$700 Billion Bail-Out?

So to date, I have left the subject of governmental affairs out of my blog. Not because it doesn't interest me, but because I can get overly passionate about certain topics. If you ask anyone who knows me, most would probably say I'm not a big follower of the government actions and/or politics. But that's just because I tend to step back when such a discussion occurs. I can get downright ugly, and I don't like that side of me.

But today I can't help but breach the topic. It's on everyone's mind and the big news story of the day. The big $700 billion bail-out. It didn't get passed and the stock market crashed the hardest it has ever crashed. Panic has hit America. But was this really the way to go in the first place? Why bail out companies and not the People of America more directly?

Granted, $700 billion wouldn't go too far for any taxpayer out there if divided up equally. But then, neither did the big stimulus check that they sent out this year... $600?? Are you kidding me?? What were we really supposed to do with that?? As Americans, most of us are way too far into debt to even think of spending $600 on any luxury for ourselves! But why should the Government bail out the very same companies that put many of the American People in the debt they already are in? That just allows those companies to continue to put more people in debt.

So our economy is in shambles... what should we do? Let's first look at how we got here. Credit. It started coming too easy to anyone who wanted it. Ask your parents if they had credit card companies throwing applications in their face with a free t-shirt while walking to class in college. I doubt they did. Buying a house with no money down was unheard of when our parents bought their first house, as well. And car loans... no... car leases... don't even get me started on that nonsense! All these big conglomerate credit companies will point the finger at Americans and say we handled our finances poorly. I say throw the book at them for false advertising or at lease misleading information that caused this turmoil! They need to make these companies pay for what they caused... somehow.

So don't bail these companies out for making millions already on the American People. Instead, start helping the People out. Start by forgiving some Government loans, like student loans that take forever to pay off. Look at all the FHA home loans out there - do a little forgiveness there for those who obviously need it. Start with all these Government Programs that have added to the debt of the American People and 'bail out' what they know will make a difference in the economy.

I'm sure much of my logic is fatally flawed in this argument... I just can't believe how bad it's gotten. I'm in debt just as every other American is. I know very few that have no debt what-so-ever. But none of them are my age - they were brought up in the age before credit was thrown at you.

The Cubs

The Cubs are heading to the play-offs now that the regular season is over. And NOT as a Wild Card. It's the real deal this year... they secured their spot over a week ago! So this could be it. This year could be THE year!! It may have taken a century, but the title of 'World Champion' could once again belong to the Cubs.

But I've already said to much. I just can't help but to be hopeful!

Deflation of The Dome

The Indianapolis skyline changed forever today. And long time landmark disappeared... very slowly.

With the new Lucas Oil Stadium complete and the Colts officially 'moved in' to their new place, the RCA Dome (aka the Hoosier Dome) can finally be demolished to make way for the convention center expansion. Today they started making this outwardly known (they started taking down interior stuff months ago). At approximately 10:50am this morning, after a 20 minute or so speech and remembrance of happenings at the Dome, a countdown could be heard for the fans that kept the roof afloat for so long to be turned off. Forever. And with that switch, the Dome began to deflate.

It took a good 35-45 minutes for it to disappear into its shell, but ultimately, it did. And with that, the skyline changed forever. All that's left are the memories.

I hadn't planned on it, but I did watch the whole thing and take pictures. If you flip through them sequentially, you can watch it deflate before your eyes. :)

One last view... the old stadium's reflection in the windows of its replacement.

Go Jaguars!!!

JAGS WIN! JAGS WIN!! JAGS WIN!!!

So today was the 'big game', the Jaguars at the Colts in the new Lucas Oil Stadium. Both teams were going into it with a lot of lingering injuries. But both teams claimed to be ready. And I think that was a legit claim. At least injury-wise...

The game started out with a shock to all - the Colts scored a touchdown on their first possession - THE first possession of the game. Woah... this was going to be a long game (I thought to myself). Especially since the Jags didn't even get a first down on their first possession. But the Jags got in their groove and it turned into a really good game. So come the 4th quarter, the Jags were up, 20-14. With 2:33 to go, the Colts get the ball and wouldn't you know it, Peyton got it down the field for Addai to score with 1:07 left on the clock. This upset me. A lot. (ask Eric). So the Jags get the ball with just over a minute left and start down the field. They get to a 4th down scenario and didn't make it. I head up to the lobby at this point. But wait - there's a penalty! And any Colts fan will call foul on this, but it stood. Jacksonville get a first down off of an interference call. We're still in it!!! Countdown to 8 seconds left to go... Garrad gets it to the 33 yard line. In comes Scobee for a 51 yard field goal. And with 4 seconds left on the clock... IT'S GOOD!!!

So the game was saved and the Jags won. I breathed a sigh of relief as we walked back to Eric's house. No jeers from any of the Colts' fans could stir me... the Jags beat the Colts in Indy. :)

There's a few pictures you can go check out... but I was really into this game (since this was my team) and the camera only came out for a bit at the beginning and then at half time when we went up to the upper level patio/balcony overlooking the downtown skyline. Otherwise, I was too busy wringing my hands and gritting my teeth. :) And don't let the picture of Eric and I fool you... I didn't smile a whole lot during the game, either. LOL

Septemberfest 2008

The annual celebration of Todd, Steve, and Matt's Birthdays came together last night as the 2nd annual Septemberfest! Unfortunately, it conflicted with the Auburn/LSU game... this caused me to be very torn. But I made it work. :)

I dropped off my infamous jello shots on my way to watch the game with the Indy Auburn Club on the NW side. The initial plan was to only stay for the first half. But it was just too good of a game!! So Eric and I stayed for it all... only to see LSU get a touchdown right at the end to take the lead and win. Oh woe was me. I was so bummed - Eric can attest to that. So in a slump, we headed to Septemberfest.

We didn't end up getting there until 11pm-ish. Very late. But it was still going pretty good. Most of my jello shots were gone, but they were appreciated. :) So we made our rounds, had a few drinks, and caught up with people for a couple of hours. There were some very drunk people there... but no one was passed out yet. Which for this party, may be a first! Granted, we left just after 1am... So maybe it happened after I left. Some pictures of the fun can be found here.

So Happy Birthday to the boys... just remember, you're only as old as you feel you are in your mind. So stay young! :)

What a Week!

All that cleaning, all that stress... and now the parents have come and gone. Just like that.

It was well worth it, though. We had a good time and of course I was overreacting to their reactions to my 'unclean' house. Yes, it was vastly improved from what it was when I started. But it was still not to the level I wanted it to be. None the less...

They got in Saturday evening and I was actually watching the Auburn game with the Indy Auburn Club on the NW side of Indy. They called me and they were within minutes of my house. So I took off and met them up there. We caught up a little that night, but we were all pretty tired... them from driving, me from cleaning.

On Sunday, the 'big plan' was to meet up with Eric and his parents for a nice meal of Buca take-out at his house. This served a double purpose - my parents got to see his amazing house and meet his parents. Sunday was a crazy day, too!! The remnants of Hurricane Ike were blowing through and the winds were crazy through town. A huge branch even fell in Eric's back yard. No damage, but still... Despite all this, we had a really good time. The group hung out and ate for a few hours and played with Eric's sister's new baby. So yay! Good times... :)

The rest of their time here I had to work, so they went about their business and did things up around my house and beyond, actually. They both had things they wanted to do and places they wanted to check out. So they were never bored.

They heading out on Wednesday morning. And just like that, all was quiet again. But my house is clean. :)

A 'Mostly' Good Weekend

So I wouldn't say this past weekend was spectacular, but it was pretty good. Despite my freaking out about my parents coming this weekend.
Friday night was spent home... trying to clean-up. Didn't get a lot done since I was so worn out from working all week. But a little bit happened, which is better than nothing. :)

Saturday, Eric and I went to the Penrod Art Fair at IMA. I'd never been before... surprise, surprise. I'm finding out about all sorts of 'new' things that I never knew about before with Eric. It's nice finally learning the City I live in after 7 years... After the art fair, he and I went and had dinner at Mama Carolla's in Broad Ripple. I love that place! We ate some good food and drank some good wine. And then went home and drank some more good wine with the neighbors. Made for a nice night.

On Sunday, I cleaned and mowed and did other house stuff during the day. There are not enough hours in the day... :( But I had to cut things
short to head downtown for the inaugural regular season Colts game against the Bears. I spoke earlier about my feeling about Lucas Oil Stadium, so I won't go into that. But Wendy and I had a great time (Eric had to head to FL Sunday night for work and he was a total sweetheart and let me have his tickets for the game). Too bad they lost. You can see some of my pictures here, though.

So all in all, the weekend was pretty good... except for all my teams (except Auburn) losing... the Cubbies are on a bad streak (it IS near the end of the season, so it is very "Cub Like" for this to happen), my Jags lost their season opener... but the events that directly related to me were good. And I guess that's what really counts. :)

Preparing for the Parents

Okay... so I'm not normally one to freak out when I get company. Well, relatively I don't, anyway. I do the normal last minute straightening up and de-cluttering of stuff so my living area at least looks presentable - I can always close bedroom doors. You know... what anyone probably does before company (unless they are those minimalist types that own nothing - you always see those types on movies, yet, I don't know a single one!). But in just over a week, a different type of company is coming... the parents.

Now, my Mom is probably reading this laughing. But in all honesty, I'm freaking out a little bit about getting my house ready... it's been over six years since they've been up to my house from FL, and then I had just moved in, so I wasn't fully settled yet. I had an excuse. But now I'm settled... overly settled! I walk around seeing things and wondering "what will Mom/Dad think of this?" or imagining the look on their faces when they see something. It's not that my house is chaos... I just think I inherited my mother's need of things needing to be perfect for company, no matter if it's family or otherwise. And right now, my house is nowhere near perfect by the standards I have set in my own mind! So what's a girl to do?

Well... I have a week. Granted, I have to work in there... and there's other social obligations to attend to. But I have a week. A week to pull out all the necessary stops, go through all the bottles of soft scrub necessary, and bleach the hell out of any solid surface I see. Thankfully, I cleaned and reorganized some of my rooms while I was unemployed... but it wasn't the whole house.

So I apologize now to any of my friends out there I see (or don't see because of this) over the next week. If you see me and I smell of heavy duty cleanser, this is why. If I look like I haven't slept, this is why. If I seem a wee bit more OCD than usual... this is why.

Okay Mom (and Dad, probably more-so)... you can quit laughing now. I may not have been big on cleaning and yardwork and chores when I was growing up, but somehow, you still drilled the need for it into me. Remind me to thank you for this compulsive behavior when you get here.