, but in the 1950s it was socially unacceptable to be anything different than right-handed (thus he grew up writing right handed).
While no studies are conclusive about what it means to be a lefty they have found a strong connectiong between being a South Paw and specific diseases: celiac disease, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, dyslexia, ulcerative colitis, stuttering, myasthenia gravis, and are more prone to alcohol and nicotine abuse.
Some studies link advantages to be left-handed such as: better recovery after a brain injury, greater emotional expressivity with the face, and better spatial relations. Left handers also have some advantages at some sports such as baseball and tennis.
The determination of which hand is dominent is undecided though possibly the combination of strong genetics and a human genome, although they are unsure of which one at this time.
Only 10% of the population are left handed...my wife and I make up that minority. Other than occasional discrimination with daily use of thing especially scissors we make do just fine. It fact it has encouraged us to become more ambidextrous in nature. My wife and cut using scissor with her right hand better than her left. I bat right-handed. I throw right-handed. Those are just a few I could think of.
So far my daughter has shown right-handed tendencies. My wife and I don't know what we are going to do. Trying to teach her anything will be a challenge for the both of us!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Everyday Heroes
The media's general focus is the latest celebrity scam or recent speeches from the White House....we all look at the bigger events that are happening....why not take a minute to go over the smaller seemingly insignificant events that happen on a daily basis?
Where has our focus shifted to? The latest fads at the Emmys, Angelina Jolie's relationship with Brad Pitt, and more recently, Mary-Kay Olsen's split with her boyfriend. Who really gives a crap!
We don't see MSN.COM or YAHOO.COM fill their pages with the giving American's all over the country. We don't see the smaller events that occur all the time that make a large impact on our society as a whole.
In Chicago an elderly lady was at an airport when she noticed a man with shiny shoes. She always thought highly of people who wore shiny black shoes. She made a comment to that man. Soon after she found out that her flight was delayed overnight and she would be stuck at the airport unable to afford a hotel room.
The man with the shiny shoes not only gave her dinner, but paid for her stay at a luxury hotel where a limo was waiting for her in the morning to take her back to the airport.
In Michigan, a fellow won a small lottery in the amount of $10,000. While most of us would take the money to buy us something or pay off debt, he donated the entire amount to the local United Way Chapter.
In California, a 5 year-old girl was walking down the street with her parents when she saw a man with a cardboard sign. Feeling compassion for that man she took big steps to help feed the homeless and hungry. Her goal? To raise $1,000 in two months to donate to the local food pantry. Initially she wrote over 150 letters to her family friends requesting soda cans to recycle to help feed the hungry. The response was huge. Soon her class at school was involved and pretty soon she was getting money in the mail from all over the state. In two months she raised over $3,700.00.
In Pennsylvania, a 95 year-old man, a barber for 37 years passed away. Never married with no children, this man spent the majority of his life in his little barber shop giving cuts to men and women. A charismatic and compassionate man, as described by his customers, this man was alawys helping somebody. At the time of his death, the sum of $800,000 a modest savings from this fellow was donated by his request to a local foundation that helped young and old with physicial and developmental disabilities.
It's the smaller acts of kindness that make a biggest difference in our lives. They may not gain a headline in a newspaper or on TV, but will have a huge impact on those around us. Never underestimate the power of kindness in people.
Where has our focus shifted to? The latest fads at the Emmys, Angelina Jolie's relationship with Brad Pitt, and more recently, Mary-Kay Olsen's split with her boyfriend. Who really gives a crap!
We don't see MSN.COM or YAHOO.COM fill their pages with the giving American's all over the country. We don't see the smaller events that occur all the time that make a large impact on our society as a whole.
In Chicago an elderly lady was at an airport when she noticed a man with shiny shoes. She always thought highly of people who wore shiny black shoes. She made a comment to that man. Soon after she found out that her flight was delayed overnight and she would be stuck at the airport unable to afford a hotel room.
The man with the shiny shoes not only gave her dinner, but paid for her stay at a luxury hotel where a limo was waiting for her in the morning to take her back to the airport.
In Michigan, a fellow won a small lottery in the amount of $10,000. While most of us would take the money to buy us something or pay off debt, he donated the entire amount to the local United Way Chapter.
In California, a 5 year-old girl was walking down the street with her parents when she saw a man with a cardboard sign. Feeling compassion for that man she took big steps to help feed the homeless and hungry. Her goal? To raise $1,000 in two months to donate to the local food pantry. Initially she wrote over 150 letters to her family friends requesting soda cans to recycle to help feed the hungry. The response was huge. Soon her class at school was involved and pretty soon she was getting money in the mail from all over the state. In two months she raised over $3,700.00.
In Pennsylvania, a 95 year-old man, a barber for 37 years passed away. Never married with no children, this man spent the majority of his life in his little barber shop giving cuts to men and women. A charismatic and compassionate man, as described by his customers, this man was alawys helping somebody. At the time of his death, the sum of $800,000 a modest savings from this fellow was donated by his request to a local foundation that helped young and old with physicial and developmental disabilities.
It's the smaller acts of kindness that make a biggest difference in our lives. They may not gain a headline in a newspaper or on TV, but will have a huge impact on those around us. Never underestimate the power of kindness in people.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Role Reversal
As I stepped into the role of being a stay-at-home dad while I went to school full time I didn't realize what I was getting into.
I thought it would be easy...simple...I could work out when my wife got home from work, I would do school work while our daughter played, I would have quality bonding time with my daughter, and we would have ample family time.
Then reality set in.....working out became even harder to do as my wife gets home later and later, doing homework is a joke when she plays because she is always looking for something to get into, and family time?? Every day my wife is off I go off to do school work (I'm taking four online courses) which gives us even less family time than before I became unemployed.
The role of being a stay-at-home has a lot more than to it then fun days of being home and enjoying your children. It has endless cleaning, dishes, laundry, snotty noses, poopy diapers, baths, naps, soothing of crankines, just to name a few. Many days my wife has come home and I have been so thankful to have her home with us, just to help share the load of household chores (and help soothe our cranky daughter who has gotten tired of being in the house with me all day).
On the flip side of that, I have really enjoyed all the time I have gotten to spend with my precious little one. The moments I relish the most are when she climbs into my lap and brings me her books and I read her the books as she listens so intently to what I have to say. Those moments in our long day at home make it so much sweeter. I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to have the roles reversed and spend time at home. It has definitely given me a new appreciation to stay-at-home moms. It can be so very rough, but very rewarding.
I thought it would be easy...simple...I could work out when my wife got home from work, I would do school work while our daughter played, I would have quality bonding time with my daughter, and we would have ample family time.
Then reality set in.....working out became even harder to do as my wife gets home later and later, doing homework is a joke when she plays because she is always looking for something to get into, and family time?? Every day my wife is off I go off to do school work (I'm taking four online courses) which gives us even less family time than before I became unemployed.
The role of being a stay-at-home has a lot more than to it then fun days of being home and enjoying your children. It has endless cleaning, dishes, laundry, snotty noses, poopy diapers, baths, naps, soothing of crankines, just to name a few. Many days my wife has come home and I have been so thankful to have her home with us, just to help share the load of household chores (and help soothe our cranky daughter who has gotten tired of being in the house with me all day).
On the flip side of that, I have really enjoyed all the time I have gotten to spend with my precious little one. The moments I relish the most are when she climbs into my lap and brings me her books and I read her the books as she listens so intently to what I have to say. Those moments in our long day at home make it so much sweeter. I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to have the roles reversed and spend time at home. It has definitely given me a new appreciation to stay-at-home moms. It can be so very rough, but very rewarding.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
To Treadmill or not to treadmill?
As the married pounds pack on me it's easy for me to not care about taking care of myself "I'm married now, I've got the girl, who cares." Unfortunately this kind of sentiment rarely works as my wife calls me the female in the relationship.
Coming from a larger family I battle with my weight. I'm shorter than most men (my wife is taller than me) and from grade school to high school I battled my weight. At 20 I went on the Adkin's Diet and dropped a necessary 40lbs off my frame and became what I was told "buff."
Sad to say that as the years have gone on and the stress and responsibility of life has gotten greater the pounds have gradually come back one.
It doesn't help that my wife has always been naturally thin and lost her 40lbs of baby weight in 3 months and I look at a cookie and gain weight.
So I have decided that while I'm the stay at home dad that I have to do something physical while I am at home. Tonight we are looking at treadmills and and are going to decide if that is a worthy investment.
My friends tell me it isn't....I will end up using it for a clothes hanger and it will collect dust. You think they are right?? I just can't see that....sometimes when I'm home and my daughter is asleep I get an itch to start running. That's when I think that a treadmill will come in handy.
I don't know yet...I will keep you posted.
Coming from a larger family I battle with my weight. I'm shorter than most men (my wife is taller than me) and from grade school to high school I battled my weight. At 20 I went on the Adkin's Diet and dropped a necessary 40lbs off my frame and became what I was told "buff."
Sad to say that as the years have gone on and the stress and responsibility of life has gotten greater the pounds have gradually come back one.
It doesn't help that my wife has always been naturally thin and lost her 40lbs of baby weight in 3 months and I look at a cookie and gain weight.
So I have decided that while I'm the stay at home dad that I have to do something physical while I am at home. Tonight we are looking at treadmills and and are going to decide if that is a worthy investment.
My friends tell me it isn't....I will end up using it for a clothes hanger and it will collect dust. You think they are right?? I just can't see that....sometimes when I'm home and my daughter is asleep I get an itch to start running. That's when I think that a treadmill will come in handy.
I don't know yet...I will keep you posted.
Customer of Size
With the recent headlines of Kevin Smith, a popular director of Superbad and other comedy-related movies had made me think twice about flying with Southwest Airlines.
Smith, who was traveling on board a Southwest Airlines was asked to get off the plane after the flight attendants told him he didn't fit in the seats.
In all truth, the famous director had situated himself in his seat and had actually lowered the arm rests. It was argued however (as he Tweeted about this) that he "spilled" too much over into the next seat that he was taking up unnecessary room for the passenger seated beside him.
A big no-no for those that decided to kick him off the plane after he threw a fit (naturally). Who knew this would get so much publicity. If you look at his Tweeter he was quite graphic and crude in nature in defense to his situation. Now Southwest Airlines looks like the bad guy for being considerate to other passengers.
That being said we all know that by far America is fat. Well, most of us. We walk around Wal-Mart and see a large portion (no pun intended) of bigger-than-normal folks. They already suffer enough humiliation for their larger than life size.
For some older folk you can recall the days where flying you used to be fun and relaxing. Now with all our recent terrorist events as one lady put it "it became a herding of cattle." By the time you make it through 15 security points you finally get on your plan, tired from being at the airport two hours early not to mention hungry and thirsty. Then what do you get? A cup of water, not one drop of food (unless you pay $15 for a bag of dried fruit) and you get off hot, tired, and grumpy.
Go a step further and feel for the fat person. They get on the plane, all squished to begin with, and have to sit next to people who are generally smaller than you and you have to go above your pride and ask for the seatbelt extender. God forbid you actually have to sit in the middle seat....no using the bathroom for you, hope you can hold it.
In Southwest Airlines defense the policy for "Customers of Size" is pretty clear:
"Customers who are unable to lower both armrests and/or who compromise any portion of adjacent seating should proactively book the number of seats needed prior to travel. The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats and measures 17 inches in width. This purchase serves as a notification of a special seating need and allows us to process a refund of the additional seating cost after travel (provided the flight doesn’t oversell). Most importantly, it ensures that all onboard have access to safe and comfortable seating. "
What do you do when the majority their customers are unable to or can barely fit their seat? Accomodate to their size and create larger seats? Lets face the facts, America isn't getting any smaller and whether or not Southwest Airline admits it, they will eventually have to address the issue otherwise people will have to start buying two seats no matter what or they will kick everyone off the plane.
Smith did Tweet that he usually buys two seats, not because he's too big, but because he likes having the seat next to him empty. Can't say as I blame him. Flying is far from a pleasurable experience anymore.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Electricity Rates
It's unfortunate that costs continue to rise for just about everything: food, gas, interest ratest for credit cards, clothing, etc, etc. now Empire Electric Company is talking about raising costs for Kansas and Missouri users. Several recent in the Joplin Globe articles are indicating that Empire Electric is seeking to increase the cost of electricty by 20% for Missouri users and 25% for Kansas users or $25/monthly for the average electricity user. The rationale behind this? To help cover the $5.2 million dollar expenses for recent changes in their system. The "system" changes hasn't been evaluated fully and no one really knows the actual systems they need to help financially cover.
Fortunately, more recent events. Looking at a more recent article it states:
" David Springe, consumer counsel for the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, says the public should be aware when a hearing on the request is scheduled and turn out in force.
The Kansas Corporation Commission isn’t expected to act on the increase before next summer. "
In the last week there have been several public meetings with Kansas citizens to advocate on their behalf and show the financial detriment this would be on the average user.
Surprisingly, there lacks a commission in the state of Missouri that is currently working on our behalf to resist this increase in electricity prices. What can we do to help? I don't really know maybe form a commission to work on our behalf. It's sad to say we will see a significant increase in our bill only to not do anything about it.
Fortunately, more recent events. Looking at a more recent article it states:
" David Springe, consumer counsel for the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, says the public should be aware when a hearing on the request is scheduled and turn out in force.
The Kansas Corporation Commission isn’t expected to act on the increase before next summer. "
In the last week there have been several public meetings with Kansas citizens to advocate on their behalf and show the financial detriment this would be on the average user.
Surprisingly, there lacks a commission in the state of Missouri that is currently working on our behalf to resist this increase in electricity prices. What can we do to help? I don't really know maybe form a commission to work on our behalf. It's sad to say we will see a significant increase in our bill only to not do anything about it.
Finite Math
This topic makes me shudder. Currently I am taking all online courses....it has its benefits and downfalls. I'm am naturally an auditory and visual learner (most are) and the lack of that stimuli has left much to be desired.
So far, fortunately, I have fared okay with my online courses up until this semester.
Currently I am enrolled in Finite Math with the head of the Math Department. Sound nice, huh?
This class from the get go has been a knock-down drag out kind of class. I am an ant with a kid putting a magnifying glass over me...well, that's how I feel right now.
I've been a big boy about this class so far however. I am being tutored by the Learning Center (as often as they will let me and as often as my busy stay-at-home dad schedule will allow) and that has helped a little, however, as soon as I take an online quiz the sweat starts beading up on my forehead. So far I have failed a few of the quizzes. They are worth 40% of my total grade. I have a midterm in a a few weeks. I emailed the professor expressing my concerns. He offered his assistance which I will take him up upon, but I feel like a loser for my inability to grasp this kind of math. Am I stupid??
Any advice??
In the meantime I will just sit back and watch my already receding hairline continue to grow sparser and my gut continue to expand. Oh boy.
So far, fortunately, I have fared okay with my online courses up until this semester.
Currently I am enrolled in Finite Math with the head of the Math Department. Sound nice, huh?
This class from the get go has been a knock-down drag out kind of class. I am an ant with a kid putting a magnifying glass over me...well, that's how I feel right now.
I've been a big boy about this class so far however. I am being tutored by the Learning Center (as often as they will let me and as often as my busy stay-at-home dad schedule will allow) and that has helped a little, however, as soon as I take an online quiz the sweat starts beading up on my forehead. So far I have failed a few of the quizzes. They are worth 40% of my total grade. I have a midterm in a a few weeks. I emailed the professor expressing my concerns. He offered his assistance which I will take him up upon, but I feel like a loser for my inability to grasp this kind of math. Am I stupid??
Any advice??
In the meantime I will just sit back and watch my already receding hairline continue to grow sparser and my gut continue to expand. Oh boy.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Abuse of Eminent Domain in Joplin
Everywhere we look here in town there seems to be construction and widening of roads. The latest construction are is between 20th St-32nd St on Connecticut. The road has been closed for 6 months or more.
They are also currently surveying the strip of East 7th St. that connects with 249. It's evident that the traffic on this road has increased significantly since the opening of 249, but it's also evident that once again the City of Joplin is exercising it's authority of flashing their rights to the private landowner.
For those of you who are unaware of what exactly eminent domain is do yourself a favor and visit the following website. This will tell you in great detail what to expect with eminent domain.
To sum it up for those who are too lazy to view this website it's the 5th Amendment that allows the government to possess private property for public use. This Amendment is exercised mostly for the widening of roads. However, in a recently article by CBS there is another growing trend.
Many gaps exist in the domain process and in some cities there are private developers that are taking full advantage. A private landowner must give up his land if a developer can prove to the city governement that by ceazing the land will cause an increase in land value and personal property taxes. To make it easy: governement will boot the currently landowner and tear down the home and let a private developer build a bigger home that will generate more revenue for the city. Sound crazy?? It happens. Take for example the story in the CBS article (this is all direct quoting, I did NOT paraphrase this:
"Jim and Joanne Saleet are refusing to sell the home they've lived in for 38 years. They live in a quiet neighborhood of single-family houses in Lakewood, Ohio, just outside Cleveland.
The City of Lakewood is trying to use eminent domain to force the Saleets out to make way for more expensive condominiums. But the Saleets are telling the town, "Hell no! They won't go."
“The bottom line is this is morally wrong, what they're doing here. This is our home. And we're going to stay here. And I'm gonna fight them tooth and nail. I've just begun to fight,” says Jim Saleet.
“We talked about this when we were dating. I used to point to the houses and say, 'Joanne, one of these days we're going to have one of these houses.' And I meant it. And I worked hard.”
Jim Saleet worked in the pharmaceutical industry, paid off his house and then retired. Now, he and his wife plan to spend the rest of their days there, and pass their house on to their children.
But Lakewood's mayor, Madeleine Cain, has other plans. She wants to tear down the Saleets' home, plus 55 homes around it, along with four apartment buildings and more than a dozen businesses. "
Is this not sickening??
This struck home for me due to the City of Joplin will be exercising its authority once again in 2 years or less as they widen the road I live on.
However, on the bright side of things, recent petitions in the state of Missouri could limit the 5th Amendment by not allowing the posession of private property for monetary gains. We shall see how that pans out.
They are also currently surveying the strip of East 7th St. that connects with 249. It's evident that the traffic on this road has increased significantly since the opening of 249, but it's also evident that once again the City of Joplin is exercising it's authority of flashing their rights to the private landowner.
For those of you who are unaware of what exactly eminent domain is do yourself a favor and visit the following website. This will tell you in great detail what to expect with eminent domain.
To sum it up for those who are too lazy to view this website it's the 5th Amendment that allows the government to possess private property for public use. This Amendment is exercised mostly for the widening of roads. However, in a recently article by CBS there is another growing trend.
Many gaps exist in the domain process and in some cities there are private developers that are taking full advantage. A private landowner must give up his land if a developer can prove to the city governement that by ceazing the land will cause an increase in land value and personal property taxes. To make it easy: governement will boot the currently landowner and tear down the home and let a private developer build a bigger home that will generate more revenue for the city. Sound crazy?? It happens. Take for example the story in the CBS article (this is all direct quoting, I did NOT paraphrase this:
"Jim and Joanne Saleet are refusing to sell the home they've lived in for 38 years. They live in a quiet neighborhood of single-family houses in Lakewood, Ohio, just outside Cleveland.
The City of Lakewood is trying to use eminent domain to force the Saleets out to make way for more expensive condominiums. But the Saleets are telling the town, "Hell no! They won't go."
“The bottom line is this is morally wrong, what they're doing here. This is our home. And we're going to stay here. And I'm gonna fight them tooth and nail. I've just begun to fight,” says Jim Saleet.
“We talked about this when we were dating. I used to point to the houses and say, 'Joanne, one of these days we're going to have one of these houses.' And I meant it. And I worked hard.”
Jim Saleet worked in the pharmaceutical industry, paid off his house and then retired. Now, he and his wife plan to spend the rest of their days there, and pass their house on to their children.
But Lakewood's mayor, Madeleine Cain, has other plans. She wants to tear down the Saleets' home, plus 55 homes around it, along with four apartment buildings and more than a dozen businesses. "
Is this not sickening??
This struck home for me due to the City of Joplin will be exercising its authority once again in 2 years or less as they widen the road I live on.
However, on the bright side of things, recent petitions in the state of Missouri could limit the 5th Amendment by not allowing the posession of private property for monetary gains. We shall see how that pans out.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Facebook exposure
I finally broke down and got a Facebook profile about 6 months ago after the horrible nagging of my wife. You see, my wife has an addiction. A Facebook addiction. There is not one day that goes by that she won't get on Facebook to "check friend's status' " or "post some pictures." The list goes on and on. Fortunately for her, it's a great way to stay connected with old friends from St. Louis (where she grew up) and also maintain (somewhat) her social life. I find that in some ways Facebook is the new email or new forum. People feel free to post whatever they like, inappropriate or not, on Facebook.
Take for example, my wife's recent facebook status: Do you still continue to produce breastmilk once you've stopped breastfeeding for six months?
My jaw dropped. Seriously?? Did my wife just put something that personal on Facebook? And not all her friends are females on Facebook, she has plenty of males that read it as well. What makes her think that putting something of that personal nature on Facebook for everyone to read? She didn't see anything wrong with this post. She argued that there is such thing as freedom of speech. I continued to bicker with her "would you say the things you say on Facebook to people personally, as in, up in their faces??" She says she would and that everyone is known to post personal things on Facebook...well, most of the time.
Unfortunately, I too have been guilty of posting the "TMI" of my life (too much information for those of you who don't know what that means).
Take for example, the birth of our daughter 16 months ago. The birthing process was nothing short of amazing (and gross) and I felt it was necessary to capture the entire adventure on tape...and with my camera. Fortunately our little video tape is now tucked into my wife's bottom dresser drawer for privacy purposes but my photographs...well that's another story.
Let me just say before I go on that this was not done intentionally to embarass my wife. This was a mindless stupid error that I will forever pay for the rest of my life.
Excitedly I got onto my wife's Facebook to post the most candid moments of Averi's birth....all of which I knew were tastful in nature and was sure to excite those who were waiting to see pictures of our first daughter.
I uploaded the pictures -- 20 to be exact -- and waited for all the feedback from the pictures.
Instead of feedback, I got a phone call...from my brother in law (my wife's younger brother).
He cleared his throat "um...Matt, I saw those pictures on Facebook of Jess and Averi, man they were great but..." he finishes quickly "I saw my sister's boobs on Facebook and I just thought you would like to know." He ended the conversation quickly. My face reddened. My poor wife. Along with her brother many others had already viewed these porn-like graphic images on Facebook.
I broke down and told my wife who insisted that I delete them immediately (which I did as quickly as I could).
Lesson learned: sometime the openness of the world wide web can be scary and you should always be careful what you say...and what you post....on Facebook.
Now to go update my Facebook status.....
Take for example, my wife's recent facebook status: Do you still continue to produce breastmilk once you've stopped breastfeeding for six months?
My jaw dropped. Seriously?? Did my wife just put something that personal on Facebook? And not all her friends are females on Facebook, she has plenty of males that read it as well. What makes her think that putting something of that personal nature on Facebook for everyone to read? She didn't see anything wrong with this post. She argued that there is such thing as freedom of speech. I continued to bicker with her "would you say the things you say on Facebook to people personally, as in, up in their faces??" She says she would and that everyone is known to post personal things on Facebook...well, most of the time.
Unfortunately, I too have been guilty of posting the "TMI" of my life (too much information for those of you who don't know what that means).
Take for example, the birth of our daughter 16 months ago. The birthing process was nothing short of amazing (and gross) and I felt it was necessary to capture the entire adventure on tape...and with my camera. Fortunately our little video tape is now tucked into my wife's bottom dresser drawer for privacy purposes but my photographs...well that's another story.
Let me just say before I go on that this was not done intentionally to embarass my wife. This was a mindless stupid error that I will forever pay for the rest of my life.
Excitedly I got onto my wife's Facebook to post the most candid moments of Averi's birth....all of which I knew were tastful in nature and was sure to excite those who were waiting to see pictures of our first daughter.
I uploaded the pictures -- 20 to be exact -- and waited for all the feedback from the pictures.
Instead of feedback, I got a phone call...from my brother in law (my wife's younger brother).
He cleared his throat "um...Matt, I saw those pictures on Facebook of Jess and Averi, man they were great but..." he finishes quickly "I saw my sister's boobs on Facebook and I just thought you would like to know." He ended the conversation quickly. My face reddened. My poor wife. Along with her brother many others had already viewed these porn-like graphic images on Facebook.
I broke down and told my wife who insisted that I delete them immediately (which I did as quickly as I could).
Lesson learned: sometime the openness of the world wide web can be scary and you should always be careful what you say...and what you post....on Facebook.
Now to go update my Facebook status.....
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Covenant Marriage Law -- worthy investment?
The thought of divorce never crosses our minds when we walk up to say I Do's to the love of our life, but as reality sets in, sometimes that word never leaves our mind. According to a recent article in the Miami News-Record, divorce costs state-government millions and millions of dollars annually (see http://www.miaminewsrecord.com/articles/2010/01/14/news/doc4b4fafe3d193c245225626.txt) The effects of divorce are domino in nature -- it can have many detrimental effects for the family and children involved. Say for instance your mom divorces your dad (a common thing nowadays) and your mom is left with a small child support check and has to go out and get a full time job. She doesn't make quite enough to support you and your siblings so she turns to the government for Medicaid and food stamps, which she qualifies for because she is at or below the considered poverty level. Your mom struggles and you are in a lower-income home. This puts you at risk for poverty living as an adult yourself. This also makes you 12 times more likely to be incarcerated, three times more to be expelled, and 7 times more likely to live in poor living conditions. You are also more susceptible to abuse illegal substances and develop mental health diseases.
Many state governments recognize that the high rate of divorce is costing them so much money they are stepping up and attempting to regulate morality. In the states of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Arizona, state governments are offering monetary rewards for premarital counseling and are offering couples that are tying the knot the option of signing a covenant marriage license.
This type of marriage license has many pros and cons .
Pros can include:
"The guy I was married to informed me that as long as he doesn't hit me with a closed fist, it is NOT abuse. And it would not result in a felony arrest. And even if it DID, as long as HE didn't want to divorce, guess what? I would not get a divorce. And this is how the courts here are interpreting the law. It is scary and frightening."
"Not only that, but in cases such as mine, the future bride to be is emotionally blackmailed into a covenant marriage because "obviously you dont think this will work out and you don't love me enough and you must not want our marriage to work."
To read further in detail about Covenant Marriage Laws in the participating states you are incouraged to read this the details about the laws are enlightening.
While the sadness of high divorce rates still continue I think that perhaps steps should be taken prior to marriage. Making divorce more difficult to obtain can potentially block abused women (or men) from getting out of a dangerous situation. Lets look more into premarital counseling or maybe longer engagements. Nip the problem in the bud before it can happen. Either way the high divorce rates have a scary effect on our society and our economy. Who wants to be a statistic? If you are afraid then don't marry that person. Get advice from your parents or someone else you respect. Love is blinding. Reality is not.
Many state governments recognize that the high rate of divorce is costing them so much money they are stepping up and attempting to regulate morality. In the states of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Arizona, state governments are offering monetary rewards for premarital counseling and are offering couples that are tying the knot the option of signing a covenant marriage license.
This type of marriage license has many pros and cons .
Pros can include:
- Premarital counseling and counseling before ending in divorce
- No-fault divorce isn't an option
- A potential for lengthy divorce process which would in turn discourage the involving couple and possiblt cause them to re-evaluate the reasoning behind divorce.
- Divorce could have a more costly influence on the couple thus continuing to discourage the couple
Cons include:
- Religious in nature, as described by some critics
- There are three only acceptable reasons for divorce: felony, abuse, adultery and even so if it isn't prove (jail time doesn't count) the abused spouse may be forced to stay with the spouse.
- The couple may go to another state not recognizing the covenant marriage law and get a divorce.
- Court may not look twice at you if you file for divorce unless you have two years of separation and have proof you haven't been living together.
- It gives more authority to the government to regulate your marriage.
You can read one lady's scary story:
"Abuse has to be proven, and it seems only physical abuse is acceptable AND only IF the spouse is beating you up in court. Adultery, the courts will just mandate counseling for two years, and even after the counseling, if one spouse doesn't want a divorce...guess what? You must stay married. Felony, there has to be actual jail time.""The guy I was married to informed me that as long as he doesn't hit me with a closed fist, it is NOT abuse. And it would not result in a felony arrest. And even if it DID, as long as HE didn't want to divorce, guess what? I would not get a divorce. And this is how the courts here are interpreting the law. It is scary and frightening."
"Not only that, but in cases such as mine, the future bride to be is emotionally blackmailed into a covenant marriage because "obviously you dont think this will work out and you don't love me enough and you must not want our marriage to work."
To read further in detail about Covenant Marriage Laws in the participating states you are incouraged to read this the details about the laws are enlightening.
While the sadness of high divorce rates still continue I think that perhaps steps should be taken prior to marriage. Making divorce more difficult to obtain can potentially block abused women (or men) from getting out of a dangerous situation. Lets look more into premarital counseling or maybe longer engagements. Nip the problem in the bud before it can happen. Either way the high divorce rates have a scary effect on our society and our economy. Who wants to be a statistic? If you are afraid then don't marry that person. Get advice from your parents or someone else you respect. Love is blinding. Reality is not.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Seller's Disclosure
I was 21 when I purchased my first home. It was modest, recently renovated, and cost me about $45,000. When my wife and I were married for a very short time we decided to put my bachelor pad the market and try to find a "home of our own." (This was mostly for my wife who felt like she was invading my space). We put the house on the market for $20,000 above what we owed....and three days later (before a sign could even be put up in the yard) our house sold. We walked away with a tidy little sum of cash that we used to buy furniture and pay off bad debt. Our first year of marriage seemed to be off to a great start....until we purchased our newer home on St. Louis (in Joplin). This home seemed like a step up from what we were living in .... 1700 sq ft, newer appliances, newer everything. It seemed like the smartest choice to make considering we had less than 30 days to find a home. We purchased our "first home" for $84,900. The move was exciting and we started to anxiously make plans for redecorating and some mild renovation to update the brass fixtures.
A mere eight months into our new home bliss a flood of rain fell upon Joplin and left our fully finished 700 sq ft. basement in 3 inches of water. That day I shall never forget. My wife called me frantically at work "I just walked into our back door and my tennis shoes are soaked, it looks like a pond in here." My heart sunk. The reality sank in. I called our insurance agent who could only offer a "good luck" wish for us -- we weren't in a flood zone and didn't carry flood insurance so we had to eat the costs ourselves. It was nothing short of devestating.
The following weeks we spent cleaning up our havoc of mess in our home and finally reasoned with the option "this was probably a fluke thing and it won't happen again." We laid new carpet and starting putting things back in place.
Four months later it flooded again. Only worse. Then two months later it did it again, then again, then again. It got to the point that everytime it rained we were biting our finger and toenails wondering "are we going to have to air out the basement again??" A sump pump did nothing. We had already exhausted all resources. We were up a creek with no paddle.
We had a specialist come out and hypothesize that our home had indeed flooded every year it was on the earth but left little evidence so previous owners could get away without disclosing this pertinent information. The four previous owners selling this 8 year-old home suddenly made sense! We talked to a lawyer....he laughed at us. Our options were few. The mortgage company we went through offered little help; they couldn't finance us to attempt to fix our flooding home because we owed $81,000 on the home. The cost to fix everything was between $8,000-$20,000. This was also the time the housing market seemed to be falling.
During all this mess my wife became pregnant -- a surprise and joy for both of us. Now we worried not just for us, but for the unborn child. Friends started putting thoughts in our mind about mold -- how unhealthy it was for the baby.
Finally the light seemed more bright when we spoke with FEMA who offered us $1,000 up front to fix what we could and also referred us to SBA (Small Business Administration) a branch of the government that offers loans at low interest rate for those who couldn't get approve anywhere else. Lucky for us we were at the end of our rope and SBA threw us a small loan at a low interest rate. We signed on the dotted line. With the help of SBA and my mother-in-law we put in a drainage system around our home and "fixed" the problem.
The week my daughter was brought home from the hospital the new system was being put in.
That was 16 months ago. Today our home is cozy, warm,.....and very dry.
Don't even get me started on the extra $10,000 we owe on our home.
A mere eight months into our new home bliss a flood of rain fell upon Joplin and left our fully finished 700 sq ft. basement in 3 inches of water. That day I shall never forget. My wife called me frantically at work "I just walked into our back door and my tennis shoes are soaked, it looks like a pond in here." My heart sunk. The reality sank in. I called our insurance agent who could only offer a "good luck" wish for us -- we weren't in a flood zone and didn't carry flood insurance so we had to eat the costs ourselves. It was nothing short of devestating.
The following weeks we spent cleaning up our havoc of mess in our home and finally reasoned with the option "this was probably a fluke thing and it won't happen again." We laid new carpet and starting putting things back in place.
Four months later it flooded again. Only worse. Then two months later it did it again, then again, then again. It got to the point that everytime it rained we were biting our finger and toenails wondering "are we going to have to air out the basement again??" A sump pump did nothing. We had already exhausted all resources. We were up a creek with no paddle.
We had a specialist come out and hypothesize that our home had indeed flooded every year it was on the earth but left little evidence so previous owners could get away without disclosing this pertinent information. The four previous owners selling this 8 year-old home suddenly made sense! We talked to a lawyer....he laughed at us. Our options were few. The mortgage company we went through offered little help; they couldn't finance us to attempt to fix our flooding home because we owed $81,000 on the home. The cost to fix everything was between $8,000-$20,000. This was also the time the housing market seemed to be falling.
During all this mess my wife became pregnant -- a surprise and joy for both of us. Now we worried not just for us, but for the unborn child. Friends started putting thoughts in our mind about mold -- how unhealthy it was for the baby.
Finally the light seemed more bright when we spoke with FEMA who offered us $1,000 up front to fix what we could and also referred us to SBA (Small Business Administration) a branch of the government that offers loans at low interest rate for those who couldn't get approve anywhere else. Lucky for us we were at the end of our rope and SBA threw us a small loan at a low interest rate. We signed on the dotted line. With the help of SBA and my mother-in-law we put in a drainage system around our home and "fixed" the problem.
The week my daughter was brought home from the hospital the new system was being put in.
That was 16 months ago. Today our home is cozy, warm,.....and very dry.
Don't even get me started on the extra $10,000 we owe on our home.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
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