Simple Randomness

Is Debt Getting Out of Control?

Lately it seems like I hear all of the time how much debt people are in… and it’s really not a good thing. I don’t know if it is just uncontrolled spending or people just don’t know how to manage their finances. Maybe it’s a combination of the two.

Last year (or maybe it was the year before) my wife and I decided that we were going to really work towards getting out of debt. We’ve made some bad decisions in the past that had all gone on credit cards and we’ve taken steps to where we no longer have any credit card debt! The only debts we currently have is our mortgage, car loan, and student loans. Now its just a matter of paying those down, too.

Another problem that we’re hearing about all of the time these days is the housing industry and how a good number of people are loosing their homes because they can’t afford the adjusted rates. For any of you that are in this situation you might want to check out CountryWideCredit.com to find out more about getting a better mortgage rate and other credit related topics. Who knows, you might learn something to save yourself having to pay more than you should or even learn more about a refinance.

I really think its time that we all do what we need to do to get out of debt. Take the steps you need to so you can live a better life without debt.

Mouse Flavored Cat Food?

I heard something on the radio the other day that really made me laugh. It was just in the background, but here’s the question that was asked:

“Why don’t we have mouse flavored cat food?”

Seriously! Who decided that cats like the flavors that are currently in cat food? What about bird flavor? I remember growing up our cat would always kill and eat (at least partially) birds, mice, and other rodents. So why don’t you see these flavors in cat food?

I just went to the Friskies Cat Food website and here are some of the flavors that they have: Seafood Sensations, Indoor Delights (Poultry), Feline Favorites (Poultry, Milk, and Seafood), Signature Blend (Poultry, Beef, and Seafood). I don’t know about you, but I can’t image a cat in the wild killing a chicken, cow, or catching a crab. I think we’re trying a little too hard to domesticate our pets. Next you’ll have the flavors fillet mignon, banana creme pie, and nachos (that would be my favorite if I was a cat ).

Who knows, but maybe cats in the wild roamed as packs and would take out a cow kinda like a group of piranhas would. If that’s the case, then maybe its a good thing that we’ve domesticated cats…and we can thank companies like Friskies for keeping their primal needs fed.

Bottled Water…I Still Don’t Get It!

Ok, so if you’ve ready many of the posts on this blog, you know that I like to make random observations about things. So today’s random observation is about bottled water.

As the title of this post says, I just don’t get bottled water. Who would have ever thought that the day would come when we’d be drinking packaged water from the store. Now of course, they try to tell you that it’s extra healthy and tastes like the mountain springs or whatever.

Well, to tell you the truth, every time I have some bottled water I think it tastes like crap.

In fact, where I work I have 3 choices for the water that I put in my Nalgene bottle that I keep at my desk: the sink, the water fountain, or the ‘purified’ water that comes from the water filter. And guess what, my favorite by far is the drinking fountain. The second choice is the sink, and the last resort is the filtered water. I really don’t like the way that water tastes!

And since when was mountain spring water any better for you? Granted, if you like in some country where the water is dangerous, grab some bottled water. But if you live here in the US, just buy a Nalgene or something and fill it up at the drinking fountain. I just can’t see the point in paying $2.00 for a bottle of water. Amazing.

A friend of mine had some similar thoughts, check this out: Fun Events? Or Wasteful Events?

What is the Connection Between Snow and Oranges???

So I was eating an orange this morning, then I looked out the window and watched the snow come down.  This made me wonder, “Why is winter the season when we eat the most oranges?”  It seems kind of ironic if you ask me.  When I think of oranges, the LAST thing I think about is snow.

Oranges remind me of Florida.  And when I think of Florida, I think of nice, sunny, beautiful days at the beach or something like that.  So when I’m eating an orange and thinking about driving very slowly so I don’t die, it’s almost depressing.

Maybe we eat oranges in the winter in order to give us hope that in the near future we’ll have nice sunny days again.  No beach unfortunately cause I live in Utah, but at least nice sunny days.  But I can also see how this could be a very very depressing thing.

Another question I have about oranges is when did Santa start handing them out?  Are oranges supposed to represent happiness and cheer?  If so, I must say that I worry about those people that suffer from SAD (seasonal affectivness disorder, or whatever it stands for.  You know, seasonal depression) because I bet everytime they look at an orange they almost break down and cry.  Ok, maybe not, but you get the idea.

Well, either way someone is going to have a problem.  So, I’ll just keep eating my oranges thinking about those sunny days in a couple of months when I won’t have oranges to eat.

Dashing Through the Snow….And Spinning Off the Road…

So today was probably the second big storm of the season here in Utah.  And once again while I was driving in to work I noticed at least 5 cars that were spun out on the side of the road.  At least this time I didn’t see any damage to my complex .

I thought it might be a good idea to give all of you a few safe driving tips for driving in the snow.  Granted, I am no professional driver or anything, but most of these should be common sense.  But then again, is common sense isn’t all that common it seems.  But hey, I can even include myself in that sometimes.  Anyway, I digress.  So here are some tips:

• Drive slower than you think you should be.  Its better to get there let than not get there at all.
• Don’t hit your breaks on the freeway!!!  You wanna spin out?  Hitting your breaks is a great way to lose control.
• Keep good distance from other cars.
• When turning, give yourself plenty of time to make the turn in case you wheels get spinning

Ok, this is definitely not an all inclusive list, but if everyone would keep these simple things in mind I think we’d see a lot less accidents on the road because of snow.  Granted, sometimes things just spin out of your control and there isn’t much you can do.  But those situations are normally the exception.

Happy Safe Snow Driving!

Why Do We Focus on the Killer???

Normally I wouldn’t care to comment on this type of thing, but since this blog is meant to be about all sorts of topics I figured I’d go ahead and do it.

I’m a little confused by the angle of coverage on things like the shooting that happened recently in Nebraska, and most of the other tragic shootings that have happened in recent years.  Does anyone else feel like the media focuses way to much on the shooter?

From what I understand, this kid wrote in his suicide letter that now he would be famous.  That’s a really messed up and sick way to justify what you’re about to do.  And the media will focus on it: try to figure out why he did what he did, who he really was, and take sympathy for him.  Honestly, I don’t know that I really need to know or care.  And I don’t mean to be harsh about that.

I’d rather let the families that were made horrible victims of this tragedy know that I care more about them than the criminal, no matter what his story.

My heart goes out to anybody that has been involved in these tragedies.  The focus should be on helping them to recover, not finding out more about the killer.

The Sunday Funnies Aren’t So Funny Anymore

I must be in a very nostalgic mood or something… I was thinking just the other day about how on Sundays we would always try to be the first one to get the paper so that we could read over the funnies. It was by far the most fought over section of the Sunday paper. Granted, I didn’t get half of the jokes, but they were still funny most of the time.

Just the other day I was looking over the funnies when I was at my parents house for a visit. They just aren’t the same as they used to be. I honestly think that most of the comics have gone down-hill. (I’m sure Garfield had his golden days, but I don’t think cats should live that long…) What happened to the classics like The Far Side and Calvin & Hobbes? Those comics were great! I honestly can’t think of one these days that even comes close.

Here are some of my favorites from the good old days (some of these might still be around, I just think the quality has gone down):

• The Far Side
• Calvin & Hobbes
• Foxtrot
• B.C.
• Dilbert

Well, there’s always hope for the future I guess!

Thoughts On The Seasons

I find the question, “What is your favorite season” to be a funny one. I know that some people love the Spring. Others love Fall. And then there are a few random people that really really like the Winter. I’m the kind of person that I like all of the seasons, at least at the beginning.

Maybe I’m just indecisive. But when Summer starts, I’m usually really excited for it. Then, when it’s getting really really hot, I’ve decided that I’m done with Summer and want it to be Fall. Then Fall comes and its all nice and dandy, but after a while I kinda wish it would be Summer again.

Does anyone else go through this?

I remember as a kid I was always really really excited for Winter to come. It meant snow forts, skiing, and all sorts of fun stuff. Even up to 3 years ago I would still look forward to Winter. This year though, I’m not as excited for it as I have been in the past. I guess the next couple of weeks will show how I really feel about it.

Winter is Finally Here?!

Ok ok, I know that winter doesn’t officially begin for a few weeks at least.  But this morning was the first real snow storm that we’ve had this season, so I’m personally considering this to be the beginning of winter.  And isn’t is a fitting day?  Why not have winter start on December 1st?

And another sign of the times (winter) is that I saw for the first time this season a car that had spun out and done some damage!  And wouldn’t you know it, but they knocked over a tree and ruined the fence of my complex!!!  I was leaving this morning and right outside the entrance to my condo complex there was an SUV pointing the wrong way right in the fence.  So if that isn’t a true sign of the times, I don’t know what is.

There seems to be this cycle that happens at the beginning of every winter.  People get comfortable with their driving in the summer and then forget that roads don’t behave the same when covered with snow.  So naturally there are always a ton of accidents with the first big snow storm.  So please, go do some donuts in a parking lot or something just so you remember how to handle your car in the snow!!!