I enjoy grocery shopping with my son the way some people like picking their scabs. There is something painfully pleasant about the whole thing. Sure, we end up with a box of some sugary cereal that he’ll eat two bites of and then toss aside for his tried-and-true Crispix. And at times there is some yowling as we cruise up and down the aisles. But we’ve got the experience down to a nice groove now. I can even manage that oversized car buggy without ramming other shoppers now. And that takes skill.
A girlfriend of mine was sharing an usually unpleasant …read more

Some authors have to hustle to promote their books.  They struggle to get a book deal, sometimes they self-publish. They contact reporters and beg for reviews. I get contacted by these hard working artists trying to make a difference, write a story, people with something relevant to say.  
But, not Jenna Bush. The President’s daughter has been on my television all day long because she wrote a book.
Which brings me to a post I wrote earlier on Quit Coping, called Fair Smair, about fairness and how it’s futile to think about it.
I mean, I could bring up how my family’s economics are …read more

I checked this book out of the library because I love its catchy title: How to Survive on $50,000 to $150,000 a Year by Stanley J. Cohen & Robert Wool, copyright 1984.
Here are some of my favorite excerpts:

Ten, fifteen years ago, when you looked ahead you thought that if you ever earned $60,000 say, or $90,000 with two incomes in the family, you’d be rich. Yet here you are, you and your wife are pulling in $90,000, and one thing you’re sure of: You’re not rich.
First, Perception. You are not earning what you think you are earning. Or what you thought you …read more