Tax Grievance

Today, in a definite affront to the IRS, a 53 year old man carried out a suicide mission against the ageny. He set his house on fire this morning, left a rant on a website, climbed into a small plane and flew it into an IRS building in Austin, Texas causing a major fire and inflicting serious damage. Wow, that is moxie, America usually doesn't have suicide bombers.

I'm not condoning his actions but we can certainly identify with his rage against the agency here on the verge of tax season. I don't know what his particular situation with the IRS was but of the taxes I have to pay, the IRS piece is just one part. I pay plenty in Social Security (FICA) tax, New York State tax and property taxes not to mention sales tax, gasoline tax and all those other taxes that come out of my wages.

Perhaps the IRS has come to represent the evils of rampant taxation in general. Or maybe, because he lives in Texas, where there is no income tax, it was the agency he had to most contend with. I wonder if his actions change the tax situation for his family or if he has now egregiously left his problems to them.

Houston, we have a problem...

So, snow it did, all night and all day. I was thinking this is probably the longest snow storm that I have witnessed. Schools were closed, my husband worked from home but I still had to go to work this morning if I expected to get paid. They let out us a couple of hours early so that was good. At least I got to fishtail myself there and back in the daylight though visibility at times was still challenging.

Tomorrow there is a two hour delay for the schools. I know that people have to shuffle their children to school, blah blah blah but with the school day already shorter than the business day, why are weather issues a catastrophe for them when the rest of us still have to observe our regular hours. I had to quickly make arrangements for my children to spend tomorrow's two hour delay with others so that I can show up to work on time.

The private sector does not take kindly to the vagaries of the school schedule. I remember when my oldest was a toddler and there was little sympathy for me when I was late to work because of an issue with her or her care-giving. With the school year topping out at 180 days, that makes a full 16 weeks or 80 weekdays that the children are not in school where alternate care is required if you are a working parent.

Since we are decades past the need for children to work on the farm and children in all other countries study a lot longer than ours do and America and all people American are no longer the center of the universe and teachers get paid the same as the rest of us for 36 weeks of work and receive a decent lifetime pension and are still complaining that they are not paid enough and the tax dollars continue to fall short of public spending and all of these things continue to add to the imbalance of the current debt-ridden world...Houston, we have a problem.

Snow, Snow Go Away, Come Again Another Day

Hear! Hear! Today, David Brooks, the conservative columnist of the New York Times, commended President Obama and Joe Biden along with the rest of the White House staff for their calm and rational approach to leadership. Miracle. A positive article about the President from the other side no less.

But, it is not enough to soothe my gall at the rush to pre-emptive school closings based on a forecast when not one drop of snow has graced the ground, yet. It is nearly midnight. Why couldn't it wait until morning? What if it doesn't snow enough later on to warrant the pre-hysteria. In my day, you called a snow day after the stuff had fallen to the ground. Last time I checked the weather forecast was just that, a prediction. Now that we regularly call our weather people 'meteorologists', does the gravitas of the title automatically confer actual clairvoyance?

I'd like to go to work tomorrow. They don't honor telecommuting at my new temporary place of business so if I don't go, I'll lose a day's pay. I don't relish the thought of fishtailing myself into the office and I could theoretically stay home. But, it is hard to pass up the opportunity to make some cash. I can always leave early if the bad weather really does materialize and if it does, I'll be cursing in the car all the way home.

Martin Luther King, Jr Day

Ah, MLK Jr. Day, the not-so national holiday. I had to work today. The fact that a large percentage of corporate America does not include this day as a true holiday is unfortunate. But, this is not the only one, Columbus Day enjoys a similar fate. So, happy MLK Jr. Day to those of you in the public sector for whom all of these national holidays are guaranteed.

I Want My HGTV

Cablevision subscribers in the tri-state area woke up Jan 1st to find out that HGTV and Food Network had been dropped from the lineup. Scripps Networks, owners of the two networks, are feuding with Cablevision over fees for the channels. Cablevision has been launching attack ads against Scripps ever since urging subscribers to pressure Scripps into making a deal with Cablevision. Cablevision just raised my rates so I am a little annoyed that two of my five favorite stations are now gone. What the hey?

If you happen tune in to these now blank stations, you will be treated to Cablevision's apology/explanation claiming that Scripps is being unreasonable for requesting triple the fees that it once got from Cablevision to be a part of the lineup. Cable networks are biting back because they want a bigger piece of the action; they want some of the subscription fees that cable providers collect from all of us poor sods. I'm paying Cablevision $85 for television and double that when you add in internet access and voice lines; there is no competition, yet.

I don't know how much Scripps Networks should get so how do we know whose side to come down on in this feud. I know that Cablevision is making a mint and now that they also own Newsday, they have a virtual media monopoly on the Island. So, maybe they should give Scripps what they want. On the other hand, does Scripps deserve triple their fees. I don't know, I just want my HGTV.

All I Want for Christmas is a Job

My job search is heating up right when I should be focusing on the holidays. I am so completely distracted that it has suddenly occurred to me that it will be Christmas two weeks from tomorrow and I am far from ready. While I have incredible respect for each and every celebration that occurs during this time period, my family celebrates Christmas and it is to this holiday that I refer. Right now, I have no tree and no lights and I have sent no cards and I have not done any shopping. It seems to me that the Christmas spirit has been severely crimped this year, two years of Recession will do that to us, I suppose.

I have not tapped into any overt excitement even though there are only two weeks left. Have we lost our joy? Even the children are not bothering too much about it. They literally have no Christmas lists, it is incredible. But then again, children are resilient and they do respond to the times and though my children are fortunate to live in true suburban comfort, we have tried to refocus them on other pursuits besides the collection of material things. They have been showered with lots of love, attention and affection while I have been out of work so maybe we are simply reaping the benefits of that. They are simply happy to have me around and we all cherish the time because we know I will eventually be back to work.

We have experienced a serious dent to our disposable income so I'm not really in the mood to shop. And while some will experience an urge to splurge just to break up the monotony of lack, I don't feel that materialism will cheer me up. I just want to work. I am excited about the prospect of going to work. And I know for sure that I will be the happiest worker ever for my gratitude will be intact for years. These last three years have been tough for us so I won't be looking any gift horse in any mouth. I suppose that my truth is at hand, all I want for Christmas is a job. I'll be more than happy to celebrate Christmas later when I have made enough money to really and truly afford some gifts.

Happy Thanksgiving - A Week Early

Thanksgiving is an American Holiday. Families get together to enjoy a traditional meal that includes Turkey and all the trimmings or some modern variation thereof. I suppose Thanksgiving is a celebration of food ultimately for Thanksgiving is described in the history books as a feast in celebration of the Pilgrims' first harvest which would not have been possible without a major assist from the Native Americans. There is no actual table-side celebration that incorporates this history or much mention of history when we leave the football game, the kitchen or whatever we are doing to actually sit down and eat.

So what is the true meaning of Thanksgiving for us? Some will say it is a time for family and friends to celebrate together. But, Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, and other winter holidays are upcoming within the month and there is usually a meal just as large as Thanksgiving but this time accompanied by presents. Some will say it is a time to give thanks that we are fortunate to be able to partake of a large quantity of food. To this end, my family makes a donation to a food pantry to provide a Thanksgiving meal to a family in need.

In a new twist this year, my family has instituted Thanksgiving creep and we are having our meal Wednesday evening to accommodate everyone's Thursday schedule. Many of us who are married do two Thanksgivings in order to incorporate both sides of the family. For those who live in the NY Metro area, there is the Thanksgiving parade to attend and a myriad of other activies. I'm hoping we keep creeping until we reach back to September when I think it is a great time to do it. Of course I am just fussing because my household also celebrates three birthdays in Novmber so by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, we are festived out and then we have start up immediately for Christmas.

So, because I just got a little older and in order to survive this year, now that I have less energy than I had last year, I am saying Happy Thanksgiving a week early because with the influx of friends and family beginning on Monday, I'll essentially be a goner. Therefore I will not be posting next week. Thankfully, my audience is still very very small and I'm sure they can entertain themselves, feel happier even without my whining. Happy Thanksgiving - a week early!

Bowing is Customary and Necessary

There has been much furor over President Obama's visit to Asia, in particular his deep bow before the Japanese emperor. Sometimes you have to bow when you travel to Asia to thank them for continuing to buy much of our debt. What else is this diplomatic mission for anyway? We are borrowing like fiends to save the country and China and Japan own close to 50% of that debt.

Throughout this economic crisis, economists have continually compared America to Japan. Japan's lost decade and prolonged recession are held up as an example for why we needed more government stimulus; the claim is that Japan's government did not invest enough internally to prop up the country and avert a deep recession. So the logic has been that we must do the opposite and so we are plowing in trillions to save ourselves. But, we should be frightfully aware of the difference, they own nearly a quarter of our debt so they are still solvent.

China is considered the successor to our throne and not only are they weathering this global recession well, they own nearly a quarter of our debt also. We must keep in mind that neither of these countries is spending a third of their budget on their military and another third on entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. Hello! Obama had better follow cultural custom and bow, in fact, he technically needs to get down on his knees.

Only in America do we think that we are all that and a bag of chips and rightly so for up until the last few years, we were the envy of the rest of the world. However, due t0 our most recent and disastrous foreign policy, we absolutely need to fix our mystique, something that Obama has nearly accomplished in less than a year. But, people over here have forgotten why that is important, they still think that America is the center of the Universe. I'm sure the people of Rome felt that way too before it fell.

I don't think the end of the world is around the corner, history unfolds much more slowly than it seems. All of the empires that previously fell like the Ottoman, Roman & British are still thriving. They are not number one but they are quite robust. America is not falling tomorrow, it may be in decline but it will still take a while. And while we may lose #1 status, we will remain close behind and may even reclaim it. America has iron balls and vast wealth and the combination thereof may, in fact, save it.

Rethinking the Work-Life Balance

Can both of the parents of two grade school children, who reside in mid-Suffolk County, commute to New York City or its environs, up to a 2 hour commute each way, when they have no network of support, neither relatives nor close friends in the vicinity who can help manage the children as early as 6:15am and as late as 8pm?

There is much to consider. Unfortunately, a non-income-generating wife is not an option for them at this time. The husband currently commutes to the city and the wife worked locally until she was laid off. Given the current economy and availability of jobs in her field, the pendulum is swinging toward a hefty commute for her as well, considering the interest she is receiving from prospective employers, in New Jersey, New York City and western Nassau County.

Yes, there are plenty of dual parent working households but a support system is necessary in order to succeed. Yes there are nannies and they seem to work well for families residing in New York City where there is proximity and public transportation to help a non-family member shuttle the children to their requisite activities.

The suburbs require a vehicle, a whole extra layer of complication when it comes to safety and insurance. Also, the cost of the nanny together with the $600 a month in transportation costs (commuter rail, subway and gas) and the negative cost of seeing the children very little during the week would eliminate much of the benefit of the additional salary.

The reality is that both parents working in the city or very close to it would require a significant move to reduce the commute and childcare costs. It would be a major disruption in the lives of the children and would it truly be worth it now that they are established members of the community? The benefit of moving would be that the children could be dropped off at school on the way to work (at a reasonable hour) and the abundant choices of after-school care could be utilized (widely available til 6pm).

The savings on childcare and transportation costs would definitely improve the family finances. However the cost of housing in or near the city may undo all of the savings. Also, could they (or anyone for that matter) sell their house for a reasonable amount in this real estate market to facilitate such an option?

Job desperation will make one attempt the impossible when it comes to work-life balance; it invariably means throwing one's life out of balance when the getting to and from work takes precedence. But without work, what about the dollars required to fund life? Well, this is my life and these are the questions that are swirling while my job clock is ticking. And nothing could save me but a miracle job in Suffolk County. Is there anybody out there? Can I get a witness?

Fistfuls of Candy

Five days past Halloween and the reality sinks in, the amount of candy laying around the house is treacherous. When you really think about it, the whole Halloween process is kind of strange. After teaching children the cardinal rule of not accepting candy from strangers, we dedicate a whole day, replete with costumes, occult themes and the celebration of the undead, to collecting as much candy as possible, from strangers.

The amount of candy that the children brought home was unwieldy, the festivities and "safe" activities were plentiful and most of it took place in the middle of the afternoon thanks to Halloween being on the weekend this year. It had been years since it was on the weekend and there was much deliberation about when was the best time to go out trick or treating.

We expected "trick or treaters" all day but unfortunately there were not that many on our street. We realized that most of the children had aged out and there are only a handful of Halloween-ready young ones left. Nevertheless, I love trick or treating on my street because it is my opportunity to catch up with the neighbors before we all become shut-ins for the winter.

My brother does not celebrate Halloween and I have met others who don't either. My husband thinks the whole thing is overwrought and I do to a certain extent. When we were growing up, there was not that much emphasis on Halloween, there weren't thousands of costumes to choose from or hundreds of retailers plying their Halloween wares. And tales of tainted candy and razorblades found in apples were urban legend. There simply was not that much selection of candy or sweets that were individually wrapped and what was available was expensive.

Anyhow, back to present day. The bowls of candy beckon and we are faced with the reality that we cannot eat it all else we'll rot our teeth or gain weight. So what is the point of all the candy collecting anyway when no part of it is truly good for us at all.

Cheering Up

I just don't seem to be having any fun lately and I'm entering winter which is my least favorite time of year. What can I do to get some pep back in my step? As this blog as devolved into a diary of sorts, it captures more of my mood which isn't too good lately. It seems I am spending more time in a negative spin zone and that can't be good for me. I do, at least, try to stop myself from time to time because I know that I should be of a greater mind and that my outlook should have some shimmer. I really need to cheer up.

Perhaps, I am just reflecting the general mood of the country which is moving beyond cynical, in my opinion. Unfortunately, there is very little to trust these days. Capitalism is front and center and it is showing its ugly side, it seems like greed, corruption and immorality are leading the charge and the acceptance of this as "business as usual" has set us on an even more destructive course of every person for him or herself. It seems that the common good has been left out of the equation lately. Hopefully, it will turn up soon.

What Price, Peace Prize?

On this Columbus Day, a celebration of the explorer who "discovered," America, President Obama continues to be bashed for what many view as his un-deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. What has he really done for peace, they ask? He really has accomplished nothing they conclude. While the rest of the world views his strong overtures toward diplomacy as a positive sign of great alliances to come, to his American critics, he appears to have changed nothing. In fact, these critics took it a step further by pointing out that he failed to secure the Nobel prize for economics. Huh? There are many who are rooting for this President to fail and they will find fault with his success and rejoice when he misses. They simply do not see that if any President fails, America fails.

While many loudly cheered when his attendance at the Olympic Committee in Copenhagen failed to help Chicago win its bid for the 2016 games, they missed the point that America lost. It is easy to blame the President when things are not going well - housing and health care costs, declining employment and rising taxes along with high debt - I am staring all of these issues in the face. Unfortunately, the seeds were sown long before he was sworn in and while I know it is customary to blame whoever is in power for the ills of the day, it is easy to see how negativity can suck in even the die-hard. It does seem though that we could use a little bit more peace and acceptance right here at home. Something about that great continent that Columbus found.

Becoming Desperately Creative

I have re-framed my job hunt as not just looking for a job per se, but looking to create income for myself, of which a job is simply one method. This way I can think outside the box and find a new key to my success. Sadly, my new philosophy is yielding nada and as I observe the world, public notoriety seems like the way to go. I am thinking of thrusting my husband out there doing one of his crazy moves or coming up with something equally egregious to rustle up some petty fame. Then, we can capitalize on that and write a book.

It doesn't take much to manufacture fame these days. Basically, the more outrageous, the greater the opportunity to monetize that five minutes of fame. The commoditization of fame continues and it is down to about five minutes, from the high of 15. Why? Because the 24 hour news cycle is voracious; subjects are devoured and spit out in between commercial breaks. A story has to be good if it is to be repeated all day. If the story does not warrant enough outrage then it is dropped. Conversely, if the story is too outrageous it is also summarily dismissed. Whatever the fine line of fame, any worthwhile proceeds must be swiftly acted upon.

Perhaps all of these factors are what is driving HarperCollins to move up publication of Sarah Palin's book from next Spring to this November; rolling out 1,500,000 copies. As sure as Tom DeLay is shaking his fanny on Dancing with the Stars, this book will sell out its first print. This is the type of base entertainment that appeals to the masses (though they might not actually read it). And, the publisher cannot take the chance that those same masses will lose the fame trail by next spring. After all, she is losing news.

Were I to deliberately write something inflammatory, enough to go viral, I might have a shot at some income. For if I don't find a job to create some income, I may truly have to become desperately creative.

Thank You Mr. Safire

Four evenings a week I assume my pose. I set up in the den, with my husband's laptop, I pick one of my crime dramas on Tivo, my husband calls them my d & d (death and dismemberment) shows, I throw some clothes in the washer as the laundry room is conveniently located right off the den and I sit down to write my post. But, before I write a single word, I do my research, scanning dozens of news sites and the like for inspiration. For me, a post is not a knock off but a writing exercise. It has always been about practice. I am hoping that through sheer diligence I can become a better writer. To that end, I frequently hit the books; dictionary, thesaurus and sometimes grammar. We simply do not learn enough grammar. Nevertheless, it was nice to know that the quest for words and meaning was well worth the effort.

William Safire reminded us of that every week in his column On Language, in the New York Times Magazine. As our foremost language dilettante and champion of the English language, he made the language more accessible. Many people may not know who he was and his death yesterday may not raise many eyebrows, but, for us who have an interest in words, his enjoyment of the language, his diligent research into the origin and structure of modern English terms and the ease in which he was able to convey this knowledge will be missed. In these days of email, texting, twittering, and instant messaging, it is easy to forget how to write properly. Thankfully, we had Mr. Safire to inspire us to construct a better sentence and/or concoct a better phrase and for this, we are truly grateful. Thank you Mr. Safire.

Ohhhhh, I can't believe Patrick Swayze Died

Oh sigh, Patrick Swayze has died, claimed by pancreatic cancer at the tender age of 57. I can't say that I am necessarily a fan but I am one of those people who loved the movies Dirty Dancing and Ghost. What is not to love about Ghost other than it is one of those tearjerker romance movies that we all hate to love. But, for me, it is the setting of the movie Dirty Dancing, a predominantly Jewish Catskills mountain vacation resort, that stoked my memories. Of course, the movie was not actually filmed in the Catskills but that is beside the point.

Anyhow, as a member of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) I attended the annual conference at the Concord Resort Hotel, one of the famous Jewish Catskills resorts whose heyday was in the 50s, 60s and 70s and unrelated cousin of Grossinger's, the famous other one, every year of high school. In fact, I joined the club for the trip, the only requirement was to take at least one business course, I took one year of typing, to cement access to 3 whole school days in the Catskills, where my friends (most of whom were Jewish) and I skipped out of the planned festivities in favor of seeking the brighter side of life at the resort. Essentially, we were up to 'no good' but not the type of 'no good' that would keep us out of Ivy league colleges or anything.

Growing up in Westchester County in the 70s and 80s, the Catskills was the vacation destination of choice for many families and I always loved going up to the mountains. Also, our 6th grade trip was to the Catskills as well. Somehow, the movie Dirty Dancing bought a little of that back to me; the cabins, the giant banquet halls, the cheesy entertainment, I loved it. All of this really had nothing to do with Patrick Swayze per se but these are my takeaways from the movie of which he was a star. Not every death strikes all of us, but this is definitely one of those that makes me go, Ohhhhh, I can't believe Patrick Swayze died.

A Whole New Ballgame

Back to school means more to me this year than it ever has. Though I will miss having my children around, they and I have some serious work to do. They are each facing a challenging academic year and I am facing a very challenging job search. All of the career counselors that I have come in contact with recently have stated emphatically that searching for a job is different this time around; in fact it is a whole new ballgame.

Though I have been diligent and put into practice much of the new tricks that I have been given, my search has turned up empty; my application of the new rules is not as effective as I had hoped. I am now a brand. I must market and sell myself. I must network and meet new contacts. I must write a winning resume. I must write winning cover letters. I must be aware of body language. I must conduct effective interviews. It is up to me to close the deal.

So, I need to focus real hard. I need to leverage every ounce of my being in this pursuit and to that end, 6 1/2 hours without children will give me the time and space that I need to help me achieve this goal. Back to school, not a moment too soon.

Labor Day

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.

For us, it was a family affair. Yesterday, my father-in-law had his annual Sunday before labor day party which is a deeply satisfying West Indian fete with his extended family and friends. It is always a veritable smorgasbord of delicious authentic food that I know and love. Also, I get to be somewhat important as one of his two daughters-in-law; as the wife of his son, I am introduced to everyone. Oh, look at me, family celebrity. Silly girl.

Today, we had no plans which opened us up for an impromptu visit from my mom who brought along some of her longtime friends; lifelong connections made during nursing school in England some 40+ years ago. It was very cool to see them, actually. These are ladies who knew my mom before she knew me. And since I do not see them very often, to them, I am always amazing.

So, may this ode to my shallow self be the declaration that I had a great weekend. Cheers!

Summer's Last Hurrah

Ah, it is Labor Day weekend, summer's last hurrah. This is when all the Long Island beaches officially close for the summer. Hopefully, the weather holds up for us. It has been rather cool over the last week so I need a spike so I can get in my last dips.

Given the economy, I had expected attendance to be up at area beaches this year but it just did not seem so. Perhaps, I have found paradise in my choices in that I attend few beaches that are overrun. I do sometimes wonder why anyone would fight with summer traffic to travel down the east coast to go to same ocean. But, as I have enjoyed my beaches and looked around, I can see why.

Outside of Montauk, which has some nice beaches and mostly motel-style accommodations, there are really no destination beach towns; no consumer-driven boardwalks, no fancy hotels or resort-like accommodations, few 'in' places to eat and relax, and in general not enough elements to really round out what we would consider a true beach vacation. In fact, most of my favorite beaches are surrounded by beach mansions that are available at rental prices well beyond the middle class budget.

The ocean beaches do provide for some excellent day trips though and since I live in Suffolk County, it can seems like I am on a permanent summer vacation (when the weather cooperates), except I come home at night. Many beach towns in Suffolk County gained fame from being destination beach towns with fancy hotels and the like back in the early part of the 20th century. A little creative thinking and some investor dollars could usher in a new wave of tourism which could be a boost to the local economy. But, seeing as this is Long Island and any development occurs at a snail's pace, I won't hold my breath.

All Disney, All the Time

Upon hearing the news that Disney is buying Marvel Entertainment, my children, nieces and nephew expressed deep concern about the merger. After all, they said, Disney is about princesses, fairy tales and happy endings and Marvel is about superheroes and the fight for good and evil in the world; Disney will ruin our superheroes. I personally think that Disney will now own too much control of the children's media market; they already own Pixar, a leading producer of children's animated movies.

And, if anyone has really sat down to watch Disney Channel with their children, and they can get past the numbing, dumbed-down shows, they will soon notice that there are no commercials for outside products; it is all Disney, all the time. The "commercial breaks" are used to promote Disney products, Disney movies and Disney shows in addition to promoting the stars of those shows in music videos and upcoming movies.

And, Disney Channel has perfected the art of sucking children in; they are relentless in using teasers to promote the next scheduled show. Furthermore, they go to one of their "commercial breaks" two minutes before the end of the current show so that they can immediately segue into the next show without going to commercial. Their method is very scientific.

Parents should be very careful when their children watch Disney but then again, many parents seem to indulge their child's love of all things Disney and are willing to pay for it. Hannah Montana concert tickets were recently being scalped for hundreds of dollars at a pop. A friend of mine in Pennsylvania just told me that her neighbor has already gone to the guidance counselor at school, before the new school year has even started, to get an excused absence for her child for one week to go to Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Though many believe that no childhood is complete without a trip (and a very expensive trip in my opinion) to a Disney theme park, this family has gone many times before and the counselor told the mother that middle school children generally suffer grade loss when they miss a week of school. This mother thinks it is OK for her middle school child's grades to suffer for a trip to Disney World. There you have it.

Reversal of Fortune

The LIPA tale continues. Today I came home from the beach (yes, I went again) to find that I had partial electricity, a brown out of sorts. So LIPA dispatched yet another solo guy in a truck to come back and fiddle with what his fleet of compatriots had supposedly fixed on Tuesday morning. In order to fix the problem, I and my seven neighbors had to be blacked out again for a few hours. It seems almost certain that we have entered an electrical twilight zone and this is not the end of it. But, if there are five more trucks here in the morning, I will definitely not be amused.

Anyhow, in a completely unrelated turn of events, the mega million lottery jackpot has hit $207,000,000 so tomorrow I am going out to buy some lottery tickets. I never buy lottery tickets and though I would not recommend this is in the normal course of my world or sensibilities, I am going to throw my hat into the luck pool and see if I get a return. I have spent a few dollars on much more worthless items and perhaps a little hope of winning something may not be so bad.

Some people are lucky and some are not. I am hoping for luck to smile my way in the job market; hoping that I get the opportunity to toil away at a thankless job for a few bucks, and believe me, I would be grateful. There are many of us who could use a reversal of fortune right now and I do hope that mine comes in the form of job but if I win the lottery, this will all be a moot point now, wouldn't it? I know my chances are slim to none and I do not plan to make a habit of buying them, that is truly not my style, but sometimes when you switch things up a bit, it helps to lighten the mood.