Category Archives: What’s New in the World

Where Does their Profit Come From?

So, I heard a story on the radio today about a group urging Craigslist to clean up their act regarding the trafficking of human beings. Hearing this story, led me to think of the question I always ask about Craigslist–how does it make money?

So I did what anybody does today when they have a question. I googled it, and got this answer.

I am still processing what I think of the site I use to find wanted items at an affordable price being used for such a horrible practice.

A Little Political Meandering

Ok.  So I was starting to like Mike Huckabee as a candidate.  Then, he had to make stupid comments about Romney’s Mormanism.  The fact that Romney is a Mormon does impact my decision not to vote for him.  I have a hard time with the idea of a cult-member running the free world. (BTW, since I am not running for office, I can publicly state that I think Mormanism is a cult.)  However, I don’t think Huckabee should have touched the topic with a 10-foot pole.  So after he inserted his foot in his mouth, he had to pry it out by taking back what he said.  As someone who doesn’t want a Morman for president and who respected Huckabee’s Christian values, the retraction/apology makes Huckabee a less suitable candidate.

The One About the Big Purse

This is my new big purse. I got it for $4.98 on clearance at Target (Originally $19.99).

It all started because I decided I needed to get a better day planner for next year. With 4 kids, work, and a husband with various obligations, I need something a little more comprehensive than my date book from the dollar store (despite the comment I put on my sister-in-law’s blog a month or so ago.) Back in my “career” days in publishing, a great Day Timer was provided for me by my employer. It was the small binder type in which you place new filler pages each year. The one the company purchased for me was real leather and had my initials on it. Since it was pretty nice and personalized, I never threw it away. So I dug it out and decided I would put in new filler pages for next year. I bought the new filler pages at Target on clearance, too. They were on clearance because they are the kind that you have to write in the calendar dates for yourself. (And, yes. I will take the time to do this. I’m already on May.)

I knew if I was going to carry around this big planner, I needed to have a purse big enough to hold it. I felt it was providential when I went to look at the purses at Target, and this giant purse was available at such a good price. So naturally, I bought it.

I brought it home and proudly showed it to Mark. I explained my great plan of carrying the planner in the new big purse. He smiled and said, “You’ll outgrow it.” Now, I admit to vascillating between tiny purses, medium purses, and larger purses all the time. But I haven’t carried a purse of this size with this carrying capacity since the 90s. There’s part of me that hates to carry a giant purse. But I much prefer carrying one big bag to carrying a fairly large purse and another bag of some sort. The new giant purse can handle my new planner, my over-stuffed fat wallet (filled with everything but money), a few cosmetic items, my prescription sunglasses, and it still has room for an extra book to take along places you have to wait. Or, you can stuff a pre-schoolers sweater or jacket in the side pocket when she doesn’t want to wear it anymore. It really is functional.

So here’s the real question: do you, like Mark, think I’ll outgrow it? I really think it will make it through the winter for sure. If it doesn’t fall apart from being over stuffed, it may make it through summer, too, as it would be handy for all those fun outdoor activities of summer. Only time will tell . . . . .

Are Blogs Dying?

As a veteran blogger of nearly 6 years, I understand the sentiment of this article.  I have never blogged for anything more than my personal entertainment and a desire to somehow connect with other adults.  I started blogging in the first place as a sort of personal coping mechanism for the various difficult circumstances I was facing at the time.  I have kept blogging for that reason and also to keep a sketchy record of our family’s life and my thoughts about it.  Occasionally, I throw in something else.  But I never expected to earn money or gain fame by blogging.  I just thought it was cool technology that wasn’t too difficult for me to play around with in a way that might be fun and helpful.

Alas, we all know that real “bloggers” do much more than that.

The article in CT makes me wonder about the whole future of blogging though.  Any thoughts?

It Looks Like a Toy

I was pulling out of my office parking lot yesterday, and I saw this across the street. It pulled out in front of me, and I actually passed a couple cars so I could get up behind it and look at it. This car truly looks like a toy. According to the website, the base model will sell for $12,000.00. It certainly wouldn’t be practical for our family, but it sure is cute. The Smart car is made by Mercedes. I generally think of Mercedes as being safe cars, so perhaps this will be the car that parents will be willing to buy for teenagers once they’ve been around in the states for a while.