Dinner?

What I planned takes just too much effort....it's been a long, long Monday and this Majah is tuckered out! It's hot! I don't want to cook.

I peruse the freezer and find some leftover Pasta Carbonara, sweet potato gnocchi (Trader Joe's! Yum!). That's great. I start defrosting/cooking via the microwave.

H. calls to check in and asks what's for dinner.

I hadn't really expected him for dinner....he's never home for dinner. He eats when he gets home later in the evening. So I told him I wasn't sure - it was a freezer smorgasbord tonight.

I hang up the phone. J. can have some of the pasta and gnocchi. H. can have the majority of the pasta. B. made himself a sandwich before he left for work. So that just leaves me.

I peruse the freezer again. What else is there?

I did the only thing a mother can do - I put the needs of my family first and made sure they had enough to eat. I looked and looked and looked.....

I ate a caramel nut roll that was hidden in the back - they were 2 for 1 a couple weeks ago so I hid one. Heated it briefly in the microwave and consumed it quickly. With milk.

I'd rather eat that than risk my family going hungry. No sacrifice is too great.

Three things out of the freezer. It's a win-win!

:-)

Monday,

you suck....

a slight chill prompted me to pull the duvet cover over me - and I could have slid back into that warmth and slept easily another few hours. That wonderful, warm, drowsy feeling that you'd give anything to be able to respond to by going back to sleep. The feeling that never happened this weekend - not once.

Mondays........

I loathe you.

The Joy of Saturdays

Saturday is my favorite day of the week. No work that day or the next (hopefully). You awake with nothing but possibilities....and a hefty to-do list. But anything is possible on a Saturday. You could sleep all day if you chose to. You could work really hard on a variety of tasks and see things being accomplished. You can run errands....it's all do-able on that day of the week. And you still have one more day of no work. So Saturday is definitely my favorite day.

My decision to not go to the plant nursery over the Altamont was great one - not only did it save me money, but my hair stylist called and she could take me three hours earlier - which was great! So I enjoyed a wonderful hour plus getting my hair done. I had a 'treatment' - deep conditioning - and Paul Mitchell salons want your visit to be an 'experience'. So my treatment included a 30 minute scalp, neck, shoulder, arm and hand massage - so, SO relaxing. Their 'wash room' has a trickling water fountain and pretty, low-key music playing. You know how at some salons, getting your hair washed is torture? You lean back and your neck is on a hard, cold fixed surface? No matter how much they adjust the chair, you are just hugely uncomfortable and can't wait for the wash to be over? Well at Paul Mitchell salons, the wash basin has neck rests that 'give' - so if you move or your stylist moves your head, the neck support 'gives' with the movement. It's on a spring of some kind, I think. They cover it with a piping hot towel and it's heaven. Not a single minute of being uncomfortable and you just close your eyes and drift off under a sea of warmth and great smells and the joy of scalp massage. It's awesome! I love it - it feels so decadent.

I also was able to catch the tail end of our local farmer's market - got a bunch of fruit for $1 a pound - and some 'long beans' for $1 a bunch. I love the market and every time I go, I think 'I should do this every Saturday - just buy our vegetables and fruit at the market' vs. going to the grocery store. I'm just rarely that motivated on lazy Saturday mornings.....but I could be 'cuz the produce is delicious!

Next stop was Starbucks.....and the thing I love the most about our new store is that it has a 'bar' where you can sit - like a sushi bar, kind of - high stools. You sit and watch the barista prepare drinks. And I learned a lot yesterday. About two months ago, I ordered a light caramel frap with extra drizzle when I was going to WinCo to do a massive grocery shop. It was the best caramel frap I'd ever had - you'd take a sip through the straw and big glops of caramel would be included in each slurp - the thick, gooey, ice-cold caramel warming in your mouth and adding such a great 'punch' of flavor. So for the last two months, I've been ordering that exact same drink at various SB's - it is our Friday frappucino flavor that J. and I treat ourselves to on Fridays....but it's never been the same. And yesterday, I found out why. A lady had ordered one with extra drizzle - and the barista I watched yesterday covered the entire bottom of her cup with a thick layer of the drizzle. I asked him about it - and he said 'if you ask for extra drizzle, that's what we're supposed to do - cover the bottom'. I commented that I order those every Friday and had just ordered two yesterday and they weren't made that way - and he said 'they should be. Next time, tell them you want the drizzle to cover the bottom of the glass'. It looked so good that I got back in line and ordered a light version to go with the iced tea I'd previously ordered and was waiting for. OH MY GOODNESS - that's the difference! It was delicious and just like I remembered.

The other part of the equation that I didn't tell him is that the same barista who doesn't do that when I order extra drizzle is also the barista who when he's on the register charges me sixty cents extra for the drizzle he's NOT putting at the bottom of my glass. I end up getting that 'extra' credited back 'cuz my gold card gives me any add-ons for free - but still, it bugs me. So now I know how to make our Friday frapps perfect. Already looking forward to next Friday - and Fridays are always a great day 'cuz they come before Saturday!!

It was a quiet evening with me heading up to bed around 10ish. B. was with friends out and about. I didn't hear him arrive home and slept pretty well - and slept until 8AM which is very 'late' for me. I've washed all the produce, washed and chopped the long beans so they're ready for dinner tonight. Heading upstairs to get dressed for the day - and yes, one of my 'errands' is to stop in work for a bit and clean my desk. Work on year-end a bit more. It's a week of a lot of meetings and there's still a lot to do before the 31st - so I'll feel better (and sleep better tonight) if I just bite the bullet and go in for a couple of hours. So I tell myself, anyway.

J. and H. are already on their way home - should be here around 11ish. Only other plans on the list today is grocery shopping - something for Sunday dinner - I'm thinking in honor of Pioneer Woman's new show, I'll make chicken fried steaks and mashed taters!

Have a great Sunday - which in itself is a great day, too.....it's just that it precedes Monday and so it loses a lot in the translation.

Someday, every day will be a Saturday - and I can't wait for that to be my reality.

Food Network

I am glued to the TV this morning watching The Pioneer Woman's new show on Food Network. She was just on the Paula Dean show and now it's her show! I've been looking forward to adding another food show to my list of favorites!

I woke up this morning bright-eyed and raring to go - pretty early but still slept in a bit. Was wishing I could tidy up and clean the kitchen. Didn't, 'cuz that would have woken up J. .

I made a list of errands to run today - and this morning, realized 'I don't want to do that'. If I drive all the way to Livermore to spend the $16 of August Bucks I got in the spring, I'll be spending a lot of gasoline $ to go spend $16. And I know I won't just spend $16. I will spend way more than that, using the rationale 'I don't get to Alden Lane very often'. So I'm staying on this side of the hill. I do need to go get a few things and I'm going to 'treat' myself to a Target trip. I don't shop there much - it's easier to resist 'stuff' at WalMart - but it's a Target kind of day. Get an iced tea at Starbucks and pick up the few household things we need. Then come home and work around the house before getting my hair cut this afternoon.

It's a great 'piddle around' kind of day and I haven't had one of those in ages.

Does anyone else think it's kind of silly for all the reporters to be demonstrating the power of Hurricane Irene by standing outside in the middle of it while being filmed doing that? Isn't it a tad ridiculous to tell people it's hugely dangerous while standing there risking your life and the life of your film crew? Huh?? I don't get it. The storm is the size of Europe and it's hitting a lot of highly populated land - pretty 'rare' as hurricanes go. So I hope my East coast friends and family are safe - and staying inside.

Happy Saturday!

Survivor

For all I know, I've repeated this title dozens of times in the history of this blog....in fact, I used it last week in the past tense. Also appropriate for this week....repetition works when the brain is mush.

It's been a long, long week and I'm just glad it's over. The past couple days have been full of challenges - more than usual, I must say - and me at some kind of all time 'low' in my coping skills. But it's over and it's all going to be fine. I wasn't sure of that this time last night - but it will be. Things happen. They get worked through. Still, the working through is sure a pain in the toukas. It will all be 'sorted' eventually - that, I know for sure.

My sweet hubby was hugely supportive and helpful - giving good, sound advice and helping me think things through. Isn't having someone in your life who's always there for you the best thing ever? It's such a blessing to know that we are there for each other through thick and thin.

I need sleep. Lots of sleep. I'm hoping to make it until 8 but that's going to be a real challenge 'cuz I've been up very early every day this week.....

J. and H. are heading to Tulare tomorrow to visit the cousins. They will be home Sunday (early, according to J.). I am off tomorrow (believe it or not! - and it's a record for me in terms of being this 'done' with the massive project of closing the books) and have a haircut in the afternoon. I hope to make it to Alden Lane nursery tomorrow - time to spend my 'August Bucks' from the shopping I did to get veggies and flowers for our spring garden and raised beds.

We are enjoying Roti Roli leftovers - and once again, I have to thank J. who waited in line yesterday at the Ferry Building and then carted home a medium sized rolling thermal 'chest' with two chickens, a bunch of roasted potatoes and a surprise porchetta sandwich! We ate some last night and we're having leftovers tonight. It's decadently delicious and what a treat!

H. has been 'pounding the pavement' looking for work. He's been applying online for some time and waiting for call backs. I finally convinced him that going out and picking up applications and meeting people may have better results. He's not having much luck but he's trying.

OH - and did I mention? On his own - with no parental prompting or cajoling or any discussion at all - B. found 4 classes at LasPo. He registered very late - but because he's 'high' in the priority for registering, he got 4 classes he needs to finish his degree by December! We are proud of him and pleased he did it 'on his own'. Now, he just has to pass. That's still a big hurdle and I'm not holding my breath - nor planning any celebration. We'll see what happens. He's hopefully going to get tutoring as he needs it instead of waiting until it's hopeless and too late to improve enough to pass. So we await further developments...which we hope will be passing all four and getting his degree in December.

Bad Poetry

A friend gave me a book - "B is for Bad Poetry" by Pamela August Russell. I am enjoying it....

So today, because I am pressed for time (it is just after 6AM, I've been up two hours and feel 'late for work' which is sort of ridiculous but I can't help it), I'm sharing a few favorites with you.

They will illustrate my current mind set. Be warned.

THE JANIS JOPLIN OF IT ALL

We tried.

We even tried

just a little bit harder.

It's not working.

(This sums up perfectly how I want to reply every time my boss asks me 'how's it going? And yes, I keep trying.


ILLUMINATION HANDYMAN

The light at the end of the tunnel

needs to be replaced.

and lastly, this gem:


RELATIVITY THEORY FOR A MELANCHOLY GAL

Some days go by

like elephants.

Other days go by

like elephants

with water retention

and bloating.

That last one makes me smile and giggle out loud every time. Because it's so true.

Here's to just a regular, like-an-elephant passing day. With no water retention and/or bloating.

Survived

Well, it's over and I survived. The procedure didn't start until close to 1PM (42+ hours with no food) and I recall (vaguely) waking in the recovery room around 2:30 - very, VERY groggy and hazy. J. got me in the car, went to KFC for chicken strips and mashed potatoes (still on a 'soft' diet since they removed polyps from my stomach (not expecting that at all so will see what that means). I ate my food, drank my Coke and slept until well into the evening. Woke up thirsty and J. brought me a drink - and I went back to bed and slept all night. Woke up feeling sore - not sure how much is from being in bed that long....

My throat hurts and I know I gagged a lot when they did that scope. They spritzed my throat with numbing solution - and I remember thinking 'that wasn't very much and it didn't coat the right side of my throat very well'. And then I remember starting to gag and the nurse telling me 'stop, Majah...stop'. Uh, yeah - well, if I could have, I would have and a person doesn't choose to gag. It just happens. They finished and moved to the other procedure which went fine - no polyps which is great!

So my throat is killing me and I'm still a bit 'off' but I'm dressed and heading into work shortly. It's a board meeting day which will be a long one - but I don't want to be home when I'm reasonably sure I can work. (Though as J. fills me in on the happenings around here and I can barely focus or retain anything he says, I wonder....) If I feel 'loopy', I'll just come home and return for the meeting this evening. It's worth a try.

Both boys start school tomorrow - B. actually found and registered for a couple classes all on his own - two classes that he needs. I'm really glad he made the effort to get those classes - might get two more towards his A.A. degree done before Christmas. It's good he's attempting to make progress 'cuz at the moment, I don't think enlisting is in his future. He's a long way from being ready for that....

The cleaning crew comes today and J. asked (very sweetly) if I would have time to take a try at tidying up 'my area' of the study. I said 'put police tape around it'. :-) Yes, I will try....but it's hopeless....

Later, friends. Time to get moving.

Cravings

J. said 'so it's In and Out tomorrow?' after reading my last post. That was a couple hours after I wrote it - and by then, I was craving fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc.

It's now going into hour 41 without solid foods (the Jello doesn't really count as a solid according to the liquid diet guidelines) and I woke up (after a very, very long night) craving a rib eye steak, grilled to perfection with sauteed mushrooms and onions, with a fully loaded baked potato and a blue cheese wedge salad with pear slices and walnuts.

So I have no idea what I'll be eating - I just hope that within three to four more hours, I will be eating SOMETHING.

Mmmm....now a Carl's Teriyaki Turkey burger sounds awesome!

On a good note, I'm down three pounds!!

So grateful this procedure is once every five years.....

Roughin' It

H. phoned home yesterday briefly and talked to J. Seems he was looking for a reason he 'needed' to be home today vs. spending another night in the wild. Before I headed out to work on Friday morning, I suggested a bet to J. $20 they'd be home on Sunday instead of Monday - J. refused to take the bet. And sure enough, I got up from my attempt to take a nap (and couldn't because my stomach was hungry and my head hurt) and H. came in to say 'hi'. They came home a day early and dropped R. off at his home in Roseville.

H. may be the spitting image of his dad but he's more like his mama than he knows. He likes a firm mattress, a roof over his head and prefers to take care of bodily functions in the comfort of a heated/cooled bathroom with hot and cold running water. He survived and did have enthusiastic adventure tales - but I know he's glad to be home.

I was sort of hoping they would be gone through tomorrow 'cuz I'm at 25 hours with no food and I'm a cranky byotch. I admit it. I have a raging headache which I know will only get worse. And I've taken all the 'stuff' I'm supposed to take and am still waiting for the 'clean out' to begin. Guess that's the one ok thing about a late(r) appointment - at least I can sleep in a bit in the morning.

J. is at church meeting with the new music director. I've been keeping busy doing little stuff - anything to keep my mind off food. I can't even stand to play Cafe World 'cuz everything I cook sounds luscious.

I did have lemon Jello and it was DELICIOUS!

I worked today - went in to clean my desk and bring work home because the finance system was supposed to be down. But it was up and running so I took advantage of that and got a lot more done. Feel pretty good about the status of things. It also helped to keep my mind off eating....

This time tomorrow, I will have enjoyed an In & Out cheeseburger, well-done fries and a sugar filled REGULAR coke!

You've got to treat yourself after 36 hours with no food!

Beautiful Things

Humming the Gungor song 'Beautiful Things' as I type....

Here are wonderfully nice, fun things that happened today - making an ordinary Friday extraordinary.....

1. Started the day with a Facebook chat with my sweet cousin S. I love starting out the day 'talking' to her. We both type furiously trying to get the keys to keep up with our thoughts. It's always fun and such a lift. She mentioned that she loved my recent 'Economist" post. She gave me hope by telling me that another family member - a multi-generational die-hard right wing Republican - is moving more towards the left every day. So if that family member feels that way, I know it's possible there are many more out there that are as sick of all the crap as other Democrats are. So it was a smidgen of hope. And tons of fun. Wishing I didn't have to get ready for work 'cuz I'd rather just chat with her -
2. Heading downstairs after showering, I see R. in the kitchen. 'Morning, ma'am', he says. He calls me 'ma'am'. I kind of like it. He's very 'military'. I say how good it is to hear that one of the boys is in the shower and he replies 'yes ma'am and one of them is about to get ice cold water poured on them'. Alrighty then - I left him to it. Sure enough, shortly after there were some loud yelps from upstairs. Cold water works!
3. I went to my office and then remembered 'Starbucks opens today!'. So I picked up my co-worker/friend and we headed to the brand new store - expecting it to be mobbed! But it was a 'soft' opening so it's not too well known (yet) that it's open. So excited....
4. While in Starbucks, my friend ran into other friends she knows - long time district employees. I've heard their names dozens of times over the years but never connected their names with faces. My friend introduced me - and I said how glad I was to finally meet them and offered my hand to shake theirs - and this teacher who I really don't know said 'oh, no - that's not enough' and proceeded to give me the biggest hug! It was so unexpected and sweet - what a nice way to start the day - and start a new school year. She said she was so glad to finally meet me - how nice!
5. Our welcome back breakfast was loads of fun - our Superintendent gave a great presentation and at one point, the person sitting behind me got the giggles so much, she couldn't stop laughing. And before we knew it, our entire table was laughing so hard we were crying..prompting our Superintendent (my boss) to say 'hey, Majah, are you OK back there?'....which only made us laugh even more. His presentation was hysterical.....
6. I sat with a group of folks I technically supervise - I supervise their manager - and enjoyed getting to know them. They were sharing family pictures and talking about their summers and it was so nice to enjoy spending time with them. I need to do that more often. We are such a great district and are blessed with so many incredibly dedicated employees...it's such a great place to work. I felt blessed - like I do every day - but more so today. Laughter and friends is a good mix...
7. I worked at home last night, putting together a presentation for our board meeting. I felt pretty good about it - but wanted my boss to review it just to be sure. Presenting massive amounts of very detailed, technical information is always a challenge - and two sets of eyes are always better than one. And he was so complimentary - said it was a really great presentation. He had only a couple things to talk through - no changes, really - but just talking things through with him helped me see where I could clarify some things a little more. I got it done in plenty of time and didn't feel rushed - and was done with my to-do list 'board prep' item with plenty of hours left in the day. I appreciate having a boss who is so supportive and complimentary - but the thing I appreciate the most is how it feels like we are a team. I'm not alone in this job - we're a team. That has made such a difference in my job satisfaction and 'happiness' quotient. Don't we all just want to do good, meaningful work with people we enjoy working with? Having a boss that is so willing to be a part of the process of sharing all this information with our 'audience' (staff, parents, etc.) is such a great change in my work world.
8. I used my morning Starbucks receipt to enjoy my Friday afternoon treat - for about a month, now, I treat myself to a Lite Caramel Frappucino. It was AWESOME not having to drive across town to get one - and I it only cost me $2 with the treat receipt. I bought J. one, too...
9. J. and I enjoyed a nice dinner out - Japanese. He had purchased the little cable to allow me to plug in my iPhone/iPod into my radio - so we listened to my songs on the way to/from.
10. But that's not the best part....this morning (it's now Saturday evening and I'm putting the finishing touches on this long post of nothings - but all things that made me happy), my iPod is apparently permanently connected. As long as the phone is on and in my purse, my iPod will play without being connected. It's like magic....in the car!
11. B. cleaned out his car from stem to stern...and left me a massive amount of change for our fun money coin collection! I love it when the kids give me their change....
12. I worked today (Saturday) which isn't really normally something 'happy'. But it worked out ok 'cuz J. went to San Leandro to visit his brother and he ran a couple errands on the way to/from. So I went in and worked a full day - kept thinking I'd leave but was making such progress on year-end, I didn't want to stop! Huge stuff done including many of the 'hardest' things that I usually put off until the bitter end. But we're still a couple weeks away from my drop-dead date and I'm doing pretty well on getting things done little by little. I'm going to work a bit tomorrow, too....just 'cuz I'm in that 'mode' and want to just keep going.

Time to head to bed. I am tired and while I will sleep in tomorrow, I want to get up and get to work so I can hopefully have the afternoon at home. Even if I end up working at home.

I'm off on Monday for a quick medical thing - it's the every five year torture of a colonoscopy. It sucks but I'll survive it. Tomorrow is the liquid only diet day - broths, yellow jello, clear fruit juices....it will be hard but I'll make it. The worst part is the procedure itself isn't until noon-ish on Monday - and I will be shaking for sure from lack of food. Bummer! I hate that - but hopefully home by 3ish or so and then food and sleep. I don't like doing the prep - but I want to live. So it seems a fair trade off. The polyp they removed during my very first colonoscopy 10 years ago would be cancer by now if it hadn't been found and removed. This procedure could save your life - so if you are over 50 and haven't had one, DO IT NOW. Seriously. Don't delay.

One more thing that's on the 'happy things that have happened' - Harry Potter is on tonight!! It's been a movie a week every Saturday on ABC and it's so fun to watch them all again!

Peace

In May, I was making plans to meet my amazing Aunt M. in Ventura. She is out on this coast to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament of 1986. My aunt was a part of that event - I was 25 years old and had just moved into my second apartment. I didn't know it when she set out on the march but by the time the march ended, I was relocated up to Northern California and heading into my 'now' life - leaving everyone I knew and relocating up here - and eventually, meeting J....

I had so wanted to go to Ventura to see her - it's not often she's out this way (she lives in Massachusetts). I planned the weekend carefully - and it seemed do-able. But somehow, I sort of forgot that this coming week is the first official week back for administrators - and trying to get to/from Ventura via car and back in time for meetings first thing Monday morning (plus accommodating a commitment I had this morning that I couldn't change) became impossible. I am so sorry to have missed seeing her.

Last night, I did a Google search on the event - just to see if there was any coverage....and there she was! Front and center in a newspaper picture! She's the lady in the light blue shirt, dark glasses and a visor. That's her!! Listening, observing and I'm sure remembering all about their trek.

I don't think I could ever be so brave to give up everything I know as 'my life' at any point in time and decide that I want to walk across America to show my desire for the world to disarm and stop using nuclear weapons. And that's what she did - she picked up and walked. It was an amazing thing to do - and at the time, it was so stunning for all of us. There was no Internet for emails or blogs. No cell phones making calling easy. No way to keep in touch. And she was hugely missed.....and yet, we were all so incredibly proud of her. I can't imagine doing what she did. I've always admired her for it - such a meaningful, BIG way to confirm what you strongly feel about something.

She has always been an amazing person and is the light of so many people's lives. She's one of the people I feel closest to on this earth - and we are always able to pick up right where we left off. She's living an amazing life....

Turns Out, I'm an Economist

Our nation's AAA credit rating was just lowered to AA+ with a negative outlook.

Remember before proceeding in reading this post that I write for myself. I write and post to leave memories for my kids - and to chronicle things in my life that I want to remember. These are my opinions and my thoughts - and we will often disagree with each other -

I leave you entitled to your opinion(s) and I'm entitled to mine.

I haven't written a single word about the crazy weeks we've had as a nation awaiting our elected officials to extend the debt ceiling. Not a single word. But tonight, I break my silence. And I'm hugely pissed off - are you? - so feel free to just skip over this post. Seriously.

I think Congress just got their hands slapped by Standard & Poors - and I think it was deserved. They failed us. Totally and completely failed us. It's sort of ironic that S&P is one of the very same agencies that pushed all the bad debt on institutions for years. They helped banks write really bad loans based on nothing - and they are as much a cause of the problems as any one else. But let's just skip over that for now. They are still one of the top 'ratings agencies' in the world - and so what they think matters. The rest of the world will pay attention, even if others in our country say we should ignore it.

In part, S&P states they made the decision due to the refusal of the GOP to raise taxes. And for that, I applaud them. For me, the GOP - and the fringe Tea Party'ers - acted irresponsibly in regards to the debt ceiling. They took a routine, rote function - something that has been done before by President's and Congresses of every party affiliation - for generations. It was a no-brainer. Totally a non-event.

And it was turned into a huge event - because people think debt is bad. Making a huge issue that 'we can't take on more debt'.

I get that. We (as a family) think debt is bad. We avoid it at all costs. But we can't own a home without it. We can't own a car without it. There was a time in our early married life when we needed it for the things that happened in daily life that we didn't have the cash reserves to handle - car repairs, broken water heaters, home repairs, etc. I totally understand the economy as it is now has made 'debt' a dirty word - and families all over America are tightening their belts and working hard at living within their means. And that's a great thing. It's the right thing to do - these are scary times and many people are out of work - and when your income is less or you're afraid it might be less any minute, you tighten your belt. You stop spending. And you work really hard at not adding debt to your obligations. You can't afford it. Heck, some months you're in the red so much, you think 'holy crap, what are we going to do?'. And we are there some months ourselves. Certainly still above water overall and certainly blessed with two full time jobs. But I get it. I agree that spending more than you have - and going in to debt to support a life style you can't afford - is a bad thing.

But this debt ceiling crisis was stupid and ridiculous. We're not talking about a household budget here. You want to stop going out for pizza to shore up your personal household bottom line? Great. Do that. But when your budget is the budget of a country - and not just any country, but the US - the leading economy in the WORLD - you need to lighten up a bit. The time to decide to make an issue of the 'debt ceiling' and raising it is most certainly NOT during the worst economic crisis our country has experienced since the Great Depression. It was called THE GREAT DEPRESSION for a reason, you know. Economic events of this magnitude don't come about that often - thank God - which is why we are the leading economy of the WORLD.

I had breakfast with a friend yesterday. In 2008, she purchased her first home as a 'divorced' woman. She was proud of being able to qualify for that loan. Proud to put her difficult divorce behind her and do something on her own. Yesterday, she told me she is short-selling her home - she purchased it for $365,000 and it was recently appraised for $136,000. She's decided she's too close to retirement to keep paying on her $365K mortgage when she only has an asset valued at just slightly higher than a third of what she paid for it.

I did a Zillow search of my childhood home in Phoenix - and the 'red' for sale icons were so numerous, the screen was just a sea of red.

So here's what I think Congress should do.

Require the banks - who created the crisis at it's core by writing bad loans for people who couldn't afford the loan and who never would have qualified for the loan if due diligence had been in the vocabulary of banks during the early 2000's - require them to write off the money owed by Americans on homes that are no longer worth anywhere close to the loan balance. Apply this to absolutely every home in America - with no 'rules'. Everyone qualifies. No restrictions based on income or net worth. Just apply it to all - it's fair that way.

So, if you own a $20 million dollar home and have a loans against it based on that value (or a higher value - equity lines, home improvements like pools, etc.) and consequently mortgage/loan payment based on that loan amount, and it's now worth 1/2 that - fine. Your new mortgage is based on the new 'assessed' value of the property. The bank just lost $10 million - but that's not real 'value' anyway. They loaned money on a property that is now not worth that amount - and it's the banks that need to own the brunt of the loss. Apply that scenario to absolutely every mortgage in America, across the board. Just like that, my friends mortgage payment would go from $2500+ to $800ish....and she'd spend that $1700 difference. Well, OK - she'd save a lot of it - 'cuz she's close to retirement. But she would end up spending some of it - because as the economy started to recover (spending increases demand and demand creates jobs and jobs create growth), her confidence would return and she'd lighten up her savings and spend some. Maybe she'd take a vacation. She'd put money into the house - instead of not caring what happens to it. She'd visit Home Depot and buy some flowers for her garden every Spring...little things like that.

Multiply that effect across every home in America - and there you go! Recovery - real recovery! - starts to happen.

We are underwater on our home debt and we have been for a few years. We don't worry about it - 'cuz we are both employed; we don't feel either of us are at risk of losing our jobs; and we have savings (well, we do - but God only knows what's going to happen Monday when the markets open) - so we'd take that difference and be very GOP-like - we'd pay down our debt with the 'extra'. And we'd splurge a bit more. Eat out a bit more. Travel some. Lighten the dirge of fear regarding our future by spending a little money. Paying down our debt as quickly as possible would result in us hopefully having no mortgage payment by the time we retire - so we'll have more money in retirement to stimulate the economy with. J. will play a lot of golf and we'll travel more. We will eat out and treat our kids and grand kids as often as possible to trips and meals. Hopefully help them buy their first homes, etc. All those dreams made possible by being able to stop paying on a loan for a property value that no longer exists.

'But what will happen to the banks?', you might ask. Well, as much as I'd like to say 'I don't give a rat's ass', I can't say that - because my husband is employed by one of the biggest and so I have to care. At least for four more years, anyway. Truthfully, I don't know what that answer would be. Many (more) would likely go under - and more consolidation/mergers would happen. But what would be left is entities that have loans on their books that are meaningful loans - with real value. 'Cuz right now, they have inflated loan balances (which are on their books as an asset at a hugely inflated amount vs. what the property backing those loans is actually worth) with un-real value. And that's just another shoe waiting to drop.

I told J. about my proposed solution - and he told me that there are many economists who say that is the best solution. Level the playing field and get the banks to be responsible for the devaluation of real estate all over the country. Sure, the second wave will hurt - but it won't hurt most Americans. It will hurt the banks. It will also open up home ownership again based on meaningful values and better underwriting to ensure those purchasing the home have a chance at keeping it! So I'm an economist and didn't know it!

If things don't improve, I can totally see more and more people making the decision my friend made - just walk away. If we suddenly were faced with only one income, we'd consider it - 'cuz we won't risk retirement savings to maintain our current standard of living. And I think if things don't turn around soon, more and more people all across America are just going to stop paying on those inflated loans.....live there for months while the banks force them out....and then move on. More cash in their pockets - and less in the banks.

Thanks to Standard & Poors, things are about to get a whole lot worse. I don't know what they think making this change will do - but I think they did it to make the point that our country's governance is a train wreck. I'm disappointed in all of them - including our President - though I totally think he had no choice but TO compromise. If the other party (or the 'other' other party) won't get the stick out of their asses and DO SOMETHING, then someone - and President Obama is a true leader and will lead even when others refuse to - someone has to do something.

It's infuriating how those people who refused to compromise - who refused to see that making billionaires pay their fair share instead of paying as little as most poor people pay (average tax rate for the very rich and corporations is 18%. What's yours?) was the best approach; combining increased revenue with reductions - are now blaming the President for the downgrade. Who do they think they're kidding? Do they really think we are that stupid? Are we?

I've learned a lot about leadership the past couple years. I don't consider myself a great leader by any means - but I'm learning. And one thing I know for sure about leading is that it isn't about being right or wrong. It's not about insisting your way is the only way. It is about compromising.....doing what's best for the whole vs. just some. Setting aside differences and seeing other perspectives - and making decisions based on those additional perspectives in conjunction with your own. And the most important thing absolutely required to lead is to put aside ego. Ego is poison to leadership. And most of our Congress doesn't want to lead - they want to rule. That's not leadership. And that's not America. That's not what they're elected to do. They are elected to serve - and to lead. It's time they start doing that.

The only thing I feel good about is that we have a true leader at the helm - and as hard as it is, I can't imagine where we'd be with previous leadership.

I'm glad my Monday will be a six hour meeting which will consume most of the day - so I won't have to be aware of what is happening in the market. I don't want to know until it's all over -

Blue Tooth

Isn't Blue Tooth technology amazing?

My phone's in my purse - and my car automatically connects to it! I do nothing and like magic, I can make or receive calls!

I love it - not just because it makes hands free phoning so easy.

My favorite thing about it?

It makes talking to yourself in your car totally acceptable. Normal, even.

No one thinks you're crazy - they just think you're talking on your phone.

Hello!! It's August!

Already. Actually well into the first week....

'Students will be here soon' mode is in full swing at work. My department is buried in year-end....but we're plugging away.

Things on the home front are quiet. B's friend R. is here - he arrived Tuesday evening and is staying through the weekend (we think. We don't actually know. And it's fine - he can stay as long as he likes).

Are you good at 'having company'? I'm better than I used to be - but still....it's that 'high alert' feeling all the time that is hard for me. The dog is 'on edge'....waiting to bark at the person who is no longer a stranger and yet disrupts her routine and keeps her on edge. She's like her mama, I guess...I'm happy to have him here [he's an easy guest and fits in well - he takes care of himself and keeps busy and doesn't require 'being entertained' to be comfortable]....but it's a change to have a 5th person in the house. Still, it's good he's here - he's not feeling well and it's better he be here with people then sitting alone in an apartment. Nothing worse than being sick and alone - so he's sick but definitely not alone.

Dinner was Subway...quick, easy and didn't require heat to prepare.

J. and I are watching a recorded "Love in the Wild" - it's a good show and gets more interesting with each passing episode. I started off thinking of it like Survivor - all strategy and manipulation. But now, it's down to five couples who (with one glaring exception) truly seem to care about each other - which is kind of neat. So it's interesting to see them working on challenges that really bring out the 'true' person....it's not as much strategy as Survivor. It's just working together and racing with the other teams to not come in last and be eliminated. It's amusing - and you know me. I want to know how it all turns out - will there actually be any love matches when the challenges are over? We'll see.