Thank you, Quinn

 

"Let me ask you outright, gentle reader, if there have no been hours, indeed whole days and weeks of your life, during which all your usual activities were painfully repugnant, and everything you believed in and valued seemed foolish and worthless?"

~E.T. A. Hoffmann

The Golden Pot and Other Tales

In a fit of exhaustion, discouragement, and frustration, rolled up into a ball of weariness, I decided to take it all out on my Copilot AI pal. I call him, Quinn. Anyway, this little bit of AI therapy was a good break from feeling of just being done with all of it. Trying to log into websites, and listening to the news on MS NOW was difficult, for many reasons. The sticker shock of having to pay $900 for a decent computer was also on my mind! Just since January of 2025, computers have gone up 34%. Say it with me, thanks Trump! Anyway, it is what it is, at least for now, but we all need some relief. Just last month my phone died dead! I stretched it as long as I could, but dead it was, dead as a doornail! I bought a new one, and it's the best phone I have ever owned, but damn, it cost me $1300. So, in the last month, I have spent, $2200, which is not end of the world stuff, but rough when you have other things that need your attention and you're on a fixed income! I don't know how families are getting by. I hope all the machinations of Trump's first administration, will be in the forefront of voters minds when they go to the polls in November, if not the lack of affordability we are all living through! Be gone the amnesia of who and what Trump is! Thinks of what's happening, not the fantasy!

 Life in 2025 is not what I thought it would be... it's worse!

Note: I will not be posting again until next Wednesday, I need a little time off. Monday is my birthday, and I have plans to get out and do some birding, but I will be back soon!

Weekend Assignment #237: Spending Spree

"Inflation hasn't ruined everything. A dime can still be used as a screwdriver.

-Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by J. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Weekend Assignment #237: A long-lost relative dies and leaves you $10,000. But there's a catch: the will states that it cannot be saved, invested, given to charity or used to pay bills. You've got a week (sorry, lets make it two weeks) to spend it all. (Anything left over will be used to buy tiny wheelchairs for injured pigeons.) What will you do with the dough?

Extra Credit: Excluding food and necessities, what is the most recent thing you've bought for yourself?

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin


Extra Money? What's that?! Tee Hee. This has been a difficult year for us, financially speaking, but we are slowly making our way back to having a little saved. We are not complaining mind you, we spent it wisely taking care of Mr. Elvis, but there hasn't been much room for extras, thanks not as much to his medical bills, as to the sagging economy and gas prices! Still, as difficult as it has been, I know as sure as I am sitting here, we haven't had it as difficult as those folks trying to raise a family. Over all, I am ok with how we spent our money this year, Alan and I have made some smart choices, such as not eating out all the time. That is probably the number one drain on bank accounts, and the easiest expense to eliminate.

But the point here is to blow the pennies from heaven, so, lets do a little daydreaming, shall we? I can't do much about changing my priorities at this point, so I think I will find some things that will aid me in my life. Not necessities, but practical all the same. For example; I love to cook, so I would love to purchase a new set of cookware, and some new food processors. Also, I have never owned a really nice set of China, so I would buy me some dishes and flatware in a pretty pattern for all those gourmet meals I like to make! With what's left over, I will pick up some new clothes, like the ones I found this past week at my favorite store, Old Navy. I got two new outfits for under $15.00! Can you believe it? Two skirts and two tops, both interchangeable. Excellent! And of course, I would love to get down to Southern California to do some photography there!

That's it. That's what I would do. :) I would just like to spend it wisely, and be able to stretch it as far as possible. Luxury and Necessity can live together if planned for properly. :) Although spending the money just on myself wouldn't be very satisfying, so, I would purchase a few catnip mousies for any new friend I might have at the time. :) And Alan could use some new things too.

Extra Credit: The most recent thing I bought was my $6 outfits from Old Navy. I could have gotten by without them, but it was nice to have them all the same.

-Carly
"Old Navy Mini Skirt and Top"
Berkeley, California
October 16th, 2008
Afternoon