Everything's bigger in Texas...even our morons.

I don't know how I was, but someone added me to an open Facebook group called "You know your from Texas when...", (http://j.mp/rdOpdW) and the "your" was spelled incorrectly in the title. Obviously, such groups are supposed to poke harmless fun that inspires pride in living in said area. So of course, I read a few posts, chuckled at some of them while nodding in acknowledgment of the truth of the statement posted. In an attempt to come up with my own contribution to the group, I thought about what I wanted to say. And then it hit me. I looked at the title of the group and noticed how "you're" was misspelled. The group creator should've used "you're," the contraction that puts "you" and "are" together, but instead it had "your" which is a possessive pronoun (e.g., "your car," "your house," "your life" etc.). Once I saw the error, I posted the following: "...when you don't notice or care that you used the wrong 'you're' in the group's title." This was just yesterday, and I've received plenty of Likes on it. Upon receiving notifications of other posts in the group, I noticed I wasn't the only one posting about the group title's error. Now when I go back, there are people who are asking those complaining about it to leave the group...which I did yesterday. What upset me more than the spelling/grammar error I saw in the title (and some in other posts as well), was the sheer apathy about good grammar and spelling. There was even one guy who was ignorant enough to say things like (I'm NOT quoting verbatim) "This is how we talk in Texas....I'm from Texas, and I'm proud of my heritage." This particular person even went as far as to call another "grammar policeman" a "fucking faggot" for being critical...because, you know, good grammar and sexuality have so much in common.

Oh, and as for the whole "This is how we talk in Texas" remark, yes, it's true, but put your talk in writing, and you reveal your intelligence. But it reminded me of something else. A common contraction in Texas is putting "you" and "all" together to say "y'all," and yet there are SO many people who write it as "ya'll." How does one split up a single world that can't be split up?

As irritated as these things can make me, this post is not just about the mistakes that are commonly made in writing, but about the seemingly proud display of apathy and ignorance with regard to these types of things. Here we Texans are claiming that Texas is the #1 state in the union, but if that was the case, then we'd have the lowest unemployment rate in the country, no one would be living below the poverty line, we'd have the lowest abortion rate, the least amount of uninsured people, and we wouldn't be close to the bottom percentile in education and drop-out rates.

One comment I saw in defense of the grammar mistake was "This is FACEBOOK, not high school or college!" Though that is true, it makes me think of 2 things:

1. Actually, we learn these particular rules of grammar in elementary school, not in high school or college...because we should really have them down by then.
2. Why do we even go to school for years? Why do we take all the subjects in school that we take? Why do we get grades for our assignments?

School exists to prepare us for the real world. School is to help us prepare for joining the global economy and contributing to society. We learn to represent ourselves well so an employer will hire us (in most cases), enabling us to support ourselves and our world. We're taught how everything works in this world. We learn how "its" and "it's" are different, and when to use each. We learn that the earth revolves around the sun. We learn that Beethoven went deaf and still managed to compose the "Ode to Joy." We learn the fundamental economic law of supply and demand. We learn how to find x in math equations that will benefit us in various real life situations, and much, MUCH more! And when we show others our own ignorance and apathy about our education, essentially dismissing it, we pretty much say "Screw you!" to our teachers. Being a teacher myself, I take offense to it, and will speak out when compelled to do so.

I guess it's not that bad that there were such big cuts into education, because if certain people's apathy about their own is any indication, all the funding we lost probably wasn't doing us much good anyway. 

Spending fast reflections

My last update on my fast was in either late June or early July. Can't remember. Anyway, the whole goal of the fast is to reduce my consumer debt (primarily on my credit cards) by only buying stuff I need. We're now in mid-August, and the things I've WANTED haven't been many. But all together, they'd probably cost a few hundred bucks. Maybe even $1,000 or so. At least, that's my guestimation. I guess I just thought I'd save more money. But I honestly had no way of measuring my savings. I think the only way I could've measured it would be to want something, resist buying it, and record the price it cost, and then over time, watch the total cost increase.

Stuff I've wanted and HAVEN'T bought:
-Katy Perry's album "Teenage Dream"
-Lady Gaga's album "Born This Way"
-All of GLEE's soundtracks after the Showstoppers volume
-Wii video games (Glee Karaoke Revolution, Rockband, other musical games)
-more khaki shorts (I only own 2 pairs) and other clothes I've wanted
-DVD releases (which kinda doesn't matter since I have Netflix)
-more theater outings (we've been to about 5 this year)
-minor cosmetic vehicle repairs
-2 more digital HD antennae for a couple TVs in my house
-more restaurant outings (I've eaten just fine at home, but I miss going out, though I know this has saved me a LOT of money this year)
-more games or other paid apps for my iPhone
-university (UT and Texas State) accessories for myself or my car
-more charitable donations

That's just what I can think of now off the top of my head.

In my last post about my fast, I'd mentioned that I may have to extend my fast into next year. If I do that, it may evolve into a spending diet. But one thing I'm looking forward to is that I expect my IRS refund will either pay off my car, or knock it down enough to pay it off sooner than next June. Having my car paid off means I can use that money to pay down credit card debt, which then gives me a little more flexibility each month.

The greatest irony is that though I've limited myself on what I want to buy, I still use my credit card for important, necessary purchases, and the most expensive is gas (if I drive a lot), and car maintenance. It makes me feel like my consumer resistance is getting canceled out with vehicular needs, therefore voiding virtually any impact on my fast. So that feels discouraging. However, the truth is that the fast has kept my balances from being unmanageably high, and that in itself is *a* goal, just not the goal I intended to achieve...which was watching my credit card debt *decrease*, which hasn't happened. Instead, it's increased because it's been used to pay for necessities that I didn't have enough cash to cover.

Let's see what the next few months bring.

It's BOTH your fault!

Dear Republicans and Democrats:

I heard y'all were blaming each other for our S&P credit rating downgrade from AAA to AA+. I'm disappointed, but not surprised you're blaming each other.

To the ALL the Democrats:
Have the courage to stand up for what you believe in. Nothing about this deal was "balanced". I heard both Reps and Dems giving speeches to the press about how it should be a balanced, bipartisan proposal. I'm sorry, but your actions have proven all that to be complete and utter bullshit. For cryin' out loud, Boehner himself said he got about 98% of everything he wanted. I even saw other Reps claiming the bill was a Republican victory. *shakes his head* It should NOT have been a Republican victory. It should NOT have been a Democratic victory (though THAT would've been good), it should've been an AMERICAN victory, and though we haven't defaulted...yet...it was a complete fiasco.

Mr. President, how could you? How could you cave to all the Republicans' demands? You're so much smarter than all of them, and we elected you into office to help change - or at least stop - their irresponsible ways! Hold them accountable! Voters need to see what their representatives and senators are doing to the American people during their time in office. When it's time to re-elect you, you still have my support, because right now, I see you as the least of all the evils in the government.

To ALL Republicans:
Obama was willing to compromise, and offered a lot of things that many Democrats, including myself, hold dear to the way our country works. In fact, the President took a lot of heat from his own party because of what he was willing to sacrifice. He stated, over and over, how it had to be a shared sacrifice. One of the things he wanted from you all was just to close tax loop holes that the wealthiest Americans use, and you couldn't even let go of that? How dare you! I don't give a shit if you like or loathe Obama's points of view in politics. Representatives on your side, including Boehner, all reiterated what Obama said about how it must be a "balanced approach" that you had to "put politics aside" and "work together". Tell me now, did you actually do any of that? Because the way it seems to me is that you didn't compromise at all.

Also, Republicans, are you all aware of your incredible levels of hypocrisy? How many of you conservatives consider yourselves Christians? Do you attend church services regularly or cling to your Bible, interpreting it literally? Because if you did, then all the countless times you've given tax cuts to the wealthy, and leave the middle and lower classes to pay the bill, you're pretty much spitting in Jesus' face. As much as it bothers me that you give wealthy people all these tax breaks, it bothers me more that you claim to be Christians in the process. You insist in keeping corporate and billionaire taxes low so they can hire people and create jobs, because a tax hike will kill their jobs creating potential. The law for taxes should be pure and simple: The more you make, the more you pay. So you just keep on giving them more and more money claiming that with it, they'll hire people. Well, let's look at the unemployment rating. It's still pretty high, right? Yeah, what like 9.2%? You know why it's still that high? It's at least partly because of the tax cuts you're giving all these wealthy people and corporations who DON'T NEED THEM!

Economics 101: Supply and Demand. A business flourishes when it has both. And right now, you've only been giving them supply. They can't hire if they have no one who wants to buy (demand)! I used to be an independent businessman with Mary Kay Cosmetics. I would've loved to have hired a secretary to take my calls, arrange my parties, etc., but there's no way I could've afforded that because I didn't have enough income from customers. I was a small business. You could've given ME a tax cut, but it wouldn't have served any purpose because I didn't have enough people wanting to buy my products. So, when economists advise you all on the economy,that's because it's their area of expertise, and they know what they're talking about. You all are politicians and law makers, not economists. The millions and billions of dollars you've been giving to the wealthiest should've gone to the middle class and poorest people. They need the money to spend! They'd go out and shop, and with increased consumer activity, businesses would have been more inclined to hire more people.

Further, during the debt ceiling crisis, Obama wanted to close the tax loop holes because, in all honesty, the richest don't NEED an extra jet, or another house on a deserted island. It's OUR national debt problem. We ALL have to give a little. We ALL are Americans in this country, and it's OUR job to protect our great nation from going bankrupt. But the message you sent to the wealthiest was that they are better than the middle and lower classes of citizens. You sent them the message that equality doesn't apply to them. You treat them like Super-Americans. I wouldn't be surprised if you gave them more money so they could make enough campaign contributions to support you keeping your elected position...which they probably bought for you.

Despite my being extremely livid with both of you right now, I'll still side with Democrats, because I believe that despite all these shenanigans, they're the lesser of 2 evils.

As a voter, tax payer, and natural-born American, I'm extremely disappointed with all of you, even you, Mr. President! All of you, especially Republicans, need to be held accountable for your sins against the American people.

My response to Perry's

Our Governor Rick Perry, has a big prayer event happening this Saturday (tomorrow) in Houston  at the Reliant Stadium that has gained national attention. His event is called "The Response", and despite the claims that it's supposed to be an apolitical gathering of Christians asking God for guidance in a time of national crisis, it has church-and-state-combo written all over it.

He wanted to be as "inclusive" as possible because he decided to invite all of the 49 other US governors to attend. And they all declined except for Sam Brownback (R-Kansas). I remember Brownback during the 2008 election. I'm honestly not surprised he RSVPd his attendance. He's extremely right-wing, very socially conservative, and would probably support, along with Perry, doing something like putting a Federal Marriage Amendment into the US Constitution to semi-permanently eliminate marriage equality or ALL Americans. And yes, Perry has voiced his support for the FMA (Bush Jr. actually was gunning for it during his presidency, but it didn't happen since Cheney's daughter was a lesbian).

Anyway, Perry clearly chose the Reliant Stadium (I'm making an educated guess here), because of its 71,000 person capacity. How many people have RSVPd to attend? Around 1/10th that amount. Yeah.

The other thing that bothers me is that though it's supposed to be a prayer event, it's primarily for Christians, and though other non-Christian people are invited to attend, they're encouraged to convert to Christianity. Can we say "exclusive"?

Based on my experience with such Christians, it's an event that'll probably be loaded with lots of Scripture readings, praise and worship music, inspiring talks, and so forth. If every attendee, assuming they're all Christians, brings their Bible to this event, hell, if every attendee strives to follow the Bible to the letter, then they're already making several mistakes, and this op-ed article in the Austin American-Statesman (@statesman) explains exactly what's wrong with this picture: http://j.mp/pL0jaf

As for me and my faith, I consider myself a progressive Catholic. I go to Mass regularly, I pray like others do, have my own intentions to pray for, and follow some of the Church's teachings (I say "some" because I believe some of the church's teachings and traditions are too conservative for today's world). Anyway, all that being said, I can play devil's advocate and acknowledge that the intentions behind this event are good*.

*I think the Christians attending the event want to see good come to the nation through the power of God, as omnipotent as all Christians believe him to be. But when you listen to certain pastors, like John Hagee (he's attending) who calls MY church the "whore of Babylon", then you're probably easily misguided, can't think for yourself, won't challenge authority to get to the real truth, dismiss facts, and want to turn our country into a theocracy, having religion...er...Christianity...run the government. 

The hypocrisy behind wanting to have a Christians-only USA is that our Constitution GUARANTEES freedom of religion for all American citizens. Look it up. There's an app for the US Constitution, and in the 1st of the first 10 Amendments, aka the Bill of Rights, it clearly states that anyone can practice any faith in this country. Not only that, the people who push for Christianity to take over the nation usually claim that, as much as they love the Bible and stick to it literally usually also look to the Constitution in an attempt to get back to basics to help return America to its fundamental roots. Well, the intention is fine, if you like fiction. If you want America to get back to its fundamental roots, then we'd ALL have to leave and let the Native Americans have their country back. After all, they were here first.

Moreover, those who "love" the Constitution only want to love parts of it that best support their ideologies. They want to do with the Constitution what they already do with the Bible. They'll quote Bible to tell us that being gay is a sin, according to Leviticus, and therefore so is marriage equality. But read a few more passages down in the same book, then we can't eat shellfish, wear clothing with mixed fabric, handle pigskin (there goes football), work on Sundays, and so forth. But no, people love to eat their seafood, they probably seldom look at the fabrics of which their clothing is made (unless they're allergic to something), they will NOT give up Sunday night football (because there's nothing gay about men tackling each other for a ball...and this was total sarcasm, by the way), and plenty of people work on Sundays, whether for a job or doing yard work or cleaning their home, etc.

I don't know whether to call this irony or hypocrisy. It's probably both! These are the kinds of people, the people who think this way (granted, I probably did exaggerate a little...but probably not by much) that are more than likely to attend "The Response". I would even expect them to think of the name of this event as a conservative, concerned American response to the Obama administration's management of the country.

Well, the event's happening. A few thousand people will show up, pray, sing, probably discuss certain conservative struggles like New York's newly-established marriage equality, and how they can reverse it or ban it in even more states. I'm very sure this will come up, especially since the American Family Association is sponsoring this over-hyped event. And they've been known as a hate-group for a while, particularly with LGBT equality.

I'd go, as a Catholic, except for a few reasons: I believe in the separation of church and state, it's too far a drive, and I don't have the gas money, I'm a Democrat who can't stand Perry or the AFA, and I don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of people who would tell me I'm going to hell because I happen to be gay...and that I can't be gay and Catholic. Well, you shouldn't be Christian and judge, but that isn't stopping you is it?

Yeah. I didn't think so.

"That's so ______!"

Some have used the phrase "That's so gay" intending for the word "gay" to mean "dumb", "stupid" or anything derogatory when one dislikes or is critical about something or someone. But just like comedienne Wanda Sykes says in this ad, it's insulting!

Have you used this phrase before? Have you called something "gay" when you really meant it was dumb, stupid, or anything like that? If you have said this phrase, why did you? Peer pressure? Homophobia? Is everything stupid "gay"?

If we apply the current mainstream definition of "gay" to the little chef statue mocked in this ad, then I'm curious: What is so homosexual about the statue?

If we apply the original definition of "gay" to the statue, then I can agree that the statue appears happy...ecstatic even.

Here are other ways this phrase can be used:

"That's so blond."
"That's so jock."
"That's so nerdy."

They sound ridiculous, don't they? And the list of substitution possibilities becomes endless.

So really, why use that word? What does it accomplish? It helps desensitize the majority from a minority's real plight.

When you speak this way, do you realize what you say? Do you realize whom you're hurting?

Knock it off.

My spending fast...6 months later

Do you make resolutions each year? Most...well...some people do. The bigger question is, how disciplined are you to actually follow through with it? That's the whole point of a New Year's resolution. You resolve to change, start, or stop a behavior or activity. Whatever it might be, our culture temporarily glorifies resolutions.

Common resolutions are health related.

Speaking for myself, I'm 29, and I can't remember the last resolution I made. If I did make one in years past, I'm sure I didn't keep it. This year, though, is different. I made a resolution, and I've forced myself to keep it. My resolution was to go on a spending fast.

It all started with following my financial institution - Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union - on Twitter (@RBFCU). The very kind and informative RBFCU rep who tweets for them posted a tweet about a woman who went on a "spending fast" where she spent the entire year buying only necessities. She denied herself outings to the movies, cable TV, eating out, and other wants. By the end of the year, she had saved herself thousands of dollars, and tremendously reduced her consumer debt.

That inspired me to do the same thing. It is VERY easy for me to justify frivolous purchases. I'm a teacher, and if my teaching pay didn't last me the entire month, I'd end up charging all kinds of things. My credit card debt is higher than it's ever been. Right now the best part of it is that I can still pay my monthly card payments.

So, as inspired as I was about that other lady going on her spending fast, I resolved to do the same. I pay 5 regular bills each month:

-mortgage
-car
-student loan
-cell phone
-credit card

The money left over is for gas and groceries (primarily), and other necessities that may arise, like car maintenance, etc.

But my fasting hasn't stopped there. I've gone a step further and have tried to limit how much I drive. If there's a trip I really don't need to take, I shouldn't go. The more I drive, the more gas I use. The more gas I use, the more frequently I have to fill up. The more frequently I fill up, the less money I have to last me through the month. The less money I have, the more my chances increase of having to use the credit card which increases my debt which defeats the very purpose of this resolution! I've extremely restricted myself in eating out, especially fast food. The only time I'll do it is if I NEED to eat something, and I have no time to stop at a grocery store, or go home to eat. That's happened maybe 2-5 times. I don't really know. I haven't kept count.

So.

It's now July 6th. Being a teacher, I'm on summer vacation. I'm spending a LOT of time at home maintaining the house and yards, taking care of our dogs, watching Ellen Show reruns, watching Whoopi, Joy, Sherri, Elisabeth, and Barbara share their opinions on The View, and refreshing Twitter and Facebook constantly. Oh, and blogging. Yes, I'm reading, too. A little.

Honestly, it's been a day-by-day event. I have no way of calculating how much money I've saved through this spending fast, but I can tell you this much: I've missed 3 concerts I really, REALLY wanted to go to (Michael Bublé, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga), I've refrained from buying movies, music (especially all the new Glee albums, Katy Perry's and Lady Gaga's new albums, and several other things). It's not fun, like, at all. I've had to tell myself "no" many times this year, and it's not over yet. In fact, I'm thinking of extending the fast into next year, too.

There were 2 credit cards on which I owed BIG balances, and in an attempt to save money on interest, I've transferred BOTH balances to another card with a high enough limit that also had a balance transfer promotion at 0% APR until March 2012.

This fast is literally one financial decision after another.

So, I'm now more than 6 months into this resolution. I don't know how much money I've saved, but I have to keep going. I'm intent upon keeping my resolution.

The most exciting thing is that next summer my car will be paid off. Once it is, I'll use that money to pay off other debts.

One thing's for sure: Christmas is probably gonna suck this year.

*sigh* I've come this far disciplining myself financially this year. Six more months to go.

Shut up and do it!

We all have our inner demons. One of mine is following through with plans I come up with. In my case, I struggle most with having a goal in mind, having done all the prep work to make it happen, and then all that's left is the leg work to achieve the goal. And that is where laziness sets in and takes over.

For instance, as of May 2010-June 2011, I was an Independent Beauty Consultant for Mary Kay cosmetics. I had signed up to be one because a very good friend of mine has been selling MK products and making a killing. She was frequently informing me about how much money she had made, and went on and on about all the successes she was having with her business. She's been with MK for over 3 years, and naturally, has built a decent clientelle.

Attracted to the opportunity in making extra money, I very curiously and open-mindedly signed up to sell what I still believe are among the highest quality cosmetics and skin care products available (for women and men). The most ideal way to make the money is to hold skin care classes. These are "parties" and you get a hostess to host the party (class) in her home. The guests attend, and they get a free facial with high quality products, and pretty much get to give themselves a make over with all the samples available. Hopefully, one of the attendees will want to host a party as well and invite more friends, and the growth of the business blossoms from there.

When it comes to sales, I'm very shy. I don't like convincing people to buy things. I think the problem I have with doing that is that I'm a marketer's dream client; I'm easily sold. I don't know how to say "no" very easily when being sold something, so consequently, I want to make it easy for a customer to tell me "no". It was my hope that I'd tell people I sold MK products, I'd give out cards, and send them catalogs, and the orders would come in just like that.

I was wrong.

It didn't work that way for me. So, I had an idea...buy a bunch of business cards, and walk around my neighborhood placing them in door hinges. This way, when neighbors would get home, they'd see the card, get interested, and a party would be setup for hosting where I could make some money.

What did I do instead? I bought the cards, and kept telling myself, "I'll go on such-and-such-day, distribute cards, and just wait for e-mails for phone calls from prospective customers." Yeah, that never happened. I got lazy, I got shy, and so nothing ever came of it. The cards ended up sitting in their little stack on my desk in my room.

All that being said, I no longer work for Mary Kay. I don't think I'm the type of person suited for direct sales.

I'm facing a similar internal predicament with piano lessons. Frank helped me put together my ad for lessons. It lists my credentials well, including my Bachelor and Master's degrees, my Kodály certification, my years of piano experience, etc. I even went to a local music store and bought 4 lesson books: 2 for kids, and 2 for adults. All I need to do now is make copies of the flier, distribute them, and start scheduling lessons with interested prospective students.

I feel like, aside from the basic leg work I have to do in promoting the lessons, my only concern is that if parents want their kid to perform in a recital, where would the recital be? I have no clue, right now. My initial guess would be in a local school. Frank has even suggested I contact the schools that are close by to see if the music directors know of any students who want lessons, and that way I can start building my studio that way, by networking with the local music teachers. Have I done that?

No.

Why not?

Because I'm...scared?

Shy?

Embarassed?

I just need to put my money where my mouth is to accomplish my goals. It's the biggest hurdle I need to jump. I need to stop talking about plans if I have no intention of putting them into action. I am my own worst enemy.