Mar 31, 2008
Inflation and Wal-Mart
Check out this article on consumer spending habits.
I have to say, I've felt the pinch lately at the supermarket. Items that used to cost $2 now cost $2.50. Which wouldn't be a big deal...except that most everything I buy has gone up like that. I remember in college, when the price of milk started rising. It was unsettling. Part of me felt deeply offended that, as a poor college student, I had to reconsider the amount of milk I drank. Another part of me wondered what that was like for young families who couldn't reconsider.
I still feel a little affronted when I have to downgrade the items I buy. I read a book a while back called Trading Up, that focused on how the American consumer was trending toward buying "luxury goods" in some arenas (Starbucks for coffee, Vickie's for undies, etc.) and saving money in other areas (only buying paperback books, using generic hand soap, you get the picture) to support their luxury habits. What was interesting at that time (about 2 years ago) was that every market or consumer good had the potential to become a luxury item.
Now that we're in an economic downturn/recession, I wonder how much that has changed. With consumers looking left and right for ways to save, how many of the luxury items are they downgrading? How is this affecting marketing efforts? How is it affecting jobs at companies, like Starbucks, that make the items people can live without? These are interesting times. Everyday is like a social experiment!
On the plus side, this is the first year that I've been able to buy discount Cadbury eggs since 2003. Apparently, they are a luxury item that some deemed unnecessary this Easter. But not me :)
Mar 25, 2008
Mawwiage is what bwings us togever today...
I've been thinking about marriage off and on lately, but more on than usual. This is not to say that I've got someone picked out...A friend of mine likes to say that you don't get to our age (25 for me, 27? for him) unmarried unless there is something wrong with you. I used to take great offense at that, but I do less and less lately.
See here's the thing. I'm terrified of commitment, and I have been for years. My parents have a rotten marriage that's been festering for years (I hope my mom doesn't see this...), and my one serious relationship ended because he "didn't think we were ever going to get married." And he was right. I wasn't ready to get married even though I loved him.
And I think that's the crux of the matter: love doesn't seem to be enough.
This doesn't apply to God's love, but I think it does for human love. We're conditional people, and we love things and people conditionally. I love you as long as you don't embarrass me. I love you as long as I don't find someone else more attractive. I love you as long as you don't make me change. I love you as long as you're successful.
Maybe I'm being unfair. Maybe I've had more bad experiences than good when it comes to romance, and that combined with the house I was raised in, has left me a touch cynical. Maybe because of that, I choose relationships that I can sabotage when they become uncomfortable. Maybe I avoid them entirely so that I don't have to worry about being hurt. Maybe there is something wrong with me. Who knows?
On the other hand, I hate to be lonely. And it's not good for man to be alone. I adore the idea of having a companion in life. Because it's nice to have someone to come home to, to comfort, to occupy your time, to sacrifice for. And it's even nicer if they'll do all those things for you, too. I mean, I suspect there is something to this marriage thing, since so many people seem to be doing it these days.
What do you think?
Also, check out this article. Interesting stuff...
Mar 11, 2008
"Do you like sex and travel?"
Tonight, I watched The Matador. I saw this movie in theatres and immensely enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it, it's a movie that's about what you would do if, while on a business trip to Mexico City, you met and befriended an assassin. The movie isn't quite what you think it's going to be, and it has some great scenes. So check it out.
Anyway, there's a line in the film that I love: "Just consider me the best cocktail story you ever met." I think I want life to be made up of many incidents that could lead to that line being said. I want life experiences to be fun, easily summarized and great to talk about at parties. But the truth of the matter is, that if everything that happened to me met these criteria, I would probably be severely lacking in character. In many ways, we are the sum of our experiences.
I know this isn't new ground, but it's something that I come back to every few years. I told Sam once that for most of college, my main life goal was to do something cool as an adult. He said that wasn't necessarily such a bad life goal. Well, let's be honest, it kind of was. And my last job was cool in some ways, but it made me miserable and showed me that whether or not it's cool, work is still work. You should do something you like that maybe even serves a purpose you can "get behind," as it were.
So now I work for a behavioral health non-profit. We do something that I believe in, and I get to do work that I enjoy. And I have a truly great team of co-workers. So I feel like I'm starting to get back on the right track.
Then, I saw this. Maybe there's no hope for my character.
toothpastefordinner.com
*FYI: Toothpaste for Dinner is a great webcomic that I make a point to read daily. It's not uplifting, but it's usually hilarious. Check it out. Maybe it'll make a great cocktail story one day.
