I have made $19.56 since I have installed my Google ads two months ago. Even though that's an average of $10 a month, I haven't received any of this money yet because Google doesn't deposit amounts under $10 and last month I only made about $8. Oh, and they deposit on the last day of the month, so on June 30th we'll see if this is a smooth transaction.

I just want to thank the people who click on the ads. I mean, it's not much money, but it's $19.56 more than I had two months ago. Some clicks get me 8 cents, some got me as much as $1.13. It all added up.

Thanks.

( 3comments )

at June 28, 2005 10:59 PM  Lorie said...

There is currently an ad for ToiletPaperWorld directly across from this post. And it appears to have been triggered by your mention of trash clothes in your previous post. I think this is the best ad I've ever seen.

 

at June 29, 2005 1:45 AM  Eric said...

Consider yourself lucky! I haven't even broken the five dollar mark with my google ads, yet. I don't think anyone ever bothers to click on them. meh. So much for extra income, yeah? heh.

 

at July 1, 2005 2:20 PM  Samantha said...

I'm so jealous! I haven't gotten a ToiletPaperWorld ad on my computer!

 

There's this show on TLC that I like a lot called Clean Sweep. The basic idea is these organizers go 'round to peoples houses and clean up their clutter. But we're not talking about a little mess, or even a big mess, we're talkin' people living in one giant mess, huge the way you think of gods as big. If you're having a hard time of envisioning living in a garbage dump, look at these pictures to get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

Our apartment is nothing like those pictures. But purging is always good for the soul. So in the spirit of Clean Sweep, I joined in my family's yard sale. We'll be moving out of our apartment soon, and we had some spare junk to pass off onto others for cash.

I used this opportunity to do something I have never actually done: I purged my wardrobe.

I will confess something to you right now. I love clothes. I would love to express my mood or personality or feelings or even certain memories through clothes. I see clothes and fashion as a kind of medium for expression, so in my own mind it's kind of like art. You don't have to like what I'm wearing, but it speaks to me, that kind of thing. But I lack two things in order to do this: 1) the budget to buy things that I actually like and 2) the lack of guilt to buy clothes.

For a reason beyond my comprehension I can't buy clothes without feeling guilty. I never used to feel guilty before I got married, when suddenly my money was no longer my money but "our" money. Like clothes were too frivolous when things like food and video games could be purchased instead. Yeah, video games could be considered frivolous, but they allow me and Z to spend time together doing something we both enjoy, so it doesn't feel as frivolous as it sounds.

But as it went, I had a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. This was due to the fact that I had never gotten rid of a single item of clothing since I was in high school. I had carried my signature loud polyester shirts with me through my teenage years, across the country (twice), and I finally let them go on Saturday. I couldn't be at the yard sale myself, because I knew when people would want to give me a dollar for a shirt, I wouldn't be able to let it go.

I employed the help of my husband in an effort to better clear out my closet. Another confession: I wore trash clothes. This is not to say that I wore clothes that were trashy, or whore-ish, or turned me into a hoochie mama. I was wearing clothes that were found in the trash. In my defense, I was not the one who was going through garbage cans and the garbage cans were in rich neighborhoods. But like I said, I felt too guilty to actually purchase clothes, so I accepted rejects from rich people's trash cans that my uncle found. My husband did not like this, but he also doesn't like me buying clothes, so he didn't complain (verbally). But needless to say, all of my trash clothes went to the yard sale.

As did 80% of my wardrobe.

It's liberating to be rid of things that didn't fit very well (most of my clothes being from the garbage meant they were usually too big for me), or things that I have grown out of--like an unforgiving polyester shirt with a geisha screened on the front with a hood. I don't know what I was thinking, but I wore that all the time between the ages of 16-17. I looked back at that shirt and didn't remember why I liked it, but I had great memories associated with that shirt.

After I bagged up my clothes, and I looked at my closet, I noticed something. No wonder I had so many clothes and nothing to wear. Even now, I am left with quality clothing items, but nothing matches. And I'm the kind of person who likes to experiment with mismatching--but there are rules even I follow: like prints should contrast each other enough and not blend together and make you look like a bag lady, and the colors should be in the same tone or hue (in other words a skirt I have that has a Monet painting on it would not go well with my black and white and red and pink striped button-down shirt).

Well, at least we made $110 on all my clothes and the excess of unnecessary objects laying around the apartment.

( 3comments )

at June 28, 2005 7:16 PM  Alex_Knight said...

So are you planning to make sure your stuff matches a little better? Or keeping the emptier closet for a while?

 

at June 28, 2005 9:38 PM  Samantha said...

I would like to buy clothes to match what I have already, but who knows if I'll be able to do that anytime soon. It makes me want to just get rid of the clothes I can't match at this point (my family is having another yard sale on July 23rd), because why hold on to clothes I still can't wear?

 

at June 29, 2005 2:31 AM  Lorie said...

Could you buy something simple, like a white shirt or black pants, that would go with lots of the mismatched stuff? Maybe it's better to just get rid of them while you're in the mood to do so, but if you're that low on clothes,it makes sense to buy something that matches what you currently own rather than get rid of it all and have to start from scratch when you don't have anything to wear to school or have to do laundry every three days.

 

Your Birthdate: July 19

Your birth on the 19th day of the month adds a tone of independence and extra energy to your life path. But at the same time, it poses a number of obstacles to overcome before you are able to be as independent as you would like. The number 1 energy suggests more executive ability and leadership qualities than your path may have indicated. A birthday on the 19th of any month gives greater will power and self-confidence, and very often a rather original approach. However, a somewhat self-centered approach to life that may be in conflict with some of the other influences in your life. This 1 energy may diminish your ability and desire to handle details, preferring instead to paint with a broad brush. You are sensitive, but your feeling stay somewhat repressed. You have a compelling manner that can be dominating in many situations. You do not tend to follow convention or take advice very well. Consequently, you tend to learn through experience; sometimes hard experiences. The 19/1 is a loner number and you may experience feelings of being alone even if you are married. You may take on a tendency to be nervous and angry.

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I hate Bob.

You know, that stupid baby from Quiznos commercials?

I miss the Spongemonkeys from last year's Superbowl. "We love the subs! Because they are good to us! ...They got a pepper bar!" Dude, they were weird, but they were awesome.

Bob? Bob sucks.

First, it's a baby that sounds like Baby Herman from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and Baby Herman sucks, too. Also, I recently saw a Bob commercial where the baby insinuates that he does not have a long enough penis to have sex with this bikini-clad supermodel--talk about ew!

I realize that "Quiznos has done their job" because I remember their annoying commercials, right? But no. I've been boycotting Quiznos ever since Bob came into existence.

Bring back the Spongemonkeys!

( 3comments )

at June 24, 2005 10:19 AM  Ish said...

Seth Stevenson from Slate did a review of those horrible commercials.
http://www.slate.com/id/2112786

He wants the monkeys back, too.

 

at June 24, 2005 2:14 PM  Lorie said...

My problem with Bob is I think the way they've animated his lips is just so creepy looking.

 

at June 24, 2005 2:40 PM  Samantha said...

So I just read Seth Stevenson's review. "You may remember Baby Bob from his short-lived CBS sitcom." Sadly, I *do* vaguely remember this concept. And I remember feeling very relieved that I didn't watch anything on CBS and be subjected to weekly ads about what shananigans Baby Bob was up to this week.

The quote that caught me was this:

Upon talking to Trey Hall, Quiznos' chief marketing officer, I learned that there is no irony here whatsoever. Quiznos doesn't expect you to find this obscure pop-culture reference appealingly oddball. (Only TV obsessives like me will remember the CBS show at all.) Rather, Quiznos expects you to say, "Ha ha, talking baby! Aww, and it's cute!"

I was so stunned. Talking babies are never cute, they're creepy. Especially when they yearn for bigger winkies. And I'm not talkin' about bottles.

I totally agree with Seth that homunculus and sandwiches seriously don't mix. Who watches the Baby Bob come on screen and think, "Oh! Talking baby! How cute!"

The only talking baby who isn't creepy is Stewie on Family Guy, but I think his obsession with murdering his mother is what slays me. Plus, no one but the audience seems to understand what he's saying anyway. Well, the audience and other babies. But that's part of the joke.

 

I didn't really know that looking for new apartments would be this tricky. At first, I'll admit to being a bit of an elitist. My current apartment complex is so wonderful that I honestly don't want to move. My apartment has all the amenities I could want: dishwasher, a/c, 1 assigned parking space, gated parking, intercom entry, card-operated 24-hour laundry facilities, pool, jacuzzi, bbq area, ping-pong, a pool table, a really functional exercise room, sauna, gas and water and trash are paid, and they allow Zhoul to live with us. Plus, the community is quiet and friendly and most of all: safe. I'd have to say that we lucked out moving here sight unseen last year.

We went apartment viewing for the first time on Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles and looked at two units that are within a mile of USC. First there was a loft for $1200 a month and then there was a student housing building for $1395 a month--a month! How do they expect grad students to afford to live close to campus?

I'm going to spare you the boring details of our delicate apartment tango, and get straight to the good stuff: the disasters.

If you like the smells of ass and garbage right outside your doorstep, why pay a mere $800 a month for that privilege when you can pay $1200 instead! The price means it's fancy ass! Do you enjoy napping during the daytime? Not anymore! With our customly designed lofts strategically facing Spring Street in the heart of Downtown L.A., you'll never have to worry about falling asleep while watching Deep Space 9 in the middle of the day again! With street noise that ranges from drunken homeless guys to dump trucks to Mexican merchants setting up illegal shops on the street corner and peddling their wares, your windows will rumble and groan with every decible!

I wish the ad had been that honest. But get this. The next place we went to was a mansion converted into individual apartments. Which is kinda cool. The apartment was an actual individual, private apartment. However, the "landlord" or rather the Higher Than The Goodyear Blimp Guy was more than a little strange. With bloodshot eyes he showed us around. We asked what the process would be for moving in since we are looking to move around August 1st--all the other apartments we liked didn't have a problem with us giving them a deposit and holding the apartment until August. But Higher Than Goodyear Blimp Year literally got all shifty, like maybe his buzz was from something a little more powerful than marijuana. Then came the sarcasm, "What? Do I want to eat $1000 for no good reason? What? Do I want to throw $1000 down the drain? What? Do I want to do something for nothing in return?" I mean seriously. He said those things. And he kept on going. My husband wasn't saying anything. He was the non-confrontational type. So I had to step up and say, "Well, we're not looking to move until August so I guess we should go." Oh, did I mention that the guy used profanity as well? He was a gem.

The last apartment... I don't know if it was a disaster or not. Never got to see it. I called the leasing agent earlier in the day and I was told that the apartment was unlocked and go ahead and view it for myself, but to call her after I did. When we got there, can you guess what happened? Yeah. It was locked. We waited around for like a half hour creating a cell phone chain of attempts to get the apartment unlocked. Never happened. Way to treat potential renters.

( 0comments )

If you haven't read the post Going Postal: The Great Media Mail Debacle, A Mini-Play , you should read it so you understand what this post is. If you've already read it, here's a mini-refresher.

So that statement above is what prompted me to reply to the editor's e-mail with essentially what I've said here. At first I was irate because how dare she insinuate that I haven't done everything in my power to obtain the media mail rate. What am I supposed to do? Humiliate myself in some fashion so they take pity on me or get fed up with me and cave to the media mail rate? I asked the editor in my reply, "So they have no objections to shipping the bound books (the manga). It's the comics they refuse to ship at the media mail rate. If you want to tell me how to argue the bit about the advertising, I'd love to hear it."

Because seriously, there's not another post office within walking distance that I can use, and I shouldn't have to inconvenience myself and go to another post office to make $5 a blurb. It's not worth the hassle for me to try to pull one over the post office. Because that seems like what the editor is trying to get me to do.


And so the editor responded to me with:

***


I think your options right now are:

1) Get to a new post office
2) Keep duking it out with yours
3) Pay for the extra shipping yourself
4) Quit as a ComicBase writer

Frankly, yours is the only post office I know of who has this problem more
than once. You have my sympathies (I've had my own share of asinine postal
experiences), but there really is nothing I can so in my power to resolve
the issue for you (including paying for the higher shipping, because I don't
have a say in how we set our rates). This is a problem between you and your
branch of the post office. We're able to ship the books to you media rate,
and in fact, I just got a shipment of writer's books back from Michigan
today with the official "inspected by the post office" stamp and
certification (it passed just fine).

What I would recommend is trying post office "outlet" locations, such as at
a local Longs Drugs or Hallmark. These branches tend to be staffed by less
retentive folk, but they will probably charge you a few cents more for the
shipping. (Not as high as Priority, though.)

Good luck.

***

See, I don't think it's horrible to take advtange of the incompetence of a corporation. All the power to ya if you can. But this whole comic thing is not, in fact, a grey area. Comics do contain advertising for things other than books. And so they are not covered. I don't think it's right that I'm being asked to take advantage of another branch of the post office's possible incompetence just to keep my stupid $5-a-blurb job.

( 3comments )

at June 13, 2005 11:55 PM  Lorie said...

Will you regret the loss of smutty Japanese schoolgirls?

 

at June 14, 2005 11:29 AM  Lorie said...

Another possible option came to me quite a while after I was talking to you - could you ask her to only send you graphic novels so that you would always have a box full of books that could be sent media mail with no problems? That's if you're at all interested in continuing to write for them and aren't just sick of the whole thing.

 

at June 14, 2005 2:29 PM  Samantha said...

1) I wouldn't miss lewd Japanese high school girl antics.

2) That is a brilliant idea, actually. I would miss the actual comic books, because so far out of all the manga I have only liked one titled. But it would be easier to deal with overall. I'll ask and find out.

 

Wow! $10.85... any day now Google will be giving me my ten buckaroos!

You know what's weird? On Friday, June 10th, was the day that earned the most out of all the days prior: $3.15 with only 5 clicks. That's hecka cool.

Thanks you guys!

( 0comments )

Like my friend Lorie, I read comics and manga and then write blurbs for a comic book database company. These blurbs are not to be confused with reviews. They're merely for informational purposes.

This, in itself, is not interesting. However, I always have a rollicking good time at the post office once I've completed an assignment.

So the editor at ComicBase always sends me the books and comics via media mail, and expects me to ship it back via media mail. And let me tell you, I always intend to ship the box back via media mail, but I get stymied every time.

I remember the first time I tried to ship something media mail (I think a book someone bought from me on Amazon) and I go to the post office and they're all like, "The package has to be open in order to receieve the media mail rate."

Me, "Sure. Whatever."

They open it and ruin my beautiful taping job. So I learn for the next time: bring tape to post office since package has to be open.

So when I start working for ComicBase, I foolishly did that the first time. Silly me, I thought books would be easily shipped via media mail.

I approach the counter.

Me, "This package needs to be shipped media mail. I left it open so you can inspect it."

Postal Worker rifles through and pulls out the bound manga books to get to the comic books underneath. "These don't qualify for media mail."

So here's the little production I go through every time I go to the post office. I get confused about how comics aren't media mail and make them show me their media mail policy:

"Generally used for books (at least eight pages), film (16 mm or narrower),
printed music, printed test materials, video and sound recordings,
playscripts, printed educational charts, loose-leaf pages and binders
consisting of medical information, and computer-readable media. Books may
contain no advertising other than incidental announcements of other books. "

Me, "But it says media mail is used for books that are at least 8 pages. And
comics are always like 20-30 pages, if not more."

Postal Worker, "That doesn't count for comics."

Me, "Why not?"

Postal Worker, "Because they contain advertising for things other than
books. Like milk and Xbox."

And that's where they get me, because they're right. I can only think of one
comic this time around (Deity: Requiem) that didn't have a single
advertisement in it.

Postal Worker, "You can ship the books [she means, it's always a she: the bound manga books] for the media mail rate, and ship the comics separately. Or we can calculate the books for the media mail rate, then calculate the rate for the
comics, add those together and then ship the package."

I always take the second option. I make them calculate it to make sure I'm not getting ripped off.

Once the clerks have added everything up, it always turns out that sending
the box priority mail is always cheaper by like 80 cents or so. So I go with that.

The post office has no objections to shipping the bound books (the manga) via media mail. It's in their policy that they have to comply. However, it's the comics they refuse to ship at the media mail rate.

But here's where it gets really interesting.

When I informed the editor about the situation, here's what she instructed me to do the first time.


"Whether comics count as media mail or commercial items really depends on how nitpicky your post office server is. It doesn't make sense for them to set rules about what media rate is, and then not follow it, but I once had a post office worker threaten that they'd open my package to check whether the items qualified. The plucky answer would be, "Bring it on!" but your best bet to avoiding media rate hazards is to just 1) package and secure the books in a snug box before bringing it to the post office (you can use the same one I send you, which will have a return address label included), and 2) tell them the contents are all books. Since you will probably be getting a decent share of manga for each set anyway (for some reason, comics count as books when they're collected, but not as individual monthlies), this won't really be much of a stretch. (To finish the post office story: I eventually convinced my snarky server that I was shipping books, because most of the comics were trade paperbacks and looked the part.)

"In any case, you will be reimbursed $5 for shipping with each paycheck, so that will still cover your costs for this round, but in the future, the boxes will be weighing in at 4-5 pounds, and that's when you'll definitely want to make sure you get the media rate shipping."

I have done exactly what she says. I take my box of books happily and snuggly taped up and tell them it's books. They threaten to open, and I say, "Go ahead." Show no fear, right? But the same scenario played out again today. I won't re-type it because it is word-for-word what happened. It always is.

I informed the editor at ComicBase that not even her plucky suggestion could deter the post office and she responded.


Your postal worker needs to read their own rules regarding postal regulations. Comic books fall into their narrow definition of media mail. The key phrase here is "incidental announcements of books," which are pretty much what most of the advertising is about (esp. with manga). We've never had any problems with any of our shipments, nor have any of our writers really run across this problem. Either you have to completely, utterly, totally insist upon this point, or find a better post office to serve you, because I do absolutely need to enforce our limit on postal reimbursements.

So that statement above is what prompted me to reply to the editor's e-mail with essentially what I've said here. At first I was irate because how dare she insinuate that I haven't done everything in my power to obtain the media mail rate. What am I supposed to do? Humiliate myself in some fashion so they take pity on me or get fed up with me and cave to the media mail rate? I asked the editor in my reply, "So they have no objections to shipping the bound books (the manga). It's the comics they refuse to ship at the media mail rate. If you want to tell me how to argue the bit about the advertising, I'd love to hear it."

Because seriously, there's not another post office within walking distance that I can use, and I shouldn't have to inconvenience myself and go to another post office to make $5 a blurb. It's not worth the hassle for me to try to pull one over the post office. Because that seems like what the editor is trying to get me to do.

( 2comments )

at June 13, 2005 9:09 PM  Lorie said...

I agree that the editor didn't give you the best suggestions, but ultimately, if they don't let you send it media mail, you're out $1.80. I guess that amount isn't worth fighting for to me.

But then, this is all so bizarre to me because I've never had anyone question my media mail here in St. Johns. Once they asked if I had included any correspondence in the box, and usually they'll say something like, "What are you sending?" And you know, last time, I'm almost certain that my exact words were, "A bunch of comic books." They've never asked me to open a box or anything like that. (Although apparently someone might be checking my boxes after the fact because I'm most likely the source of the inspected box from Michigan that she mentioned in one of the replies you forwarded to me.)

 

at June 13, 2005 10:00 PM  Samantha said...

I think I'm just going to stop the whole ComicBase thing. I mean, she's asking me to break the law. Just because other post offices around the country don't ask doesn't mean that it's right that you guys are able to take advantage of their incompetence, but ultimatly if the post office workers aren't going to do their job correctly, then all the power to you: Take advantage of lax adherence to rules. But she's telling me to go to another post office and see they're stupid enough to let me send comic books via media mail so that I can take advantage of their incompetence.

 

As most frequent viewers and close friends know by now: I do not want to have children. A few weeks ago, Z and I sat down and had the most honest conversation I've probably ever had in my life, and we discussed the subject of children. Now, Z doesn't want to have children either--maybe. He says that his opinion might change in the future, but he doesn't want to close the door entirely on the possibility. Me, on the other hand, I am not so open-minded. It took a lot of talking, and me revealing some vulnerability in the form of fears and concerns, to even convince me to just consider the remote possibility of someday, way in the future, maybe, having children. I promised that I would think about being open to the possibility.

And I was. Honestly. I was. Being unemployed until August 8th means that I have a lot of time to think. But when USC called, and sent the contracts for my Assistant Lectureship, I was the happiest I've been in a very long time. I felt humble and proud at the same time that USC would choose me to not only attend their school, but that they'd pay for my school and pay me to teach. It is honestly a dream come true for me, and I feel lucky because I already had a dream come true 4 years ago but then I let it go. It's rare in this life that you get a second chance at a dream, and I felt honored and privileged. I feel like I'm the little boy who sits in the crook of the crescent moon, ya know minus the penis.

But what I did not mention was that once I signed and sent the contracts back to USC, I felt like that was the end of the consideration of the remote possibility of someday, maybe, way in the future, of ever having children.

Now, it's easy to say you want kids or you don't want kids. But back in the ancient times of confused, indoctrinated adolescence, I thought I wanted to be a mother someday. But I wasn't going to be like so many of my friends (some of whom were teenage mothers themselves) and blindly follow the flow of the crowd. So I did some research. I talked to all the mothers I knew. I talked to the young mothers and "older" mothers, stay-at-home moms and career-moms; I even talked to teachers. I try to make informed decisions. I figured if I researched colleges and majors, why wouldn't I research an important life-altering decision?

After all that talking and questioning, I discovered that I could live a very fulfilling life without ever having children. My aunt put her career and life first, and it actually seemed like a very fulfilling life. In fact, it wasn't until after she had a kid that her life didn't seem fulfilling anymore. She had a baby after she got married at 38 years old and then got pregnant at 39. And even though I admire her decision the most of all the women I talked to--because she was brave enough to go against the societal norm--I would never want to mirror her experience. Having a baby hasn't enhanced her life at all, it just turned her into a different kind of woman. She says she likes her life. But it's 13 years later, and she still talks about how she gave up a very successful ($65,000 a year) career to be a mom.

But why sacrifice your life and dreams, and the dreams of your spouse, someone you know and love, for the sake of an unknown person you may end up not liking at all once they get old enough to have a personality?

My uncle (he is not married to my aforementioned aunt, he's her brother) argues with me every time I see him because every time I see him he asks me the same question: "So when are you guys going to have a kid?" And I've been giving him the same answer for 3 years: "We do not plan to procreate." That's where the argument begins because he calls me selfish, and pontificates that a human can only learn how not to be selfish by having children. I beg to differ. "Is it selfish to know what I want in life? Is it selfish to put my desires ahead of society's idea of normalcy?"

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with deciding to remain child-free. In fact, knowing what you want out of life is not only brave, it is responsible. For me, family means something different than it does to other people. It means focusing all of my love and attention on just my husband instead of splitting it up among three kids and PTA meetings. For me, family is the man I fell in love with and decided to marry. Oh, and our cat.

I do not think my decision is selfish. However, I like to think that I am spoiled, and so is my husband. I like having the extra time and energy (and on occasion, the extra cash) to spoil the man I love. I like getting up with him in the morning, making him breakfast and fixing him a lunch to take with him to work. I loved that when I was leaving the house at 7 a.m. he knew that eating that early in the morning makes me ill and so he'd make me coffee, every morning, instead. I like staying up until 4 a.m. playing video games with him. I like being able to take advantage of his two days off in a row and making an impromptu trip to San Jose and The Winchester Mansion. It makes me happy that even though we're stretching the finances, he can still occasionally indulge in his hobbies at 60% off, and he doesn't get mad when I buy a really cute, half-price, shirt. But most of all, I love waking up with him, just him, in the mornings. We can cuddle up under the covers and rub each other's skin without a time limit. Heck yeah I'm spoiled--and loving it.

My decision to remain childfree is not evil, neurotic or coldhearted. My decision does not make me myopic. I see the possibility of having children and it is something I choose not to experience. Why do I have to be open to the possibility of someday, way in the future, when there are hover cars and apes are taking over the planet, to the chance that maybe we'll have kids? I know what I want out of life. I love my marriage the way it is. And I'm strong enough to make a decision about the way I want my life to be.

How could that be wrong?

( 2comments )

at June 3, 2005 4:51 AM  Power_Overwhelming said...

Long as you're happy, there's nothing wrong with your decision. A lot of people feel that they need to have children to make an everlasting mark on the world. Some might even think of it as the key to the meaning of life. Just depends on your worldview really. But the fact of the matter is, we all seek happiness in life. And if that's what you got, then you're in good shape.

 

at June 8, 2005 9:42 AM  Ish said...

I'd say I'm open to the possibility, but its much more in the way you've discussed. Like, I'm open to the possibility of becoming a frontiersman on one of the first colonized planets. That doesn't mean I realistically believe its likely, but if the opportunity presented itself in a way I thought it was a good idea, then I'd consider it.

The decision not to have children seems far less selfish than the decision to have them "for the sake of the marriage". Gods, what a horrible idea that is.

"Well, our relationship is already really fucked up and I don't think it will keep going like it is, so lets *create life* and put it in the middle of the situation and that should makes things better". That seems to me as the height of selfishness.

And sure, one becomes less selfish through the process of raising a child, I can easily understand how that mechanism works. But that's a really really bad reason to have children, too.

The pro-life debate has gotten so crazy, that if carried further to its (quasi)logical extreme I can see laws requiring people have children, or otherwise they are destroying their "capacity for life" by not using their sperm and ova.

Creating life is not a decision that should be taken lightly, and I'm glad you don't accept it as your duty. I'd caution you somewhat against an ultimatum here, though. If aging teaches us anything its that our ideas and beliefs tend to change along with our bodies. We may remain essentially the same, but there are regular changes from who we were at 16, 18, 25 to who we become at 40. This is not necessarily a sign of weakness.

 

Last week my mother left the country for the first time in her entire life. She went to Paris. Well technically, she went to Cinnicinati, then to Amsterdam and then to Manchester and finally Paris, but you get the idea.

She went to Paris with Janice, her girl friend from high school, and before they left, my mom made me promise that once they got back from vacation, Z would fix Janice's computer. Well, the router. Or rather just set up the wireless network at Janice's house. She said that Janice (who actually makes near a million dollars a year) would pay Z for his time--especially since we'd have to drive all the way to Monrovia on his day off.

Well, Z set up the wireless network, and even tried to figure out problems that Janice might encounter so that she would know what to do. And the entire time we were there, and even when we were leaving, Janice never once mentioned the method of payment. Unless 2 Diet Dr. Peppers and 3 slices of pepperoni pizza counts as payment. The last I heard (when I was working), the computer guy we used, Jeff Bullard, charged $300 an hour for his services--which ranged from just synching PDAs with laptops to troubleshooting networking issues. Z worked on the networking for 3 hours, so I figure he's entitled to $900 (at the most) and $150 (at the least). I mean, what's $150 to someone who makes a million dollars a year? I honestly couldn't believe that she jipped Z. It was beyond my feeble comprehension. But if there's one thing I've learned since we moved to L.A., it's that the rich are stingy.

( 1comments )

at June 3, 2005 12:27 PM  Anonymous said...

Just remember that it's impossible to get rich without saving at least most of what you make. After all if you spent all of your million dollars a year, you aren't a millionare, you're just as broke as the rest of us.

-Sheman