Wow! I was shocked when I realized that I haven't posted anything on my blog in quite some time. Not that I am at all consistent, but it is generally not because I just utterly lost track of time. Ah well, time to remedy that.
So, the big BIG BIG thing going on right now is taxes. This marks the first year for both Tia and I that we are not the recipients of the government's largesse. No, this year we are payers. It is hard to complain (not that hard actually, but for the sake of argument we shall pretend that I would have difficulty in engaging in such an act. Its called suspension of disbelief.......and you are going to need it in spades here) since it is due to the fact that our respective incomes have both risen from the year prior by nearly 80% (due in part to a truncated work year on my part) and we remained gainfully employed throughout the turns in the calendar. No minor feat considering the state of our economy. So, while that may mean less vacation and no sudden windfall, it also means that we are more fortunate than most.
in other news, my health has been relatively stable. I am not sure how much to owe it to Jen, my naturopath, and her tinctures, stopping certain meds I was taking that were clearly not benefiting me (and were in fact doing harm as near as I can figure), or how much of it is just chance. All I know for sure is that I like it very much. My APL accrual has never been so robust and taking real vacations now seems likely instead of just a pipe dream. That plus the increasingly good, albeit somewhat spotty, weather and you have a delightful combo (crossing ever finger while knocking on wood and wood-like furniture).
We attended an auction this past weekend that was, well, illuminating. I don't want to slag my old HS, but it was, at best, average for south Florida. Overcrowded (better than 700 in my class, and more than 1000 in my sisters 2 years later and always at more than 2800 total), occasionally violent (stabbings, threats of gun play and the like), and frequently underfunded. Tia's experience was clearly VERY different. Her private HS (St. Mary's) here in Portland held an auction that could not have brought in less than a few hundred thousand dollars. A few of the guests donated $10,000 straight up. Many more donated various amounts less, none altogether insubstantial (they did not even deign to ask lower than $100). I was amazed. The fund goes to lower the overall tuition for the school for each student by a few thousand dollars. Significant, but I still couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't be better spent offer full tuition to students without means or a much larger reduction for those with limited means. Seems like someone who could big $5000 for an Italian dinner for 10 cooked in their home would probably not notice a few thousand off a tuition bill. I also couldn't help but think what a different world it was than the one I knew in HS. Good on anyone who has the fortune to go to such a place. Guess that explains that while nearly 98% of the graduates of her school went on to college than my HS only graduated 57% period.
Been watching a lot of the Food Revolution with Jamie Oliver lately. It is illuminating and his earnestness is rather captivating. Whatever benefit he does for the community in West Virginia, I can say that he has made me start to re-examine my food choices (something I had promised myself I would do anyway). That and books by Michael Pollan make me realize that, sweet Jesus, we eat some awful shit. The latest example being the double down from KFC (pictured above) which is, at the very least, overindulgent and at worst criminally irresponsible. The fact that marketing research has proven (and I am sure sales will validate) that 2 pieces of fried chicken used as a bun of sorts for bacon, cheese, and a mayonnaise sauce could be in any way construed as food is revolting and frightening considering our already burgeoning weight problems. Yuck.
Well, off to exercise. If I need any more motivation I will just look at the Double Down. Blech!
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