Shoe Shopping
Mood:  happy
Topic: money
The weather changed quite abruptly about two weeks ago and it coincided perfectly with our move to the new place. So, I was stuck with the late summer clothes I had left unpacked and the few wintery pieces I could pull out of a suitcase. It became clear too that my shoes would not be adequate for the rest of the season either. I will need some new shoes, like some work boots or loafers. I need more foot and ankle coverage. The Mary Jane’s are cute, but it’s not so cute to have cold feet. I also need at least one more pair of pants too that are longer! One pair I’ve been relying on for a while are more capri style. So, some shoes and pants that keep me covered are on the shopping list. Let the hunt begin!

On E
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: money
The gas shortage here in Atlanta is making for a bit of a time shortage too. I haven’t had to fill up since the lines started building and craziness started. The last time I filled up, it was pretty much normal. Tomorrow, I’m off from work to go to my rheumy appointment. That’s stressful enough without having to worry about finding gas. I’m organizing my day around that and the appointment. So, I’ll have all morning and late afternoon to fill up. Luckily, I’m not close to empty. Maybe I’ll try to read or cross stitch while I wait in line. It might distract me from my possible diagnosis.

Buying Back Cali
Mood:  flirty
Topic: money

Austin is the most liberal city in Texas, which is saying a lot, I guess. Maybe not. Well, it has a great arts and music scene. One of my favorite movies was filmed there - Slacker. That was the movie where some random girl is trying to sell Madonna’s pap smear. Randomness and existentialism were some of its themes.

Sacramento, California sounds good too. In California, Oakland is the most liberal city. These statistics were from some study done using census bureau numbers and voting statistics. While the mortgage rates are low, I'd love to contact a few Sacramento realtors and get a jump on the market. Or else I'll wait for the market to jumpstart itself.

Despite all the talk these days about sub-prime mortgages, the bad debt on the Wall Street books are all kinds of loans and lines of credit. I'm sure those realtors in Sacramento are still making great commissions on their house sales and particularly on their rental programs. R and I will be renting for a long time, especially with my credit score and his continuing education. It doesn't matter because ownership isn't our goal. Being happy and loving each other are more important goals.

Mortgage Metaphor, or Meltdown Redux
Mood:  sharp
Topic: money

I was trying to explain to a friend the whole economic meltdown we’ve been experiencing lately. This is basically what I said: Let’s say you lend some money to your uncle. $100. You are bank A. But let’s say you don’t want to have this debt on your books anymore, so you sell the debt to investor B. Well, investor B paid you the dollar value, maybe more, maybe less. Now investor B starts telling all his friends abou this $100 that some uncle owes him. He talks like the uncle will eventually fork over $130-140. Who wants in? So Saudia Arabian bank C and Ukrainian Investor D say they want a piece of the action. So they each give you $60, which equals more than Investor B paid in the first place. Of course C and D want some earnings on their investment too. They didn’t just “buy” it. They’re betting on it and lending in a way.

But the uncle gets behind on his payments and can’t even pay the $100, let alone interest! Now maybe Bank A is hurt because Investor B wants to pull out other investments. Definitely Bank B is hurt because they aren’t going to see a dime and they’re out about $100. AND they owe the Saudis and Ukrainians the $60 apiece plus some earnings. If nobody gets any money, then it’s like a pyramid scheme gone wrong. If the government “bails” someone out, like Investor B, then everybody wins.

Except the uncle.

Free Kharma
Mood:  accident prone
Topic: money

R and I just saw Burn After Reading, which was hilarious. The violence did surprise us though. It was in sharp contrast to the humor of the movie. One of the previews to the movie was for Body of Lies, with Leonardo Dicaprio and Russell Crowe, which seems like an action-packed drama about CIA operatives in the middle east. Well, Burn After Reading shows us what the middle-management CIA and government officials are up to. And how befuddled we are as a result.  Sounds about right. The Dicaprio version is the American fantasy of espionage and heroic gun battles.

While we were at the mall, we passed by the stands that sell sunglasses and incense. We even stopped in a jewelry store. At one kiosk, for Verizon Wireless sales, a nice young man beckoned us over. Their current special includes free Palm Centro cell phones by signing up with a certain service, for a certain number of years. I've had my current phone for less than a year, but I'm thinking of changing it or upgrading anyway. Getting one of the free LG phones sounds appealing. Their motto is "life is good." I need that positive thinking in my life. Another kiosk, closer to the food court, also drew our attention. The customer sales agents there wore blue shirts and khaki pants, looking very sharp. On their plus-side they had free sony ericsson phones, in a variety of colors.

R mentioned the other day that he found someone's Blackberry in the GSU library the other day. So he almost had a free Blackberry Pearl, except he didn't want the bad kharma. He had a hilarious conversation with the phone's owner on the phone ("Ricky is that you?" "No, Ricky left his phone in the bathroom. If you see him, can you tell him it will be at the circulation desk?" "Ricky, are you joking? Is that you, Ricky?"), and then he left it at the circulation desk. The best thing that's free is kharma.

Chaos Market Theory
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: money

Is it a bear market or a bull market now? There’s a whole bunch of animal stuff happening over there - bull feces, wolf tickets, and those birds that lay their eggs in other nests to trick those mama birds. It’s a dog eat dog world.

I do wonder why the government is willing to bail out private corporations but not the American people themselves who find themselves in difficult times. People don’t purposefully miss their mortgage payments. They just hit hard times and fall behind. The fact that the top guns on Wall Street are falling victim to similar woes tells me these are really hard times. So, when one Flint autoworker coughs, a day trader somewhere loses his job. Something like that.

Wall Street Woofers
Mood:  energetic
Topic: money

Lately, when I'm daydreaming of a owning a VW Jetta or Mini Cooper oneday, I find comfort listening to the latest economic news on NPR. Even if you have fallen behind with your bills, there are still bad credit car loans out there. The major brokerage houses were basically doing what every credit card holding, blue-blooded American was doing - trying to balance the books when you live a bit beyond your means or trying to swim above the cash flow. It's not shameful, it's the American way! From car loans to sub prime mortgages, you have to represent and keep up with the Jones.

Wall street may be crumbling and the people scattering like ants, but you can blow past them all in your smooth ride with the woofers thumping and bumping.

Our Gain
Topic: money
I'm curious to go to the Public Records Database to do a public records search on the house we're moving into. I wonder how much it sold for last, especially since the owner told us he reduced the rent by $200 in the last few months. After the last tenants moved out and with the market the way it is, he decided to lower it. His loss, our gain. Of course, with an older house in a very nice neighborhood, with already inflated prices, I don't doubt he's doing okay.

Digging for Gold
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: money

Sometimes when R starts thinking that he might not be cut out for law school, when even finishing his bachelor's seems lik ea challenge, he thinks he might start his own business, become a producer/rapper, or start his own chihuahua breeding farm. The last one I wouldn't mind so much. Our dog Assata has had 3 litters, with 7 puppies all together. The last litter was a bit weird and tragic, with only one puppy surviving. We had to keep her since we had basically paid over $1400 to save her and Assata's lives.  Really, Big Mama is a wonderful part of our family. If we could have a whole pack (as if 4 isn't enough) and live on a farm or partly suburban area, I would be a happy woman. I don't know if that would mean me being a stay at home mom, but I hope it does.

If R did start a business, I think it would be a record store or a record label. I vote for either. Who hasn't fantasized about having their own store? Whether it's selling yuppie doggie brownies, overpriced Venezuelan yarn, or teeny tiny refashioned t-shirts, the mom-and-pop, small business is an American dream. I think he would love to have a record store, where he could chat up customers and still continue to "dig" for records, some for the store and others for his personal collection. If he had a record label, he could press reproductions of little known albums or mixes of found gems. Actually, the two are not mutually exclusive. Wouldn't it be fun to have a record store with your own record label to boot? With banks and lenders offering starting money through a business loan and business cash advance, all you need is a grrreat idea. Of course, you need a business plan, knowledge of finance, and a lot of time to commit to your endeavor.

 That's all I really want or ask of R. Be passionate, put forth everything you got, work hard. We're nearing the end now, at least with his bachelor's. It's the final inning. It's the 10-yard stretch. On the other hand, when he makes it to law school, that will be like another game, set of goals, and craziness. Let's just get there already.

Cars, Cards, and Hubs
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: money

R and I switched cars a few weeks ago. I drive the small SUV and he now drives the minivan. Phew, what a difference. The small SUV has a much better MPG rate, especially for the distance that I drive. Unfortunately, I am experiencing a recurring problem with the car. They've fixed it twice at the dealership (this last time for free), but I think the same problem is happening again. So, even though I'd love to sell the minivan soon, I guess it's our more reliable car at the moment.

R drove it yesterday to get some fuel injector cleaner and check the fluid levels. Of course, he said it was driving better than when he was driving it. That always happens, like when you go to the mechanic, and the noise you've been so upset about suddenly disappears.

I wish we could just go out and get a new card with CreditCards. I was looking at Cardhub.com. Although my credit is quite bad, I was amazed that I still qualified for some cards. It's great to know banks and card companies still want my business! Nevertheless, the cards come with high interest rates and annual fees. At least I know I can turn somewhere when I want to build my credit back up.