What It Means To Drive a Prius

Back in October, my family purchased a used Prius.  Why, you ask?  Because I knew I was taking a job as a consultant and could possibly be sent all over the metro area to various clients.  I love our Jeep, but we needed something with better mileage.  So we traded in the minivan, kept the Jeep for its off-roading capabilities, and bought the Prius. 

Our first tank garnered 45 miles to the gallon!  We cut the crap!

So for us, purchasing this car was more of a budgetary and economic move.  Sure, we’re saving gas and sort of helping the planet, but really, unless EVERYONE drove a hybrid or electric car, our worldwide dependence on fossil fuels really isn’t going away any time soon.  That’s just the way the powers that be want it, too, but that’s fodder for another post. 

In any case, we’re doing our part, and driving the Prius sort of offsets the carbon footprint of our Jeep.  Hahaha! All should be right with the world, yes? 

Well, sort of.

We got a lot of teasing from our friends and family.  They’re like us.  They like American-made, powerful, go-anywhere-in-the-snow kind of vehicles.  While they understand the reasons we bought the Prius and actually applaud us, they affectionately call our car The Granolamobile.  So that brings me to what it means to drive a Prius: a general misconception that most people who drive Priuses are hippies .  I even had a friend tell me that very thing recently (in a cajoling, joking sort of way).  I don't mind this kind of joking and teasing.  It's among friends and family, and that's cool in my book.  

I see a lot of Prius-bashing on Facebook, too.  This is usually (but not always) perpetrated by people with staunch conservative views, and while I share many of those conservative views, I’d wager that many of these people have never set foot inside a Prius, let alone DRIVE one.  These naysayers stereotype anyone driving a Prius.  They call Prius drivers hippy leftists, libtards, idiots, granola munchers, pro-gun control freaks, and the list goes on and on.  I detest name-calling, BTW.  It's inexcusable on both sides of the fence.  What most people don't realize is that my Prius is a pretty peppy little car.  I can shoot off the line faster than in my Jeep, believe it or not, and I have no problem keeping up with traffic... or passing it, if the need arises.  I'm not drag racing or anything, but my little car holds its own in day-to-day traffic.  

All of this trash-talking while not driving is NOTHING, however, compared to the attitudes I’ve encountered while DRIVING.  People really have a problem with a Prius doing 80mph on the interstate.  I'm not kidding.  It's like some frontal assault to the egos of drivers everywhere if a Prius shows some gumption.  I get on the interstate/freeway/whatever, get up to the speed of traffic, and set cruise control.  I’m not going slower or faster than everyone else, but I am driving a PRIUS.  So that means someone somewhere can’t  bear the thought of being passed by my car.  They give me dirty looks.  They sometimes honk.  They sometimes share choice expletives (I’m actually getting really good at reading lips).  And invariably they stomp on the gas to pass me.  All that honking, cussing, dirty-look-giving happens again when they whip around me at break-neck speeds.

I don’t care.  I’m laughing all the way to the bank. 

I guess this judging-a-person-by-the-car-he/she-drives dates back to the beginning of history when “status” was determined by your mode of transportation.  We still do it.  If you drive a Ferrari, then you must have more money than God.  If you ride a rice rocket, then you must have more balls than brains.  The list goes on and on, and I’m guilty of playing into it just as much as you are, Dear Reader.  But after driving the Prius and getting teased a lot, I’ve learned my lesson;  I hereby cease and desist all playing of the stereotype game.

But just to rub it in, I got 54mpg on my last tank.  I've also never paid more than $30 to fill up.  Just sayin'.  And I still have my 16mpg Jeep that I love to death.  So THERE.

Back In The Saddle

I apologize for the two-month delay in writing a post.  I was going gang busters until AdSense rejected my application so I sort of lost steam.  I think I’m going to reapply, though, and see how that goes. 

In the meantime, I found a new job.  Yes, I had only been at my last job for a short while (9 months to be exact).  I won’t go into the details of that, since they are pretty nasty.  Suffice it to say I got out of there just in time.   So today I’m going to talk about cutting the crap and not feeling bad about it.

That’s right.  I walked away from what I thought was as close to perfect as I could get in a job.  You know why I walked?  Because I wanted to leave on my own terms.  I don’t feel bad about that.  At all.  I did at first, but I got over it.  When you hit one of those roadblocks  - you know the kind I mean – that make you stop and wonder what the heck you did wrong, then it’s time to stop and evaluate what you want.  Don’t feel bad about that.  Just evaluate.  Decide what you want.  Don’t feel bad about saying to yourself that you deserve to be treated better.  Don’t feel bad about looking for something else.  Cut that crap out.  Do what is best for you and your family and move on. 

You know what else you shouldn’t do?  Don’t feel like you wasted your time at that particular job (or whatever it may be).  You know why?  Because that time wasn't wasted.   It never is.  You always learn something from each experience, no matter how horrible it that experience may have been.   

So that’s it for today’s post.  I had to get back in the blog saddle.  I think I’ll write more later about the job hunting process and how to cut the crap out of that.  Boy, did I learn a lot this time around…

Agave Nectar: It’s sweeter than you think! (and not in a good way!)

I read this article earlier today, and it got my wheels turning.  As parents, my husband and I are constantly looking for ways to cut sugar and CRAP out of our family’s diet.  I was actually thinking that agave nectar might be a better alternative to sugar.  Now I’m convinced it’s just more hype.  WebMD has a similar article here, and Jonny Bowden doesn't buy into the hype, either (I noticed some info from his article cut and pasted into the first article I cited.).   

Turns out, agave nectar is just like high fructose corn syrup, and in some cases it can even be worse.  The article I cited above (while a bit disorganized) offered quite a bit of explanation around sucrose, fructose, and glucose.  Sucrose is more of the natural state of sugar… pure cane sugar, if you will, and it’s better for you than fructose.  Fructose occurs naturally in fruit and is fine in moderation (about 25 grams a day), but in higher amounts, it is processed through the liver and whatever isn't absorbed (which is most of it), is turned into fat.  Glucose is good.  Our body uses it for everything.  I found these little tidbits of information to be quite enlightening.  It also reconfirmed some points I made in another blog post citing blood vessel inflammation as the leading cause of heart disease (not cholesterol).  I love it when I can connect the dots.

 

Let me be clear.  Agave itself is not the problem.  It’s how it’s processed. 

ANYTHING processed needs to be axed from our diet.  I've known this for a long time, and while we've done a lot to get most of the processed foods out of our cupboards and our fridge, we still have a long way to go.  I think an overhaul is in order, and I need to take that overhaul with me everywhere I go. 

At work, I try to use raw sugar in my tea every morning, and I have an occasional Coke.  I succumb to sugary treats at work far more often than I’d like to admit.  However, it is obvious now that my love of sugar has translated into that flat tire that encircles my waist. 

I need to cut the crap and just live with it.  This needs to be done for me… and for my family.    

Father's Day Gift! I cut the crap!

I know it’s a little late for a post about Father’s Day, but since I made my husband's gift THE DAY BEFORE Father’s Day, it’s not like I had time to post about it ahead of time.  But in any case, I cut the crap by re-purposing an old t-shirt into something new and useful – even if it’s only useful in a decorative sort of way. 

Rob really loved this t-shirt.  At some point, he splattered battery acid on it and created multiple tiny holes.  After wearing and washing several times, these holes got bigger.  SOOO…  The t-shirt went to the back of the closet and was forgotten until recently.  He cleaned out things and put this t-shirt in the rag pile.  I know he was a bit sad about this, so my brain immediately started to run through ways I could save that shirt.  What did I come up with, you ask?  A pillow.  It can sit on our bed and remind him that our kids think he’s the Dad of Dads.  J

How did I do this?  I cut out as much of the decal and the surrounding non-damaged t-shirt as possible.  Front and back.  Then I sewed it, stuffed it, and closed it up.  This isn’t a sewing blog, so I’m not going to give you step-by-step instructions.  There are plenty of tutorials out there; just google it.  In fact, here’s one.

You can do this with any old t-shirt, really.  In fact, I have a few concert t-shirts that are pretty much worn out.  I think I’m going to give them a second chance by turning them into pillows.  Why not?  You can always cut them into rags, because let’s face it: t-shirts are nice and soft and work great to wipe down a window or counter.  Whatever you do, think twice before throwing them in the trash, though.  I’m sure that eventually they’ll wear out.  No matter what.  But make sure you’ve gotten all your use out of them before tossing them away.     Here are some additional ideas. Just google "tshirt pillow" to get how-to instructions and pictures! 

Cut The Crap! Shop at Thrift Stores!

So, in my quest to cut the crap, I’m not sure I’m actually cutting the crap in my house.  I did do something cool recently, though, to keep crap out of the landfill.  I propagated some plants and re-potted them in pots I bought from thrift store.  I also bought some used children’s books and a few home décor items… all from the thrift store.  Not only did I get some great items for a fraction of the cost, but these items are getting a second (or maybe third?) life at my house.  It’s a win win. 

Let me start with my plants.  I have a huge spider plant that I affectionately call Big Mama.  This plant has survived several “murder” attempts, and we’ve given countless of her “babies” to friends and family.  She continues to make babies, though, and I have to do SOMETHING with them. 

I went to Walmart to look at cheap pots.  All of the “cheap” pots  were just that.  Cheap.  The inexpensive ones were plastic or terrible plaster things.  The nicer pots were obviously more pricey.  This was the case everywhere I went: Home Depot, Lowes, Target, etc.  I found a few cute pots, but really didn’t want to spend a lot since I had about 10 (you read that right. 10.) baby plants to transplant.  So I went to my favorite thrift store and found these. 

I repotted them this weekend and so far everything is looking great!  I’ll post more pictures of the happy little plants soon… and THEN I’ll have to go buy some additional pots because Big Mama has even MORE babies coming!  Does anyone want a plant?  Hahaha!

If you’ve read my previous blog posts, you know I love books.  My entire family loves books.  So when I saw these, I jumped at the chance to buy them.  Who can resist when they are less than $2?  My daughter had so much fun picking books that from now on I’m going to bring her with me to the thrift store.  She can pick up as many books as $10 will buy!  Why not?  We should always encourage reading!  AND when we’re done with these gently used books, they’ll go right back to the thrift store so another child can enjoy them. 

That brings me to the home décor… I bought a tray and a jewelry box.  I thought the tray would be perfect for Christmas cookies during holiday get-togethers, AND it only cost $4!  Can’t beat that!  It’s in perfect condition, too. 

Here’s the jewelry box.  It’s beaded and has a small mirror and tray inside.  This, too, was only $4!  It looks great with the colors in my bedroom, and I needed an extra place to stash my growing jewelry collection.  LOVE IT.

I’m sold on the merits of thrift-store shopping.  J  You can find unique items at low prices and keep said items out of the trash heap.  Why buy everything new when you don’t have to? 

We helped these refrigerators find new homes!

So this weekend we cut the crap by selling 10, yes you read that right, 10 refrigerators.  Why on earth did we have so many refrigerators?  Well, let me tell you…

A close friend is in the appliance delivery business… as in, he owns the business and delivers, installs, and removes appliances all over the front range and into the mountains.  My hubby helps out from time to time as he can.  Last week our friend got a job removing refrigerators from a recently remodeled building.  This particular building had suffered fire damage in one section.  As part of the insurance agreement, he and my hubby replaced 11 refrigerators… even in the units that had not burned.  When asked what to do with the “old” refrigerators (they were only 6 years old and were in perfect working order), our friend and my hubby were told to “get rid of them”.  That was it.  Get rid of them. 

Our friend’s initial thought was to take them to the scrap yard and get about $150 for the metal.  Total.  For all 11 fridges.  My hubby pointed out that they were in perfect working order.  That would be a waste!  So, my hubby volunteered to thoroughly clean out the fridges and place an ad on Craigslist.  Our friend agreed. 

So, we washed them up and dried them out.  Not only did we put an ad on Craigslist, but we put some of the fridges out on the curb with "For Sale" signs on them.  We sold half of them that way!  My daughter even got in on the action!  She helped us clean the insides and made a little extra cash.  I'm hoping this will be a long lasting lesson for many obvious reasons, but she has decided to save the money she earned so she can buy her own iPod Touch.  

Within 4 days, we sold 10 and kept one for our garage.  Not only did we keep perfectly working fridges out of the landfill (at least the parts the scrap metal guy wouldn’t want), but we sold them to people who will continue to use them.  We made a little money, too!  That’s a win win!  I’d say we cut the crap on that one!  

 

It's Friday. Here are your top 5 Cut The Crap sites that pop up when I google "Cut The Crap."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut_the_Crap
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cut+the+crap
http://pleasecutthecrap.typepad.com/
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cut%20the%20crap
http://mindset.tumblr.com/search/cut-the-crap-available

It is my hope to someday have my blog listed up there when someone googles Cut The Crap.  I think I need to do A LOT more writing... maybe some SEOing... We'll see. 

What's shakin'? I'm back. Again.

Today I decided to brush the dust off my blog and start talking about crap again.  It’s been too long.  In my defense, work has been crazy busy for like three months straight.  It’s still crazy busy.  However, if I don’t give myself an outlet other than Facebook, that crazy busy is just going to become CRAZY AMY.

What have I been doing, you ask?  I only have like 8 followers, so if you guys want to know, then I’ll tell you.

Working.  A LOT. 

Have I been cutting crap?  Not really.  I’ve been adding crap, but I HAVE lost 6 pounds.  I’ll tell you about that in a few minutes.  What have I added? What have I cut?  Here ya go.

•  My daughter now takes singing lessons.  That’s an add.  My recent pay raise pretty much pays for it. 
• We stopped going to Awana, because my daughter was just NOT getting enough sleep on Wednesday nights.  That’s a cut.  While Megan got a lot out of it, it was complicating bedtime and Thursday morning.  The amount of sleep a 7-year-old gets seems to be pretty important.
• Speaking of my daughter, we’ve decided to homeschool this coming school year.  That decision was a tough road to walk, but we think the benefits will outweigh any detriments.  If you’re the praying type, please keep us in prayer.
• My husband lost his job.  There went the rest of my pay raise.  Now my income is paying for all the necessities, but there is literally nothing left over.  That’s a cut.  Can I just say, though, that I love having him home full time.  It has really removed some of the other stresses from me, even if we are a little strapped for cash at the moment. 
• We started a business.  That’s an add.

And that brings me to that 6 pounds I recently lost.  When I say recently, I mean in the last seven days.  After hounding some people and doing the research, Rob and I decided to try out the ViSalus 90 Day Challenge.  After only a week we’re both seeing results.  Rob also lost 6 pounds.  That energy dip that usually comes mid-afternoon has been non-existent for the past week as well.  Overall, I’m already feeling a little better.  We’re so sold on the product that we’ve decided to become distributors.  Our goal is to replace Rob’s within 60 days.  I’ll let you know how that goes, and in the meantime, if you want to try a sample, let me know.  I’ll USPS you some. 

The Primal Diet: Day 3

So I started the Primal Diet and have already lost 3 pounds.  I'm sure it's just water weight I'm losing at this point, but it's a start.

I have noticed that I'm much more hungry with this diet.  I'm eating fruits and veggies all day long, and it's as if my body is processing it so fast that I stay constantly hungry.  I'm sure I'll adjust. 

Yesterday at work I completely forgot about being on my diet and did my normal routine.  After I got in, I went straight to the breakroom and got a bagel.  WITH cream cheese.  Only later at lunch did I realize, "Hey! I'm not supposed to be eating bagels or cream cheese!"  I experienced my normal afternoon dip in energy, too. 

Today I stuck to it.  And you know what?  I didn't have that energy dip in the afternoon.  I was actually pretty even energy-wise.  All day. 

Will all of this primal stuff reduce my cholesterol?  I'm hoping.  Even if it doesn't, I'm already seeing small gains just after 3 days.  My neighbor said I looked better, too... my skin was "glowing" she said.  :)  Thanks, Michiko! 

Young people worldwide having more unsafe sex - Health - Sexual health - msnbc.com

Young people worldwide having more unsafe sex - Health - Sexual health - msnbc.com

So here's a disturbing trend that I think needs some addressing. I have a 6yo daughter and a 2yo son, and I plan to equip them with as much knowledge as I possibly can when the subject of sex comes up. I'm not going to be one of those Bible-thumping Christians who bury their collective heads in the sand and ONLY preach abstinence. The truth is this: you can tell your child all you want that NOT having sex is the only way to be 100% sure he/she won't get pregnant or contract an STD. If they truly want to have sex, they will... despite the logic of abstinence.

You wanna know why I know? My mom did the same thing to me. I had sex anyway.

She flat out refused to answer any of my questions about sex when I was 9 years old. She said that I was too young to "know" any of "that." Guess what? By that age I'd already overheard "that" stuff on the school bus. So in my 9yo way I called bullshit. What did I get? I got sent to my room, that's what. I learned the rest of the biological details when we had sex ed in the 6th grade. I learned even more when I became a peer counselor in 10th grade. Where was my dad? Well, he was like most dads in the 70's and 80's. He thought moms should talk to daughters about all that stuff... while he had a talk with the boy. You know. Old school. However, he was much more willing to answer my questions than my mom was, and aside from feminine questions, I gleaned a lot from the knowledge he shared with me.

There are ways to broach the subject with young children without getting into the details. I think if you start with openness and honesty, that can't hurt. Don't tell your kiddos that the stork brought them home to you in a pink or blue blanket, and don't be afraid to own your own past indiscretions in the sex department, either. Sans the gory details, of course.

I plan to be honest with my kids. Yes, I had sex before I was married. Yes, I wish I had waited until I was older. Yes, sex is awesome. But I also plan to tell them about condom use, about how boys usually have one thing on their minds, how girls often equate sex with love, and about how self respect and self confidence will get them further than just about anything else. I also plan to tell them that oral and anal sex (these were not even discussed when I was in school!) are NOT healthy alternatives for teens despite what they'll hear from today's sex ed materials. In fact, by the time they DO hear it, I expect things to be even more different.

Will I deliver all of this sex info flawlessly and in an English accent? No. I won't. You know what? I'm okay with that. Will I be the FIRST one to tell them any of this? Probably not. Kids are hearing things earlier and earlier these days. That's scary. But I'm the parent. I am responsible for teaching them responsibility.

According to this article, young people just don't feel empowered enough. That needs to change. The more information people have, the better they'll be able to make informed decisions. If you give them all that info and they then decide to be STUPID, then that's on them.

I know I sound pretty preachy here, but it's really simple: you own it, Parents. Don't rely on public education to give your children the real deal on sex. You can still advocate abstinence, as I plan to do, but don't be so stupid to think that will be enough. Equip your children as much as you can.

School superintendent gives up $800k in pay - Yahoo! News

School superintendent gives up $800k in pay - Yahoo! News

We need more superintendents like this one!!! Talk about cutting the crap!

Why can't more people who already have all they need give back to their communities like this?  It doesn't have to be to the degree that this man goes... it could be volunteer work (time is money!), or donations of unused books, something... ANYTHING!!!

I don't have any extra $$ to perhaps fund another teacher or aide at my daughter's school, BUT I do have time.  I have a WONDERFUL job that allows me to be flexible, and today I was able to help out with a field trip.  Last week I volunteered in her classroom by helping grade papers and do math assessments.  I'm doing this not only because I want to show Megan how important her education is to me, but because - as I chronicled earlier in the year - her elementary finally had to let go of its teacher's aides.  If more parents who are able to volunteer would actually DO so, then our state/local/district budget woes wouldn't seem as terrible. 

There are plenty of ways to help.  If you're a photographer, what about donating some time for the school year book?  If you have a medical background, what about teaching a class on anatomy or the benefits of a healthy lifestyle? If you do international business, what about sharing what it's like to travel to distant locales and be immersed in different cultures?  I have a teaching background so I help with all those teaching tasks as best I can.  Even though I'm a project manager these days, I use what I know to help.  I encourage you to do the same!!! 

GIVE BACK to your communities by helping in the schools!  Our nation's children desperately need us!

Granola Cereal Bars - How one family broke its junk food addiction on Shine

Granola Cereal Bars - How one family broke its junk food addiction on Shine

Now THIS is what I'm talking about! We need to cut out all that crap! I checked out their blog, and they have some pretty interesting takes on things. I'm now a follower. :) Have a look: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/

Don't know if I can pull this off, but this really has been my goal for over a year now. I'm just not as disciplined as these people are. LOL

USA becomes Food Stamp Nation but is it sustainable? - Yahoo! News

USA becomes Food Stamp Nation but is it sustainable? - Yahoo! News

The woman and her family featured in this article seem to be doing everything they can. She has to feed her son. If I were in her shoes, I'd be asking for assistance as well to make sure my children could eat. Here's a quote that's telling of the ignorance of economics, though: "'It's a good thing that the government helps, but if employers paid enough and gave enough hours, then we wouldn't need to be on food stamps," said Green, who has a six-year-old daughter." If employers raised wages, they'd also have to raise their prices. That price increase means everyone will have to spend more to get the same thing... which means we're right back where we started. Here's an idea... do something to better yourself so you're not stuck in a minimum wage job for the rest of your life.

However, I think this over-dependence on public assistance is a symptom of a larger problem. We have people who abuse this assistance and our system practically encourages that abuse. I certainly don't have any solutions on how to fix this. I wish people smarter than me did, though.

To answer the question of "Is this sustainable"... the answer is NO. It doesn't take an economics professor to figure that out. The phrase that keeps coming to mind is this: "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. TEACH a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." Why can't we apply that philosophy to public assistance programs? Just sayin'. Train/educate people. Give them job and life skills so they can sustain themselves. I know there are programs in place, but I have no idea what they are or what they offer.

Sounds like I might need to do some research.

Cutting the Crap: Camping

So this weekend we were invited to go camping with family down near Alamosa.  For those of you who don’t know, this is near the Colorado/New Mexico border and was a LOOONG drive from our house.  No worries, though.  It was a fun drive even if the kids (and we had our nephew with us) were a bit nuts in the back seat before we got to the campsite.  

Where was said campsite, you ask?  Actually, we camped on some property that the family bought earlier this year.  There was no electricity or running water, so we roughed it.  We even had a latrine that was nothing more than a toilet seat and a hole in the ground.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.  We had to pack before we could actually GO anywhere.  THAT took a lot longer than I wanted it to.  We didn’t get to Colorado Springs to hook up with family until about 4pm-ish. So since I’ve learned exactly what we do and don’t need for a camping trip like this, next time I’m hoping to cut down packing time significantly.  Here’s my short list.  If we have just these items next time, I think we’re good.

• Tent & tools to erect it
• Food (and dishes)
• Water
• Sleeping bags, air mattresses
• Clothing for the allotted time
• Toilet paper & wet wipes.
• Lanterns/flashlights
• A shovel

We had a LOT more stuff in our van than what was on this short list.  I’m not going to get into that now.  You really don’t want to know.  

Something else we need to do BEFORE heading out next time is practicing putting up our tent.  We borrowed one from some close friends.  They’d put it up before and told us that it took them (two people) about 45 minutes to assemble from start to finish.  When we got to our campsite, it was dark.  And rainy.  It took 5 people 45 minutes to assemble.  Yes, we did read the directions, which were cryptic. (when I say “we”, I’m not actually included.)  Things were color-coded for our convenience, but in the dark, that helps very little.  And though I complained that we really didn’t need such a BIG tent (it slept 12, for crying out loud), I really did come to love the extra space we had.  I would really like one of those spring loaded tents that you pull out of the bag, untwist the hoop things, and let it fly.  No, I don’t know the technical lingo for tent set-up.  Gimme a break.  But I digress.  As I said, this tent slept 12, had two rooms, and it came with TWO CLOSETS.  Yes. You read that correctly.  It had closets.  Not sure a tent needs those, but someone obviously thought so.  If you’re camping, I’d argue that you don’t need closets.  Just sayin’.  Maybe that crap needs to be cut.  Next time, we’ll hopefully have a simple tent (even if I will miss the closets of the borrowed one.)

Sharing mommy's bed won't harm kid's social skills

Oh gee. Thanks for giving me permission to do what I think works for me and my family.

Sharing mom's bed won't harm kids' social skills

Is anyone else annoyed by all these "experts" whose opinions fly in the face of what we think works for our own families? Bed sharing, for instance, has been frowned upon for the better part of the last decade (and dare I say it, LONGER than that?) and suddenly it's now okay. So many of us depend only on what experts say rather than think for ourselves. I say we need to cut that crap out and take everything with a grain of salt. Obviously, it is wise to listen to the counsel of other wise folks. However, it is better to think through that counsel and make up our own minds. Agreed?

Email Update #2
Today I deleted 492 emails from two folders. I'm getting closer, Folks!

Word of the Day

Moving Spirit - n. Someone who provides significant impetus or guidance in a given venture, movement, enterprise, etc.

So here's a title to which I will aspire.  I want to be a moving spirit in cutting the crap, and so far I've been doing a pretty crappy job of it.  So here's my self-challenge.  Over the next few weeks I'm going to choose one area at at time and explore ways in which I can simplify that area... streamline it... trim the fat... and I'm going to set myself up for success by starting with easy areas.  I'll share them here.

My first target will be my email in-boxes.  I have several in-boxes, so this ought to be interesting.  LOL  I'll report on my progress.    

Heiress Patricia Kluge files for bankruptcy

Heiress Patricia Kluge files for bankruptcy | The Upshot Yahoo! News

I guess even the rich can have it tough. However, I cannot fathom how someone with so much money and such an extravagant lifestyle can file for bankruptcy... or even need to...

My family and I live on a budget, yes, but we are pretty comfortable for the most part. We have everything we need. 12 years ago, though, it was a different story. We definitely lived beyond our means and paid the price for it. Big time.

This woman and her husband had it all, and apparently they were frivolous, too. I don't know all the details. Maybe they made some bad investments, and the article did cite the downturn in the economy as being a factor. That downturn has affected everyone. I just can't help thinking that if they'd cut some of the unnecessary luxurious crap out of their lifestyle they may have avoided bankruptcy. It's the difference between choosing to downgrade and being forced to. Just sayin'.

I wonder if they've learned their lesson, though.

There’s a lot of crap in this post…

I haven’t blogged since before vacation.  I have a lot to talk about today, but I highly doubt I’ll get it all out.  J  We’ll see.  Here we go.

Cutting the Crap Vacation-style

We had a wonderful time in CA visiting family and friends.  We spent a full day at the beach and of course we did Disneyland.  We also visited the Queen Mary, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Corona Del Mar Tidepools, In-n-Out (twice), and had dinner at Ruby’s on the Seal Beach Pier.  That’s only a smattering of our adventures, but you get the picture.

I think next time we can cut more crap, though.  For instance, LUGGAGE.  Our flight out of CO Springs was great.  We got on the plane with the greatest of ease.  This was because they checked our bags for free in CO Springs.  When we flew out of Long Beach, they did not.  Trying to haul a family of four  (that includes a very active toddler) through TSA WITH a crap-ton of carry-on bags was an exercise in insanity.  Next time I’m going to check all of the luggage even if it costs extra.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s worth my peace of mind.   

And a note to all you parents of young children.  The Ghosts and Legends tour on the Queen Mary isn’t exactly palatable for younger audiences.  Rob and I thought Megan would be fine, but 5 minutes into the tour, Megan made a hasty exit and refused to go back into the bowels of the ship.  LOL  We had to stay topside where she could see SUN for the rest of the time we were there.  Hahaha!

Cutting the Crap Illness-style

Megs threw up the morning of my birthday.  On our way to the hotel the night before we flew home, Megs threw up all over the backseat of our rental car.  The Friday after we got home, X threw up, and didn’t really stop for 4 or 5 days.  For the life of us, we couldn’t figure out where they got the illness until we took X to the doctor the following week.  She asked if our children had been exposed to any water.  Well, duh.  Yeah.  They’d been at the beach on two different occasions, and on one, X had fallen face-first into a run-off stream.  Bingo.  Next time, we’ll be avoiding that.  LOL  

And BTW, I’m SO SICK of my family being sick that it isn’t even funny.

Cutting the Crap Work-style

A few weeks ago I posted regarding cutting the crap at work.  When I got back from vacation, I had the leads from my SL team here in Denver Metro for two weeks.  We made great progress in planning our next project, so I have a few take-aways for the rest of you.  Schedule as few meetings as possible and laser-beam the meetings you have.  Make sure all the right folks are in the room the FIRST time so you don’t have to reschedule the meeting.  We managed to cram a month’s worth of work into two weeks AND still feel good about it.  I’ll blog more about this later.  J  

Okay… I have tons more, but I need to let that go for now.  Some of my ideas are single-post worthy so I’ll get to those soon.  J

Cutting the Crap: Cable TV Edition

Today we severed our cable and phone ties with Comcast, and we are now Netflix subscribers.  We aren’t really saving a lot, since we had a bundled package that included cable, internet, and phone.  We’re keeping internet, because frankly, we use it for work.  When we canceled the other two services, Comcast wanted to charge us $150 for getting out of our contract.  Rob got that negotiated to NOTHING, AND they gave us our internet at $24.95/mo for the next 6 months.  It CAN be done, People.  We went from a $130/mo bill to $24.95 for internet and about $10 for Netflix per month.  I’d say we really cut the crap.  Here’s the kicker: because I use my internet for work, my company reimburses me $50/mo.  You do the math.  Even after the promotional period ends, I’ll be paying next to nothing. 

I’m almost giddy now that we’re getting rid of all those useless cable channels that we don’t watch.  You know, those channels that are thrown into the package but provide no value whatsoever?  No more wading through sports and foreign language channels (which numbered in the hundreds).  Now we can look at the Netflix library and say, “I feel like an action movie.” And find that.  Much more simple.  Less expensive.  This also gives us a GREAT deal of control over what our children watch.  More than the savings, more than the simplicity, to me that is the best thing.  I mean, have you guys checked out the content on Cartoon Network lately?  OMG.  It’s AWFUL. 

I’m learning that we’re not the only ones getting rid of cable these days.  My best friend cut cable last year and hasn’t looked back.  My brother doesn’t use it.  His best friend never had it.  The one thing these three families have in common is Netflix.  They pay about $10/month to stream and/or get dvds in the mail.  That’s all they need.  And you know what? They’re happy with that.  I think we will be, as well.

My internet research suggests that many people are going down the cable-free path as well.  Here’s another blog that explores this idea and offers some pretty good links to boot.  The comments show a good discussion as well.  http://www.tvonthecheap.com/ has some interesting ideas.  Take a look if you’re interested.   This article at Lifehacker.com lists some of the other services (like HULU) that are available to people willing to cut the cable.   

Overall, I think our cutbacks are necessary for our family to enjoy other things (Megan has been begging for dance lessons), and really.  We don’t need all the crap that’s on TV anyway.  I encourage you to have a look and really decide if you can live without cable.  It might be the best thing you’ve ever done. 

Amy Googles Cut The Crap

I googled “cut the crap” and came up with some pretty interesting entries.  For instance, The Clash’s 6^th and final album was titled Cut The Crap.  And then there is this youtube video that’s absolutely hilarious.  For those of you with sensitive ears, I suggest that you refrain from clicking on that one.  There is also a movie review site, a hair studio in Amsterdam, and an interesting article on the French’s view of adultery, of all things.  It seems many of us have different views, but universally, cutting the crap means getting rid of what we don’t need.  I pretty much thought so, hence the name of my blog.