Even though I’m not broke, I’m feeling very broke today. Perhaps it’s because my husband bought a new laptop last night and I am jealous. It makes me reflect once again on my financial situation. A news article about the average family savings made the point that many people, particularly poor people, do not have savings for emergencies. I remember being that poor. I am proud of having learned to manage my money independently of my husband, who helped me out financially when we first got married. I owe my independence to a financial advisor. Everyone should have a financial advisor. Anyway, objectively, I amRead More →

Every year for Valentine’s Day, my husband and I make cookies. We’ve done it now seven times. Of course, with each anniversary comes a recounting from the husband about the previous year’s events, including the cookie-making extravaganza. Twice when we lived in the Garden District bungalow and now five times in our current house. This Valentine’s Day our cookies came out perfectly. And when the news of peanut butter salmonella outbreaks hit the internet and the television, we blew it off, because we heard it was Peter Pan, and we buy the ghetto brand, Great Value. Well, lo and behold, we have two jars ofRead More →

Three movies I would like to see: 1. Blood and Chocolate (I’m such a geek) 2. Volver 3. I can’t really think of a third one right now. Shoutouts to three people I need to email: 1. Tammy W. 2. Lynda H. 3. Cris L. Three things I threw out from the fridge because they were spoiled: 1. Parmesan cheese 2. Eggs 3. Yogurt Three things I wish would happen to me today: 1. Win lotto 2. Have a brainstorm about interpersonal communication 3. Have something intelligent to blog about.

I spent part of today cleaning out my clothes of old clothes. Tomorrow I am going to go through my drawers. A sort of purging, I guess you could say. I don’t know what to do with these clothes, since most of them are good. They aren’t rags or torn or stained. They are just clothes that I don’t wear anymore for a variety of reasons. Which is just embarrassing because it’s emblematic of my crass consumption. I read on ABC an article that talks about where your clothes go when you donate them. They -don’t- go to poor families for free. Anyway, we’re spendingRead More →

I have accepted a position at a community college starting in the Spring. It is a step down from a Research I and a step up from unemployment. As you can see, I still suffer the Research I snobbery without the stamina to survive it. Still, I can’t help that I’m so jaded about doing research. It’s just not in me. So much of it is dreck. I’m such a hypocrite. There’s a lesson here for me to learn, I am sure. I also hope that there will be opportunity for professional development at this new job. In any case, I’m looking forward to aRead More →

For the first time in 20 years, I have nothing due, and no due dates looming on the horizon. I feel at peace for the first time in a long time. I am sad about leaving LSU. Today the grad students and some of the faculty met me at Chelsea’s for a goodbye dinner. It was a bittersweet moment. I am ready for a new adventure. Next, I will start the Teach Baton Rouge program this summer for the next phase of life.

Grades have been posted. Tomorrow we are leaving for Pass-a-Grille, Florida. We are staying at Inn On the Beach. It’s a delightful bed and breakfast with excellent management and reasonable rates. It’s across the street from the beach, so no fumbling with parking meters. I have a new bathing suit. I’m looking forward to reading Harry Potter on the beach.

I can’t believe how much money has become a part of my life. Now, that’s a strange statement, and it needs clarification, since money is a part of everyone’s life here in the 21st c. US — money or lack thereof. Growing up poor white trash meant that money, as in the lack thereof, dominated my life. Being one of the “have nots” threaded so essentially through the fabric of everything I did that I can still smell poverty today, even as a “have.” Poverty smells like someone else’s old clothes; like dirty rags used to stop up gasoline tanks on junk pickup trucks, andRead More →

My husband bought a new Aerio sedan, white this time. My husband wrecked the car on Friday. By Wednesday, we had the deposit on a new car! Progressive rocks! We also have the honor of being the first people to wreck a 2003 Aerio. This might be true or not, but that’s what the Progressive adjuster said. He said they didn’t have the value of the car in their database. We got lucky. Progressive said since we had made only ONE car payment, they would pay the manufacturers’ suggested retail price of the vehicle, based on our purchase agreement, rather than the street value ofRead More →

Tonite I am going to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. When I lived in Austin as an undergrad, my roommate (coincidentally, her name was Ruth) told me that she heard Ruth’s Chris steakhouse, which was a Texas-based chain, was named after Ruth’s husband (or maybe her son…) who ran the steakhouse and then died, so Ruth kept the name in honor of him. Once, I mentioned this to another friend, who pshawed at me, and told me Ruth was from New Orleans. So I looked it up today, and found out that not only was my Louisiana friend right, but Ruth would NEVER name a restaurant afterRead More →