Changes

I just finished reading a news column from Thomas Friedman. He quoted an article from "The Onion" where a Chinese worker in plastics talked about the crazy things Americans would buy, like salad shooters, use them for awhile, then just throw them away. You know, I used to have a salad shooter. I used it quite often for awhile. I must have thrown it away or hopefully given it away when I moved after my divorce. I've actually kind of missed it though.

Getting back to the point: Friedman says that this depression may actually be more than just a depression. 2008 may be the year that Mother Nature, and the stock market said "stop". It's time to stop spending more and more for things we don't need, stop trying to make more money than we need, and stop using up our natural resources and throwing away whatever we get tired of. He mentions that we're constantly working to grow more and make more money to buy more things made in China so they can get more money to buy more T bills so they can lend us more money to buy more..... You see where this is going.

I've always thought that a country who's gross national product is essentially it's consumers spending more and more is likely heading for a fall. Have you noticed a falling feeling? Fortunately, people are beginning to realise we need to build sustainably, recycle etc. Hopefully, it will all come out well, but the new world may be different from the old.

Time and Money

It seems like so many of our problems link back to either time or money or both. Last year, I worked full time during the last quarter of the year for the Holidays. It worked out well because I was 15 to 20 minutes from work. This year, I am 45 minutes from work, gas prices are on the rise again, and I recieved two raises, putting my social security in some jeopardy. I decided to work 4 days per week, thinking that an extra day per week wouldn't put me at too high a salary that I would have to pay soc sec back. Of course, that decision was made before the most recent upward spiral in gas prices. At this point, I'm only hoping to keep ahead of the extra miles paid for on my gas bills. Then there's the matter of time. I seem to only manage to post in my blog once per week. I've started sewing again, but I'm still finding it hard to find the time.

When I stop to think about it. I realise that I probably have plenty of time for everything if I just get organised and stop wasting time with TV and crossword puzzles. I could also save money with gas by riding the commuter bus into the city a couple of days per week. That brings up the time issue again. The schedule for the bus requires me to go into town earlier than if I drove, and coming home later. Guess I could do crossword puzzels?