Life or something like it

So instead of money, or dollars, things should now be termed in gallons of gas.  Like, two tickets to the latest movie?  That'll be 4 gallons please.  That's my new trend thought for the day.

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We took Jason's friend Nathan and his girlfriend Jackie to the airport this morning and on the way back from the airport  we saw hot air balloons!  So fun!  Here's a pic tweaked a little in Picasa. 

It turned out to be a "fun day" of fixing stuff...

It's a little late, but here are a couple pics from Lake Mirror's beautiful (45 min late) fireworks show!

Are we in a recession?  Is someone going to announce and label this time period a recession or does that happen later  once the history books are written?
It takes $50+ to fill up a ten gallon tank.  Seriously?  I keep wondering when we will start to see this lack of funds effecting individuals, beside people taking less road trips.  When will we start to see people park their SUV's?  When will bike riding become trendy?  To and from work especially.  We all complain about the price of gas, yet seem to accept it.  What can be done?

Starbucks is going to close 600 stores nationwide.  I think that's one way we have seen an effect.   A quote taken from the article above reads,  "Starbucks also has conceded that it has not been immune to the weak U.S. economy combined with high food and gas prices, which has made $4 coffee drinks less palatable for many Americans."  Less Starbucks...  One latte now equals one gallon of gas. 

I can throw a rock and hit 5 for rent or for sale signs.  Every street has at least one sign up in the yard.  We had a real estate boom like Starbucks had a store growth boom.   Flipping houses used to be the name of the game, but now houses stand empty for 6 months at least and barely break even if and when they sell.  People move out of their houses to rent because it is that much cheaper. 

Why can't we just print more money?  Money really is just paper we've made important.  It doesn't actually produce a result unless building a fire.  ;o)  I posed this question to Jason and his reply was that if we printed more it would devalue the currency.  Argh.  What can we do?

Food and gas costs more money, but we don't have more.  House payments have gone through the roof, yet we don't make more money to cover those higher payments.   Will this just pass?  Will it get really bad or will something turn the market around?  Someone mentioned to me that Americans have had it too easy for too long.  Are we now facing the consequences of our poor decisions?  I think Americans may also be a little thick headed, so how bad does it have to get for the public to take action?  Will we live on credit (like we have been) until someone gets a Fight Club idea to blow up the credit companies?  I don't have the answers.  I wish I did.

Jason and I drove around Lakeland yesterday afternoon looking at a few customers houses and lots, sharing memories of Lakeland.  "I remember's" and "so and so used to live here" kinda talk.  It was fun. 

I live in a small apartment, in town, which I love.  The kids share a room, which works fine.  I am not complaining.  I think though once you accept what you have and you are content with that you put what you dream  to have aside.  I don't think that's a bad thing, necessarily.  You cannot allow those longings to take over or you become discontent and it turns into envy or bitterness, but to ignore them is to almost let a part of you die. It seems to me that's why when you see something you could have, one day, it starts to open you up again.

I want at least a 3 bedroom house for the kids to have their own space.  Nora doesn't really have any girl toys or decorations in her room and I'd really like to give her that.  I saw this purple shag rug that was too cute at Sam's and there is this toy shelf thing at Ikea I'd like to get for Noah.   Simple things.  No big deal really.  I have a few pictures on my walls at home, but my bedroom is a little sparse.  There is a vanity at Ikea I'd love to have and some canvas prints at Target I liked.  I would like to make my own prints though.  I don't think it makes me materialistic or perhaps it does.  In my mind, your home is your sanctuary and a place that is uniquely yours.  Maybe I have neglected it and myself for a little while and the dream building we did awakened that in me again. 

Lots of stuff going on; Patrick's military crap, school for me soon and having the kids by myself full-time will change a lot of things personally.  I maybe see myself disappearing in the needs of my children and the demands of school.  There won't be a lot of time to give Jason and that makes me sad.  School will be a big sacrifice, but hopefully a lot will be gained from the discipline of studies.  I really look forward to using my brain again.  :o)  There is a lot of ways life could go right now and I'm trying to be flexible without losing myself.  We'll see.

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I found a book at the elibrary titled Love; quotes and passages from the heart by B. C. Aronson.  Here are a few of my favorite favorites.

"A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems to short"
- Andre Maurois

"We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love.  It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person."
                                        - W. Somerset Maugham

"Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit"  - Peter Ustinov

"I was married by a judge.  I should have asked for a jury."  - Mae West

"I sold my memoirs of my life to Parker Brothers and they are going to make a game out of it." 
- Woody Allen

"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned"  - William Congreve

"There is no reciprocity (res-uh-pros-ity).  Men love women, women love children, children love hamsters."
- Alice Thomas Ellis

"I'm not a vegetarian because I love animals.  I'm a vegetarian because I hate plants." - A. Whitney Brown

"Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it.  Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.  Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it."  - Martin Luther King Jr.

"Love is what we were born with.  Fear is what we learned here."  -  Marianne WIlliamson

""Love your neighbor as yourself, but don't take down the fence."  - Carl Sandburg

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
- Lao Tzu

Jason and a few of his friends have their Concealed Weapons Permit.   Which means they are legally allowed to carry a weapon around in public.  This to me, seems almost like a secret society.  I was told by one of these friends that if we went to the mall together he could probably point out the majority of people "carrying".  Only someone who carries would know what to look for.

Jason is on the road a lot and goes to bad areas and strangers houses.  I respect his need to protect himself and know that he is Mr. Safety especially when it comes to guns.  I am wondering though, if carrying gives you a heightened sense of danger.  Jason also carries a wicked knife he got from his sister in Iraq.  I recently ran down to the laundry mat by myself and just felt the need to have a knife, for example, with me, "just in case".  I have also started working for Jason part-time and his office is located in Auburndale in a not so safe part of town where I am usually alone.  If someone, intending to harm me were to come into his office I would have no way of truly protecting myself, which is pretty scary when you think about it.  I am guessing that most people just don't think about it.  We live in a bubble where we think we are safe and that bad things happen to other people, not us.   Is this a heightened sense or a healthy sense?  Do we feel in control when we have a weapon on hand and out of control when we don't?  Do we feel naked and unprotected once we know we can do something about this potential danger?  Can I get a purple and black gun?  All things worth pondering on...

Jason and I went to the gun show at the Lakeland Center this passed Sat.  I have never been and Jason was looking for a specific holster.  I have been to the gun range with him a couple of times, but did not know what to expect.

We get there and it is basically a huge room full of rednecks, gangsters, and vendors along with their children.  A lot of them appropriately dressed in camouflage or their favorite leather jacket, complete with patches.  There was a variety of guns from old war rifle's to new handguns reminisce of Charlie's Angels 2 and Demi Moore.  There was also jewelry, beef jerky and knives/swords.  The throwing knives caught my eye and reminded me of an afternoon in the front yard with an old friend of mine.

We finally got to the "Glock" table.  Where they had a few items, but nothing that suited Jason's needs.  He also showed me the laser he'd like to get and I got to handle a 27 like Jason has, but with the extended clip, which I like better.  It was an interesting afternoon.  I think Jason enjoyed my interest and it definitely inspired me to go back to the gun range! 

One thing I thought interesting was I found out that my aunt used to go to the gun shows with Dan, her ex-husband and my mom has a specific gun in mind that she'd like to own. 

I hope to take a class for more education about safety and handling the gun and at some point in the future, Jason will take Noah out to the gun range and teach him and hopefully give him a healthy fear of guns. 

"hey you, I like your gun..."

We have the potty, we have the training pants, we have a willing little girl, but no pee.

Nora wants  to sit on the potty, but then she says "nope!" and is done and wants to get down and then wants to get back up on the potty and then wants to get down repeat repeat repeat.  Yay!  Potty training.