catch 22

Today has not been one of my favorites, so far. I got up and ready early so I could do some errands before picking my parents up at church for a Perkins run. The trouble began when I tried to start the trusty eight year old Camry with its' original battery that has been sorta weak lately. As in multiple boosts. Last weekend at work I amazed Sara with my automotive knowledge by using HER battery to boost mine. She's got a guy who comes to the rescue for all that stuff. Anyhoo....the old battery gave up the ghost today and luckily there are stores who sell them on Sunday morning. Eighty five bucks. That's about eighty five that I needed to pay on something else before services are terminated.

It's at times like these that I realize how easy it is to pay with plastic and vow to catch up next month. I'm a veteran of that from back in the day when the economy was better and credit was easy. It ended me up in BK court, which was also quite easy...but expensive....at the time. I re-affirmed on my vehicle, let the rest go and never looked back. Now the only credit I have is from people who know and trust me and realize that "in the end" I will pay them. As the crunch continues, they're all struggling to make ends meet, just like I am. As for the big money CEOS and those who can't afford a new BMW this year, boo freakin' hoo ya'll.

The kinda-sorta off and on roommate was here to help so I didn't have to install it. It took us 30 minutes to get all the dogs in the house so we could leave and by then I looked like I'd just gotten out of the pool. Only I wasn't cool. Not a pretty sight. I did, however, make it to the church in time and they could see right off I wasn't in any mood for Perkins or anything other than my somewhat air conditioned old house and the dogs. Mama's been asking me if I need a pill lately. Maybe I ought to take her up on it.

Nothing is free, and pay as you go is the best way. Unfortunately, for a lot of families that's the problem. When two college educated women have to ask the local electric company to split the bill in half over two paychecks, something is bad wrong with America. I could give a rat's ass if Wall Street rallies. I just want to be able to not struggle so hard. My daddy grew up in the Great Depression as a sharecropper's son. Now THAT? Was tough.

Outsourcing is one of the major culprits. Slave labor in other countries where opportunities to make money have been scarce is suddenly a big business. If we, as a country, are so collectively great, why do we not give those jobs to citizens who want to work. HERE. And pay taxes. HERE. In the good old US of A. I'll tell you why.......because somebody doesn't want to have to cut their travels abroad or tell their spoiled rotten kid that they can't have the latest cellphone.

Didn't mean for this to be a rant, but damn if it didn't. Kiss my ass corporate America.

^j^