For more information, check out http://blog.archive.org/2011/12/07/please-donate-to-the-internet-archive/ (Opens in a new window).

That’s all I have to say about that.

On the other hand, Regretsy.com’s donations have been freed by PayPal, and going to the people that were supposed to get it.  If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, check out this article at TechCrunch. (Another new window/tab).  Now if only a real alternative to PayPal would come along.

I know there are some, and a dear friend of mine would simply say don’t buy anything online.  BUT, I do write for a company online, and they pay through PayPal.  So… I guess I should simply transfer my money ASAP so I don’t have a lot to lose, huh?

This week, he linked to a speech given by historian Niall Ferguson at The TED Conference, called ’6 Killer Apps of Prosperity.’ (link is to the official YouTube version of the speech).

One of his comments got me to thinking.  At about minute 17, he says something about the West collapsing on itself because many civilizations operate on the edge of chaos.  I look at our political system and see the chaos he’s talking about, but I wonder how close the chaos we see now is anything like the chaos that we would have seen 200 years ago, soon after the American Revolution and the founding of our country.  One question I’ve been thinking about since I heard the speech is to wonder whether we’ve fallen further into chaos over the last 100 years.  Prohibition, & gun running might come to mind initially, but what about the ‘Mountain Men’? What about people like Ted Kaczinski? The ones who don’t trust the government because it’s gotten too big? (too big to fail?? is there such a thing?).

I know my view might not be popular, but I foresee a revolution coming.  The second American Revolution will be as bloody as the first, with the heads of some of the bigger corporations like insurance and pharmaceutical companies being the ones that have the most problems or are the first targets.

I only hope I’m wrong.  I’d love to see this country right itself.  But, when the economy starts showing some improvement, the politicians need to keep their hands off.  When you start a fire, you don’t pile the logs on the glowing embers, you wait for the flames, for the fire to be ready for the logs.  I’m not taking aim at any one side, both sides are causing the problems and neither side is acting as part of the solution.

On Monday, Sony announced that they would be offering DC Universe Online as free to play starting in October.  They’ll still offer a pay to play option for those who want the extra benefits.  After reading a synopsis of the story on /.  I thought that it’d be free because like Everquest or Asheron’s Call, you’d have to buy the game.  Turns out, I was wrong.

According to DC Universe Online news (opens in a new window), there will be levels of the game that are free to download to a computer or PS3.  It sounds like you can either play for free, purchase items and equipment within the game, or pay a monthly membership fee.

Sounds like one company finally understands that people can only afford so many monthly fees for MMO’s.  Or maybe Sony is just feeling the pinch with the competition out there.  Either way, gamers win and the company still makes money.  Sounds like a decent compromise to me.  What do you think?

The article is http://tech.slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&type=story&sid=11/09/17/2237256 (Opens in a new window)

How much oversight is there for big companies.  According to NewsWorks.org, Merck reported high profits last year.  Yet now they’re planning on laying off 13,000 jobs by 2015.  From what I’ve read, the CEO makes wonderful money though.  If you want to consider a mere $24mil in 2010 wonderful money (pay rate from FiercePharma.com).  Maybe it’s just scraping by for those high paid CEO’s.

Yet from the looks of things, some of these high paid CEOs couldn’t find their butt with both hands and a map.  Sorry, but someone needs to regulate what’s being done (and no, I’m not talking more government regulation, let’s try for some self discipline by the companies).  If the company is making enough profits to pay their CEO that much money per YEAR, why are they laying off employees 2 years later?  Does anyone on the Board of Directors stop to think about who makes the high pay possible? I know some people serve on multiple Boards.  Others serve on a Board of Directors in addition to their own full time jobs.  Do they have the time to sit down and figure out the budget and look over work load reports??  Do they even bother gathering work load reports? Are they concerned about just the bottom line?

At the company I used to work for, my former coworkers are working 10 and 12 hour days to keep up with the work load.  Some were doing it before I left, now everyone is.  Yet when I complained about the work load, the department manager kept saying there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  I sincerely hope for my friends’ sakes, the light isn’t an oncoming train.  Or a hyperactive kid with a glow stick.

In other news, the ice cream truck just passed by, yet it’s thundering and getting ready to pour.  I wonder how much business he’s going to get.  LOL

Instead, I moved closer to family.  I’ve been missing them anyway.  I just never realized how political they are.  It seems like they’re always talking politics.  I’m so far from that it’s not funny.  Not to mention, if I disagree with my stepdad about some of his opinions, I start hearing that I’m for big government, etc etc.  Uhh no, I just don’t happen to like listening to Rush Limbaugh.  He’s a blowhard, IMO, and just tries to be controversial to get ratings.  Not to mention, he’s not fully correct on some of his facts.  Like when he went off on someone this last Friday saying the rich are paying all of the taxes, that the low and middle class don’t pay any taxes.  Uhh no, it’s the upper middle class that pays all the taxes.  Anyone making under ~$40k gets back earned income credit (which can mean they get back more than they take in), but from what I can tell, those who earn more than ~$500k or so don’t pay as high a percentage as those making between $45k and $250k, there are too many tax loopholes.

So I put on my MP3 player and ignore a lot of the conversations.  It’s not that I’m trying to be rude, it’s that I prefer not to argue.  I’m horrible at arguments, I can’t think of a response fast enough.  That doesn’t mean I’m not intelligent, or that I’m bad with words.  It just means that I can’t come up with a good retort until several minutes later.  I can think quickly when it’s a simple question like Jeopardy or a knowledge bowl, but otherwise… I take after my mother.

I’m learning a few things as I look for a job.  I’m learning that there are ways for me to earn a living that aren’t a 9-5 job, and that I enjoy.  Like writing.  Store resets (which is just a generic term for going into a store and rearranging a department/section).  Warehouse work for my brother (he does vending machines, so there’s lots of ‘fast’ food available).  I’m learning that I have a lot of talents that I had forgotten when I was stuck with that job for so long.

My goal for the next 3 weeks – (other than the store reset on Wed and working for my brother on Thur and Fri):

Make at least $15 a day writing.  It honestly needs to be more, I should be making enough to cover my kids’ daycare costs.  Then all of my income from my brother would go toward getting us a place.  Living with my parents is difficult at times. (My brother reads my blog occasionally, and I know he’d try to argue with me, but that’s because he’s contrary… hmm sometimes I’m just like him lol I can argue on things that aren’t important to me, but then I’m just saying the first thing that comes to mind).

My other goal is much more with regards to my health.  I need to take better care of myself and stop letting the little things get to me.  Focusing on the important things is the best way to get through life.

New Year’s resolutions hardly ever work.  You have to want something bad enough to make real changes.  Generally resolutions tend to be formed with a touch of regret when you look back on the previous year.  I’ve seen it time and time again in the weight loss world.  ‘This year is my year, this year is the year I lose weight.’  Yet these same people will binge and tell you that they fell off the wagon.  Or they’ll simply underestimate how much they’re eating, and try to fool you that they’re actually eating less than 1500 calories a day and they’re gaining weight.

New Years resolutions are unnecessary if you simply make a list of what you want to do for the year, research what needs to be done, and follow through on the action plan.  Yea, it’s really not as simple as it sounds.

Resolutions tend to fall under several different categories.  Health, and Money are two big ones.  I’m going to get a better job.  I’m going to write a best-seller and make over six figures this year.  I’m going to lose 100 lbs and be happy and healthy.  After all, if you’re fat, then obviously you’re not happy, and you’re definitely not healthy.  And if you’re not making a lot of money, then you’re not happy either, you don’t have enough money to buy all the things you want.

Yea, whatever.

My goals this year are related to

1. Money: I want a different job
2. Family: I want more time with my family, (my kids, my parents/brothers/sister)
3. Health: I want to do what needs to be done to improve my health

Obviously there are a number of sub-goals under there.  Spending time with my family would mean moving to FL where they now live.  Getting a different job will mean figuring out what I want to do, and finding a plan to get a job in that field, etc.

I think February may be the best month for reflection on the changes that need to be made in my life.  By now, the chaos surrounding the holidays has ended.  I no longer have to help my husband with his paper routes and can sleep through the night.  My youngest is slowly getting out of the habit of waking in the middle of the night as well since his dad and I aren’t in the living room rolling papers.  It’s still winter, and still close enough to the beginning of the year that I’ll have plenty of time to follow through on any plans throughout the year.

All in all, it’s a good time to decide what I foresee in the next 11 months.

No one knows what’s going to happen and there are a ton of rumors going on that they’re going to close the plants here in OK. 

I’m afraid that the owners didn’t help at all because they gave some information during the meeting that was contradicted when they sent out a FAQ later in the afternoon.

It should be an interesting few months for sure.

I’m not an expert at it yet, but between matching coupons and sales, I saved over $40 last week.  Maybe more, I’d have to go through my receipts and I don’t feel like doing it at this time of morning.   I paid more than some of the girls whose blogs I’ve been reading.  BUT I’m paying less, in many cases much less than I have been.

I got 2 boxes of Tornadoes for free, 2 more for .99 cents.  I got 2 Healthy Choice meals for $1 each and 2 more for $1.50 each.  Lean Cuisine meals for $1.67 each (I didn’t get them at the store that doubled coupons for this weekend only), cups of yogurt for .32 cents each and jars of peanut butter for $1.20 each and a box of raisin bran for .50 cents.  I did get healthy food as well including a bunch of produce.  Overall, I paid about the same as I normally do but got almost 1/3 more food.  My fridge, freezer and cupboards are over-full, though I do need to pick up another bag of apples and more yogurt since we go through them so fast.  Even the 18 month old loves them.

On the other hand, I’ve gotten razors at Walgreens and received register rewards (like coupons good on the next purchase) back for more than I paid for the razors.  I did the same for womens body wash.  I’ve paid only tax for deodorant. Last Sunday I went to Walgreens and bought mens body wash and deodorant, I paid $4.97 and got $4.50 in register rewards.  This Sunday, I’ll be able to get 2 packages of diapers for $6 each before register rewards.  It’ll be about $4.50 each if you subtract the extra $3 in register rewards I’ll get for buying 2 packages at once.  I may get 4 packages of diapers simply because that’s the best price I’ve been able to get with any consistency so far.   I’ll probably get another set of body wash and deodorant because it’s not like my husband won’t use it and it never goes bad.  The same week I get the diapers, I’ll be able to combine coupons with the sale on toothpaste to get tubes of toothpaste for .24 cents each before tax, and I think that’s the week that I’ll be able to get hair ties for $3 and get $3 in register rewards, I’ll have to look at the circular after I finish my writing for the week.  The week of Father’s day, I’ll be able to pay $3 for mens body wash (Nivea) and get back $6 in register rewards.

I haven’t broken down all of the deals I’m going to be doing because I’ve been going week to week.  I know I have enough shaving cream to send some to my sister when I send her the afghan I knit for the baby.  I may send body wash since she can use it as bubble bath and she’s going to need it once she goes back to work in the next couple of weeks.

I can get more deodorant for just the sales tax at Dollar General this week, so I’m probably going to get some and donate it to the local women’s shelter.  It’s hard to justify not spending .50 cents for 4 sticks of deodorant when I know they desperately need personal care items.  I think the deodorant that my son always wanted me to get will also be free at Dollar General, I need to look at the ad… I don’t know if he’d want it now or if he’s found something better in the Marines.

I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do with the extra mens care items, but most of these I’ve been getting back more in register rewards than I’ve been paying out… Making money on transactions is very addicting.  LOL

My goal is to get my grocery bill down by 50%.  That means catching the sales and trying to stock up on the things we go through the most… like peanut butter (with apologies to the dear friend who hates the stuff lol).  I was supposed to get some cereal this weekend, but the only stuff they really had on sale was sugar cereal and since my hubby and I have been trying to watch what we eat (and since the kids don’t need the sugar) I held off.  I need to find some coupons for the stuff that’s healthy, or see how much it’d be to buy the healthy stuff at Wal-Mart with the coupons I do have… for Total and Fiber One… at least they’ll eat it with fruit on it.  I’ve been doing better at stores other than Wal-Mart because they don’t really have sales   Oh yea, and because they don’t really have a whole lot of competition here and their prices are higher than in other areas.  I do read the deal pages on Wal-Mart and go there with the intention of doing those deals.  Instead I’m finding my prices are .50 cents to $1 higher than quoted on those pages with prices from central IL and other areas.   ‘Always Low Prices’ my butt.  Granted, they are lower on some things, but others their prices are much higher than I want to pay.  And with coupons, I’m able to pay less than I’d pay at Aldis for some stuff.

For those who say that it’s too expensive to drive to 3 or more stores… sorry, I can do those in one wide circle around town.  Go to one store, the next is on the way to the bread store… and if I decide to do Wal-Mart for something that’s past the bread store in the same direction and I can just loop around to go home.  All within 5 miles of my house.  When you shop the loss leaders with coupons it pays for the gas… Oh yea and drive a Honda Civic which is more fuel efficient than my old Buick (R.I.P.  I do miss that car even though it started needing more work than I could afford to put into it after I had to buy 4 new/used tires for it last summer because we kept getting flats, luckily I had the money on hand for various reasons)  Of course it also had more than 250k miles on it at only 11 years old LOL.  Too many trips back east in it… of course the last one of those was 2006 and I’d love to see my family again, but that’s another post for another day.  It’s well after 4 and I need to get back to sleep so I can get up for work in 3 hours and I’m starting to ramble because I’m tired.

I’m giving myself a deadline of Jul 2014 to reach my goal weight.  That seems like a long time, but if I put pressure on myself, I do very badly.  My 25th high school reunion is the 4th of July weekend that year, so I want to be at goal. 

I’m giving myself until my 40th birthday to get out of debt.  I’m using Dave Ramsay’s system, and with as little as we owe, it’s not outrageous to think we can be done by May 2011.  I’d like to be able to give more in December 2011, and repay the kindnesses shown to our family this year. (My church did an Angel tree for families with little money.  My kids ended up with a lot of gifts from the church, and they gave us food.  I was amazed at how much we got, and in tears from the generosity.)

I have yet to figure out what else I want to change about my life, but I do know I want to go back to school and finish my degree as well.  I’ve spent too much time being complacent about where I am in life.

To help close the gap in the budget, California is selling their surplus on eBay instead of just auctioning it like most states.  To try to get more money out of these repos and impounds, the governor is autographing many of the items.  All a great idea, in my humble opinion. 

What I find really hilarious on one level and mind boggling on another are the comments being made at the bottom of the article.  There are many, many people saying that the problems with California are the fault of the liberals in charge, etc etc.  Uhh, hate to break it to you, Schwarzenegger is a Republican.  The whole problem with California’s economy is two-fold, and neither problem can be placed at any one party’s feet. 

First, they were spending much more than they were making for years.  You can’t do that. 

Second, many in California are being hard hit with the problems with the housing bubble and the economy tanking. 

So in essence, California was spending as much as if not more than they really had coming in, and then they suddenly had less coming in.  Oops.  Seems to me, that’s the problem many people are having too. 

On a personal note, I’m sorry I haven’t been posting much.  It’s been a very busy summer.  My oldest made it off to boot camp, and I’ve gotten one (form) letter back from him already.  I’m sure I’ll hear from him again soon… this time in his own words