The New & Improved Presidential Election

This morning I went to work full of excitement about the November elections and with a newfound respect for Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain.  Before, I go any further though, let me make a small personal disclaimer here – I am not one who closely follows politics or has any in-depth perspectives on them.  I am just too busy to spend time any more time than I do immersing myself in that kind of sticky web.  I do know what I support and who the candidates are that I believe in and want to see in the White House.

Now back to my original point.  This morning I awoke to the same election that I have been for the past several months.  But by the time that I was walking out the door to go to work, everything had changed.  Who would win this years presidential election was never a slam dunk as to who would win, at least according to the polls that I have seen (and truthfully after the Bush/Gore debacle, I am scared to even speculate), but it was sure to go down in history as a great moment in the Democratic party’s and America’s history no matter who won because of Barak Obama’s nomination.

I concede that perhaps my judgement has been clouded by George W.’s term in office but nothing that McCain has done seems to have really been effective in terms of doing anything to slow Obama’s momentum.  Until this morning that is.  From what I have heard, I was not the only one who had never even contemplated the strategy that McCain employed with his announcement of his Vice Presidential choice, Governor Sarah Palin.  This seems to be the first brilliant move that he has made so far, choosing a woman for his running mate.  Now not only does he have a shot at all of those voters disgruntled by having no Hilary on the ticket but he has also altered the history books that many had already written.  The election will now be great history for both parties regardless of who wins and America will have taken another giant step forward in the fight for equality.  In hindsight, we all should have guessed this as a possible strategy because it seems so obvious.  If Barak had selected Hilary, it would not have mattered so much but his selection of another male, makes this an almost obvious strategy for McCain to use.  And while I was hoping in my heart of hearts to see the “dream ticket” of Hilary and Obama (yes, in that order), after Obama’s announcement I took a moment to scan through the Yahoo! news article.  One of the first things that it mentioned was about Biden’s extensive foreign policy experience, and I grudgingly admitted at that point that Obama had made a smart selection.  The only argument that the Republican’s have made that Obama really has no rebuttal for was his lack of experience in foreign policy and now he has the ammunition to fight back.  Hats off to both candidates on their VP strategies.

I am suddenly feeling a renewed excitement for this election and for the future.

Which Way To Go?

So I have been thinking lately that I really should start paying more attention to my health and to my physical fitness level. This is not a thrilling prospect for me but it keeps tugging at the back of my mind telling me to “DO SOMETHING!” I looked into some of the gyms around my house, especially 24 Hour Fitness, thinking that if it’s open 24-7 then I can probably get there at least for a couple of those hours each week. Yeah right to both the gyms and my idea. Problem #1 is the monthly cost. Even if I could squeeze it out of my already incredibly overstretched budget, I am then faced with Problem #2 – more costs. It seems that while these gyms do offer childcare, you are expected to pay extra for it. Plus, they don’t offer “family” plans that I could see and it’s a little difficult for me to spend that kind of money on something that only I benefit from. So gyms are out.

After all of that I went back to my normal state of ignoring the little voice in the back of my mind. That is until I remembered about the YMCA. Why it took me so long, I have no idea. Both my mom and my dad have worked as swim instructors at the Y and my sister spent high school working there. My family has always been involved as members as well. In fact, my oldest son plays on the basketball league there. But to get back to the point, once I thought about the YMCA, I also remembered that sometimes there are scholarship type opportunities available that I could apply for. I called up, got the info, and sent out the application. I read the program brochure and started getting visions of swim lessons for the kids, working out while having the kids at a free child care, and all sorts of other things. I even talked to a friend of mine about applying for her family so we could go together.

Then I got the approval letter and now I am asking, as the title states, which way to go? They offered me half off the monthly dues. It is slightly possible that I could manage that (with a lot of bargaining with my husband who won’t like the added expense) but there are a couple of other little issues. You have two options regarding the payment of monthly dues. You can either pay 6 months at a time (not in this lifetime) or you have to sign up for automatic withdrawal from your checking account. I have an account but my money managing skills are zero. I know that there is no way that I will be able to leave the dues sitting in the account for over a week after payday until they come take them out. Even if I did, my husband wouldn’t. Potentially, I could transfer the funds to a prepaid account that I have (if the Y would accept it instead of a checking account) but even then the situation is iffy.

And now that I am really thinking about it, I will also admit that I am not a motivated exerciser (is that a word?). I need a workout partner who is motivated and who will call me and tell me to get my butt up on those days that I am not doing it on my own. So far, this wonderful partner has yet to present themselves to me. So is it really worth juggling the fees? Well, my kids would benefit regardless.

So, which way to go? Any comments or ideas would be appreciated……..

In Honor of Back to School…Everyday Life Kicks Off Reviews

It is time to start preparing for the coming school year.  This year I am preparing for Pre-K, elementary school, junior high, and college.  So I decided that in honor of the back to school season, I will kick of Everyday Life Reviews with some education related reviews.  If you are looking for a way to help pay for college, pay down student loans, or for a really unique back to school idea, then pay attention to my opening reviews.  And if you’re not looking for any of these things, check it out anyways because I will be sharing some interesting stuff with all of you over the next few days.  And be sure to tell me if you have anything to add that people should know about, I’m always open to suggestions. 

Happy Back to Schoolin’!

Everyday Life’s Purpose In Life

Arch Rock

I’ve read and seen many websites, magazines, and television shows claim to be geared for “regular” women throughout the years.  And, each time, I have quickly learned that their version of a regular woman and mine were completely different.  So for all the regular women out there like myself, I write for you.  Of course, regular men are welcome too…Come on in, boys!

Now what is my regular woman?  Well, let’s talk about me for a minute and you’ll get a better picture of things.  I skipped college after high school and went right to work because, as I thought at the time, that I knew it all.  I married at 19 and had my first child at 20.  I have worked most life and have been the sole breadwinner for my family.  As was my mother before me.  I’ve been through and done some stupid things in my life but am always looking to better things for my family.  I’ve realized some of the mistakes that I have made and worked to correct them, such as returning to college at 30 years of age.  I earn somewhere around $35,000/year, (and since I live in Southern California, near the coast, this stretches about as far as nowhere), and have worked damn hard to get here.

Basically, if you have ever needed to scour the house and count all the pennies to make sure you have gas to get to work – you qualify.  If you have every suddenly become an extremely creative chef because of the need to feed your family on the last three things left in the pantry – you qualify.  If you’re one who falls into that grey area somewhere between poor and almost comfortable – you qualify.

I intend to present you with editorials about the events that occur in our Everyday Life and to do so with a sense of humor that succeeds in easing some of the pressure from your shoulders for a moment.  I plan to also include some reviews of products, services, and places that, realistically, you may use.  And every once in a while, I may throw some advice out there from someone who has been there.

I’m still learning so keep watching, it will get better, I promise!

Profound Statements That Cause You to Say, “What??!!”

I read a statement posted today by a colleague in a philosophy course I am taking.  At first, I just skimmed past it but after a few moments what I had seen actually registered in my mind and I stopped, unbelieving.  I flipped back through the last few posts and, sure enough, it did say what I thought it had.  My colleague stated in the post

“I think that death is scary!  That’s probably because I have never done it before and everyone who has is dead.”

Now, to be fair, the point that I believe she was trying to make is valid  – that death is an unknown and as such is often frightening.  But it seems to me, that it could have been phrased a little better to avoid joining the thousands of similarly “What??!!” type quotes provided to us by the likes of George W., Dan Quayle, and many celebrities.

Unintentionally dumb comments – just another aspect of everyday life.

Your Everyday Lifer – Leannan

I’d Like to Introduce You to Our Everyday Life

Among some of the titles that I carry are mother, employee, student, daughter, sister, wife, friend, etc. I work hard to support my family, study hard to advance myself, my career and to set a good example for my children, and try to be the best daughter, sister, friend, etc. that I can be to those in my life. I am definitely not wealthy or even upper middle class and have seen and done many different things in my life. I have made incredibly bad decisions and surprisingly good ones, all of which have led me done this path called life. I am not writing this blog to change the world or discuss celebrities or really for any specific purpose other than posting my take on the things that happen to me (and I am sure many of you) in everyday life. Whether it is the really annoying customer service at the corner store, my take on some news editor’s comment of the day, my opinion on society’s rules or reactions, or even to just vent about traffic, if I feel strongly about it at that moment then I will probably write about it. Who knows what each post will bring because who knows what each day in everyday life will bring? I’m not asking you to love me or to hate me, or to agree or disagree – just to read and comment if interested. Stay tuned and I hope to see you next time.