People have allowed common courtesy to go out the window, with the advent of the belief that “I’m more important than you are”,

Things like young people not standing up on a bus to allow the aged to sit down, to driving down the freeway and being cut off by someone who absolutely must be in front of you just in case they can get to where they are going a few seconds faster.

Ever sit at a traffic light and have someone’s car thumping so loud from a sub woofer that your car shakes? They too must be much more important that you since they feel you need to listen to their music.  Oh and my favorite the people who stand there engaging in a cell phone call talking so loudly that you can hear everything they are talking about, from ex’s to sex and so on.  People we don’t want to hear your calls, that’s your business not ours.

If we all actually took a step back and thought about how our actions effect others we’d remind ourselves that common courtesy isn’t something we should let go by the way side. Take a moment to think about what you do and how it affects those around you.  Being courteous takes so little effort, so give it a try!

Have a great day!

Kat

There are just times when you have to enjoy a lazy Sunday.  Today was one of those for the kids and I. 

It started off with Ace trying to wake me at 5am, for some reason he hasn’t figured out that on Saturday and Sunday, he doesn’t need to wake me up for work, after snuggling with him for a bit he wandered off to play with Cera and Tori leaving me to snuggle back under the sheets and catch a few more winks until he decided it was time for Mom to get up.

Getting up at 9am is a luxury that I am rarely allowed, having no real drive this morning I flipped on the television, only to watch the various infomercials for products that I’m sure I can’t live without.  Finally the drive of needing something to eat drove me to the kitchen for that big bowl of frosted cheerios and soy milk.I noticed that while I was enjoying my breakfast that Ace was sprawled out, sleeping on the chair my parents brought down on their recent visit, seemingly exhausted at his job of waking me from my deep slumber. 

I finally watched The Transformers, a movie I had bought a while ago and never quite found time to watch. I was surprised to find that I liked it.  It was just what I needed to start my morning off, a good shoot them up action adventure. 

I finally at 3pm caught a nice hot shower and I think it’s time to put a London broil on for dinner tonight.

Lazy Sundays aren’t an every weekend thing, but I sure do enjoy them when I slow down long enough.

Enjoy what is left of your Sunday, lazy or not!

Kat

Freedom of speech has always been subjective…take, for example, the old standard of yelling “fire” in a crowded theater. While someone might argue that they have the inalienable right to say whatever they want whenever they want, another side is that their speech is causing harm to those around them. This was the basis of many lawsuits that have reached the supreme court, insofar as what kinds of harm that speech can cause.

It’s a matter of reality…yes, we have the right of free speech, but it’s always been conditional. You can’t just walk into a courtroom in the middle of a murder trial, and start spouting off that you like the pink marshmallow peeps during Easter…they’d arrest you for contempt. You can’t walk into a church during services and start spouting off about how you like to nail fish to a cross because you can call it a “carpafixion”. You’d be arrested for disorderly conduct. The venue and timing of your speech also has to be taken into consideration…and we all know this, regardless of how much we want to scream that we have the freedom of speech.

Now, on a more practical note, the individual wearing the t-shirt is expressing themselves through their mode of dress. This, is typically not a big deal, to much of anyone…except those that like to nitpick. I think the basis of his being refused entry was that the comment on the t-shirt presented a potential liability. The comment, while not overt, would undoubtedly be seen as inflammatory by some. The tennis event, I’m assuming was televised, so i can see two bodies that would have a vested interest in denying him entry. One, the television stations that most likely would be taking all the complaints from the viewing public (because people in this country can’t help but to complain about everything, even if it doesn’t directly affect them), as well as the potential lawsuits that could result. Also, the venue that the match was being played was most likely privately owned, so the ownership didn’t want anything on the grounds that could potentially incite violent activity. This is perfectly within the rights of the ownership of the venue, as while I think it’s overkill, they were probably trying to protect themselves from a liability issue.

Yes, it’s stupid…people in this country have somehow managed to completely forget how to ignore things that offend them anymore…..it’s almost as if they seek things out to complain about, or fight about. The concept of “political correctness” has transformed this nation into two groups….those that are offensive, and those that are offended…and the membership of these groups gets swapped on a regular basis. I’m sure during my little tirade here that I’ve managed to offend someone…and you know what? I don’t care. I swear a constitutional amendment of “sticks and stones” needs to be implemented, because people are too childish to just let things go that they don’t agree with.

Wow….I must be cranky this morning….more caffeine is necessary!

(This is another of Tim’s famous rants.. I enjoyed it and I hope you did as well. ~Kat)

There comes a time in your life where you have to just toss up your arms and say TODAY I AM CELEBRATE LIVING.

With all the hustle and bustle of our everyday world, from jobs to children to spouses, when you can take a moment to just appreciate life for the mere sake of living it, you should! We only get one go around so we should enjoy it! 

Sometimes this comes in the form of enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend, other times it’s just taking a quiet moment to sit down and read a book that you’ve put off forever or  it can mean getting out, heading to the ocean, sitting on the sand and enjoying the rich smells of the surf.

Every one needs to stop, take a look at their life and appreciate all that is around them even if it’s just for a moment before we go back to the grind of our daily life.

Have a wonderful day!

Kat

How do you know when you’re dating someone? My girlfriend and I were talking about men and relationships. We are trying to figure out, when does it go from just friends to something more substantial like dating them.

I guess this is a question that plagues most people. As we get older, it becomes more of a blurred line, when does going for coffee, catching a movie and just hanging out with someone become he’s my boyfriend, she’s my girlfriend.

Is it more along the official lines when someone says I love you? Or is the constant presence of the person the defining factor? Is it when you introduce them to your family and children?

These are the questions she and I have been posing to each other all morning long. I suppose there is no easy answer to this question… but it does make for a good discussion over a cup of coffee.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Kat

I have found that I’m really enjoying buying and selling on eBay.  When I want to purchase something, I seem to find it at the same or less money than what I see at the store.

I’ve been holding a big 99cent sale of old cds and other assorted items, and to my surprise not only are they selling but they are moving quickly.  It seems that people know a bargain when they see it.

I notice that when you list something for 99 cents, while it might sell for only that, more often than not that the price gets bumped up a bit by a small bidding war between those who can’t live without the object I’m selling.  Confession time, I’ve been known to do that as well.

So, when you have time, take a look-see about eBay and see what bargains can be found.  Like me you’ll find others who are holding their online garage sales and you might just come away with a nifty item or two for a song.

Happy Shopping!

Kat

This morning I did something that I rarely do anymore; I stopped at McDonalds and picked up one of their Vanilla Iced Coffees. To my surprise this coffee is good, not just ok but actually GOOD. I’ve always been a stanch Starbucks kind of girl, something to do with growing up in Seattle and having nearly drank it from the bottle. With our economy falling into a recession I’m finding that while I love Starbucks Iced Coffees that their higher prices aren’t loved by my pocketbook.

I’m finding less expensive ways of purchasing things that I find to be nearly as good as or better than the original. As you’ve seen in previous postings, I’m playing the Grocery Game. Clipping coupons and shopping sales have enabled me to save money, while buying things I use daily.

I have a full pantry, deep freezer and fridge. I’m not lacking for any of the basic necessities in life nor am I missing out on the luxury items that I might desire but not need at the moment.

In saving money this way, I’m able to do things like up my 401k by 2% more this year; sock money away in a money market fun, investing in stocks and put money away for a cruise that friend Naomi has invited me to go on. I don’t feel like I’m not shorting myself on anything I might want, need or desire.

I was talking to my sister Becky about money this weekend, one thing we agree on, is that our generation tends to be of the “I want it now” mentality. As we grew up we remember our parents would save and pay cash for the bigger items. Rarely did they use credit; they did finance the house and cars, however they never bought a new car off the lot when a 2 year old one would do the trick.

Going back to this way of thinking, after years of the “I have to have it now” syndrome, I’m finding that I appreciate items that I purchase more than I did when I bought them on credit. I’m saving money by paying myself the interest that I used to pay the bank cards or finance companies.

So as I sip this iced coffee, I think in the long run, I am making a healthy change, saving money and not feeling short changed, and still allowing for the little splurges now and again.

“With the current rocket assisted boost of gas prices, I’m thinking at least a fair part of this is attributable to ‘ol George and DICK leaving at the end of their terms. They’re scarfing up as much profit as possible prior to departure.