Vox

Musings, rants, rambling, general nonsense

Christmas. Time.

Posted on | September 8, 2015 | 2 Comments

Time for Christmas

Christmas is coming.

It will be on December 25th this year, but you knew that already. You know it because Christmas is December 25th every year.

And yet, every year millions of people seem to be caught off guard. They rush around in the week prior, complaining about the crowds of people who waited so long to pick up gifts for their loved ones – oblivious to their own part in the crazed ritual of “last-minute shopping”.

The crush of bargain hunters & added stress isn’t even the worst of it, the worst of it is all those people going into debt for gifts they can’t afford – and then paying interest on that debt until the sale-priced coffee maker costs more than a trip to pick beans with Juan Valdez.

There is a simple solution: START NOW.

You don’t have to do your shopping yet, though you could. What you absolutely should do is plan your spending. Right now, this week and every week, put some money away towards your yuletide gifting. Whatever you can afford, take from your ‘main’ account and put it somewhere safe that it won’t be easily accessible.

What, you can’t afford $10 a week now? Guess what – that means you won’t be able to afford $10 a week after Christmas when that expense comes with extra, compounding interest. Plan ahead. Save yourself stress, save yourself money – get back to enjoying the Holidays.


Personal note: Even better than store-bought gifts are homemade gifts from the heart – at least to me. Or service gifts, I’d rather have someone get my oil changed or wash my car for me (something I *always* put off) than give me another candle, no matter how good it smells ๐Ÿ™‚ Odds are your loved ones would prefer something from the heart to something from the mall. In my family we make homemade ornaments for each other; even though participation has waned a bit in recent years, it is still my second favorite part of the season (after the strawberry waffles ๐Ÿ˜€ )


Christmas humbug
If I have turned you off on Christmas shopping altogether, check out Scroogenomics…which is exactly what you would expect from a book with that title. I don’t agree with all his conclusions, but he does make some solid points




A Distant Goodbye

Posted on | June 11, 2015 | No Comments

One of my Facebook friends died this week. That’s what she was, an online friend. I never met her and only connected with her through mutual friends. The main thing we had in common was the similarity of our last names – then she went and got married and ruined that LOL I know we disagreed with many things politically, but we were adults so were never let something like that spoil the fun.

I’ve been wondering if I had anything to say about it – or if I should even try. Though I didn’t know her well, I know her death leaves a giant hole in many lives. And a giant question mark. She was feeling ill all weekend but didn’t think she needed to visit the ER; she stayed home from work, went to bed, and never woke up. I don’t know if there will be any type of autopsy; though an explanation may bring a small amount of closure it would likely bring little comfort. She had really only just begun her happily ever after, and now her husband is left without her.

Remember how fragile life is. Tell those you love how much they mean to you, and tell them often. Think about the last thing you said to someone – what if that was the very last thing you could ever say?

What if your friend went to sleep and never woke up?

Requiescat in pace, Catherine, peace and love to your family.



ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Posted on | August 22, 2014 | No Comments

Why the backlash against the Ice Bucket Challenge?

It amazes me the number of people smugly condemning the #ALSicebucketchallenge, especially when most of them clearly have no understanding of what it is – and certainly can’t be bothered to watch one, or read about them, to get the truth.

It isn’t about “narcissism”, it is a fun gimmick that promotes awareness AND fundraising. ($53 million so far) With that amazing boost in capital, The ALS Association can fund not only research, but offer even more help & support to those affected by the disease. That is awesome. Why in the world would you want to dump your negativity on something so positive?

Also irritating (at least to me) are they people who posted cryptic statuses (“black lace”, “pink” – as in the color of their bra, for breast cancer awareness, or “I like it on the counter”, “I like it near the door” – as in where they leave their purse, for ??? awareness) and figured that was activism, but somehow the viral sensation that has resulted in such generosity is “just self-aggrandizing millennials”. Hogwash. The demographic is much larger than that and the money is coming in. Even if it were just a bunch of selfie-taking kids, who cares – it is still working.

I have friends who have lost, and friends who are losing, loved ones to this awful disease. In their honor I did the challenge – which also involves donating money – and in their honor I ask that you consider doing the same. If ALS is not a cause that speaks to you, make that donation to a charity that does.

Additional recommended viewing:



Happy Blogiversary To Me – 11 Year Edition

Posted on | June 22, 2014 | 2 Comments

Anniversary 11

I have been much less prolific in recent years, but I am still here. All my archives are still intact. So I’ve got that going for me…

 

Some Gave All

Posted on | May 26, 2014 | No Comments


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