Living In the World, Not on It

My car has been leaking something slowly - for about four weeks - but I didn't know it until Thursday night, when I pulled the car out of the garage to get the garbage out. How would I know? I put my car in the same place every night, never think about it. Of course when I told Ray about it yesterday on my home, he said, "Oh, yeah, I meant to mention that." Say what? I took my car to Tony around noon today and the mechanic looked at it and said it was a leak from the oil and they hadn't tightened it enough when I brought it in for my last oil change. The time line - and the placement - is correct. I was so relieved! Yahoo! My money doesn't have to go to a huge ugly car invoice four days before I go on my mini-vacation! Wrong... Ray just called me and said there is a puddle (well, a wet spot) where I was parked today in the driveway. Awwwwweeesome. I guess I still have a leak. CRUD!

OK, see, here's the deal. When I drive home, there are 5 million thoughts spilling out of my head. Loaded. Like when I go to bed and all the To Do lists are running through my head. Someone else told me that - that when he goes to bed, there are all those things that need doing just running around in his head. He probably thought I was just doing the bonding agreeing thing, but I really was sympathising - that is exactly what happens to me. I hate that. But I have an 18-mile commute that in the morning is pretty fast and in the evening can be slower, but that is just extra brain time. Like taking a shower - auto pilot the whole way and when I get out of the shower - or my car - I have gotten to my destination... and can't recall the trip. By the same token, when I get home with those 5 million thoughts, I get into the house and it all goes right out of my head. It's sad. It's that ADD thing that shows up all the time - of course - and all those great thoughts *POOF* are...

I love this movie. I recorded it when it first aired on Stars on 10 April. I had heard it was cute, so I recorded it and it being April, I kind of come home and take a nap... before going to bed! It may sound boring but it is not really - the days are just packed! They'll be packed until mid-May, when I find my rhythm. But until then, Thursday is the only night I stay up. When I put this on, it was immediately charming. It's about Julie, who decides that she will blog about cooking all 524 recipes by Julia Child in one year. The blog is great and Julie cooks her butt off. She also got in trouble for blogging (briefly - one little scene). I'm not a blogger who will get writing offers. I'm aimless and all over the place - which is me. This is the way I am in life. But in some ways, it's really good to be me. Did you know people actually read this? I wonder how. I write and write and write and most people don't read. And yet I'm told that people read this. How ...

Well, now I don't feel so bad... my taxes came out well below par and I knew something wasn't right. Next time the government does that slow stimulus of throwing a couple of extra dollars into my paycheck, where it is hard to see the difference, I am going to do everything I can to reset my taxes to the way they were and NOT get nailed in April. I usually get back money, and I like it that way. Not so this year. I'd forgotten those miserable sods had done that in March of 2009. Here's the article: Many Filers Confused by Stimulus Tax Credit by David Kocieniewski Tuesday, April 13, 2010 As the deadline approaches for filing tax returns, the process of claiming a tax break created by the stimulus package has proved to be more work than millions of people had bargained for. The new tax credit, championed by President Obama as a follow-through on his campaign promise to provide broad-based tax relief, affects 95 percent of all Americans by cutting $400 from the total tax b...

Oh, the irony! " With more than 400 million active visitors , Facebook is arguably the most popular social networking site out there. And while the site is known for the casual social aspect, many users also use it as a professional networking tool. With that kind of reach, Facebook can be a valuable tool for connecting to former and current colleagues, clients and potential employers. In fact, surveys suggest that approximately 30% of employers are using Facebook to screen potential employees — even more than those who check LinkedIn, a strictly professional social networking site. Don't make these Facebook faux-pas — they might cost you a great opportunity. 1. Inappropriate Pictures It may go without saying, but prospective employers or clients don't want to see pictures of you chugging a bottle of wine or dressed up for a night at the bar. Beyond the pictures you wouldn't want your grandparents to see, seemingly innocent pictures of your personal life will likely no...

By ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press Writer Elliot Spagat, Associated Press Writer – Tue Apr 6, 7:32 pm ET GUADALUPE VICTORIA, Mexico – Thousands of people camped in cars, soccer fields and vacant lots Tuesday as aftershocks from Easter Sunday's big earthquake kept them on edge. About 25,000 people have been displaced by the magnitude-7.2 quake, most voluntarily, said Alfredo Escobedo, the civil protection chief for Baja California state. They are mainly in farming villages southwest of the city of Mexicali, near the epicenter. "Right now, people are sleeping outside because they're afraid," Escobedo said. "They go to work at day and go home, but they don't want to spend the night inside." He estimated 200 to 300 homes were destroyed in the quake that shook both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, but authorities did not have a precise count. Many of those homes filled with mud and water that seeped up from the ground, he said. The death count remained at tw...

At least once in your life - maybe even once a week or once a day for that matter - you have fantasized about coming into a lot of money. What would you do if you were worth millions or even billions? Believe it or not there are millionaires and billionaires among us who masquerade as relatively normal, run-of-the-mill people. Take a peek at some of the most frugal wealthy people in the world. Warren Buffett Millions of people read Buffett's books and follow his firm, Berkshire Hathaway's, every move. But the real secret to Buffett's personal fortune may be his penchant for frugality. Buffett, who is worth an estimated $47 billion, eschews opulent homes and luxury items. He and his wife still live in their modest home in Omaha, Nebraska which they purchased for just $31,500 more than 50 years ago. Although he's dined in the best restaurants around the globe, given the choice he would opt for a good burger and fries accompanied by a cold cherry Coke. When asked why he do...