Updated for the First Family fashions.

They've even got Aretha in there with her hat!

I think it was the combination of keeping me in the dark and the gratuitous comment about my entire salary depending on the magazine that did it (at least as far as I'm concerned).

It's a shame that corporate culture frowns on doing the dance of neener, neener down the halls.

I looked at some jobs that were equivalent to mine in SF a few years ago. The pay was 20% higher at most, while housing costs would have been a minimum of triple Atlanta's. Several companies have moved corporate headquarters from California or the NYC area to Atlanta because they had trouble finding people willing to be promoted to the corporate headquarters because of the cost of housing. My old employer has had that problem on a statewide basis. The pay scale was the same throughout the state, but for the cost of my small elderly ranch in Atlanta, people in south Georgia could have a 10-acre farm and stable, plus a five-minute commute.

Liese, I agree with JZ about your pseudonym. It must be Krprinkle. Which is still hysterical to me years later, much like the solved (or IS it?) toy boat fetish mystery.

Steph- I am not doing as well as you, but the combination of not having a car, getting a promotion, and msbelle helping me make a budget has put me in a much better financial situation that I was in the past. It isn't great, but I am not looking at piles of debt and no savings and robbing Peter to pay Paul anymore.

Of course, debt is so relative, because I was just crushed by my 10,000 credit card debt that built after years of working in theatre and not making any money and living on $9,000 pay a year. My young student told me about her high school friend whose parent's got her a credit card and she spent $10,000 in 9 months! They are about to kill her, but I am not sure how they a) gave a credit card with that kind of limit to a teenager and b) didn't discover it sooner. Apparently this 17 year old also has two cars of her own, that she doesn not share with her parents, a Hummer and some other luxury brand. This is so alien to me-- just a kind of wealth I cannot imagine and I am sure there are people far wealthier AND I am sure if I made that much money, I would probably spend it although I would like to think I would spend it rescuing old houses or something else I feel passionately about!

I would probably spend it although I would like to think I would spend it rescuing old houses or something else I feel passionately about!

Something tells me that there are people that feel passionately about Hummers.

An awesome dog picture - funny and artistic: play. with me.

See I figure these people MUST be passionate about Hummers and I should not judge their passion. The older I get, the more my lower class roots show.

Check out this little kid in knitted armor. So cute!

[link]

I think my joke went over Sophia's head. So to speak.

Where is Super Porny Pants when you need her?

Why so quiet, Board? ::is bored::

I was out at the shopping center, getting caulk and vitamins and panic-shopping for Snowpocalypse grocery supplies....

Something tells me that there are people that feel passionately about Hummers.

Okay, someone recently opened a bar here called Hummers, allegedly because she loves her Hummer vehicles just that much. Seriously. I will never, ever go there.

I am so uninspired to make the meal I'd planned to make for myself. But I'll really not want to make it tomorrow night (after book club) and am going out to dinner on Thursday. hmmm...I could roast the butternut squash I got for it at least and have that with, like, TJ's mac & cheese. I would just need to figure out something to use the mint & parsley in in the next few days so they won't go to waste. I just don't feel like cooking tonight. Is that so wrong? It's just me.