Two Days, Two Dates

Girl dates, that is. Dates that are actually, believe it or not, "for me, for once". I am ecstatic at the idea of having two nights this week that I get to hang out with two of my favorite people, eat my own food, and use foul language over a glass of whatever while I just be "Cathy" for a while.

Mrs M and I will be dining out this evening at a very posh spot here in the big "O", and I think I can speak for both of us when I say we are fairly giddy about the idea. We've been planning to have dinner out together, even dreamt of doing it monthly (gasp!), for two years or better, but this will mark our first outing together sans kids*. There will be much laughing, much eating of roasted garlic ranch dressing (this place has a ranch that will make your mouth SING, trust me on this), much girl talk, and time for us to visit in a way we seldom get to when the kiddos are having their play dates. I cannot wait, and I expect us to pencil in the next before the dessert cart comes around.

Girl date #2 happens tomorrow night. Ms S and I are old friends. I was in her wedding NINETEEN years ago, and while we didn't always stay in touch through the years when life took us in different directions geographically, I am full of joy at having her back in my life, and this is our second girl date in the last couple of months. A swanky chinese bistro will be the setting for our evening out, one that Greg doesn't care for so I seldom get to go (I last went there with my other old friend E, and she gave me the skinny on what's good there). Our biggest problem when we are together is trying not to pee our pants from laughing too much. And yet she is able to see and find in me the places that need comfort and support and offer just that. We're still catching up after not being in regular contact for several years, and I look forward to another great night of getting all the scoop on what's new with her, and watching her jaw drop as I talk of all the fun that embodies my life these days.

Good times to come, and I cannot wait. Momma's going OUT tonight, baby...and tomorrow night...who wants to go to dinner with me on Thursday?**

*Samantha is NOT amused that I am going out with Mrs M and she will NOT being seeing Little L and Big R, so I told her the only reason we are meeting is to set up play dates for them. So Mrs M, remind me that we have to set up a play date or I'll be chastized by the small blonde one indefinitely.

**OK, maybe better make that next Thursday...I'm not sure if Greg's up for bedtime duty on his own three nights in a row. Bless his heart, he's a first-rate dad, but handling both of them for bed time is a challenge for anyone, and I certainly don't want to use up all my credits with Daddy in one week. OH, and by the way, honey...thanks. You're really, truly the best. I love you.

Nearly 1000 Pageviews From 14 Countries

Quite the weekend we've had here at For Me For Once. I'm loving your visits, both new and old, and I've accepted being the "(formerly)-uninformed-blogger-representative" for MSN, and embraced it wholly. What the hell? There are LOTS of worse things to be known for, am I right?

Think about it. Brad Pitt started out doing Pringles commercials. Can't tell me he brags about that moment around the dinner table with the fam.

And what about the guy who got caught on video peeing in the office coffee pot? Did HE have people from 14 countries checking out his blog? I think not.

Then there was the girl from a neighboring high school, back in the day, who got a hot dog stuck up her whoo-hah? I know, right? I think she had to move away or some shit.

So, it is what it is. I have actually had about 4 good giggles about the whole thing, and am finding it rather gratifying to click over to MSN and find my blog, even if it's featured as the "deet-dee-dee" perspective of the article in which it's contained.

No worries, folks. It's all good, and it's not even CLOSE to being the worst thing that's happened to me this month, which puts it all in perspective when you think about it.

I wonder what other dumb shit I can post and see if I can get ABC to pick me up? Hmmm...

The Power of Google or MSN Made A Dunce Out of Me

My good friend Mrs M called me today, certain I had heard the news. She was wrong. I had not. She informed me that Mr M had just come bursting in, saying that "Cathy's blog is on MSN!". I did NOT believe her, and told her so. Then I saw it.

Apparently I was one of the first to be blogging about this email forward, because I seem to have come up pretty high on the Google hits when Karen Datko, who writes for the Smart Spending Blog on MSN Money, was looking for who was passing this crap around online. (Yes, I'm calling it crap now, since it is, in effect, a bunch of CRAP.) Oh, Karen, how I wish you would have checked back with my blog before you decided to quote me on an article that has now received, at last check, over FIFTY-ONE THOUSAND VIEWS since it posted on MSN; an article where I am representing all those who read, believed and passed it on. I wish that almost as much as I wish I had run the numbers myself before I posted it. Oh, the things we wish for.

But, it's been an exciting day because of it, and I can now say I was quoted on MSN, even if I look like a complete mental midget to anyone who doesn't bother to click on the link to come here and see my correction post. So let's hope you're clicking over from there (as hundreds of others have done today) and finding out that I did not fail to do the math correctly, but that I simply failed to do the math. But hey, there is no bad publicity, right?

So, with that being said...a HUGE, HEARTY, FOR ME FOR ONCE WELCOME to all of you MSN readers! I embrace your readership if you'll have me, and if you stick around, I think you'll find that I am not only NOT a dunce, but am quick with a phrase and a downright pretty groovy girl. A groovy girl who learned today that "usually" verifying information in a forward before you pass it on is just not good enough. So be assured that THAT won't happen again. Hope you'll stick around, read my stuff, and smile while you do it. (Aww, hokey, right? I know, it happens sometimes around here. It'll pass - much like this MSN business.)

Balls: The Dropping of...and the Absence of Same

It seems that, regarding my blog post "We Deserve It Dividend" immediately preceding this one, the numbers found in that post are inaccurate. The actual quotient when dividing $85 billion by 200M people is $425.00, and NOT $425,000 as it states. Rather disappointing, yes? I thought so too. Hell, we got more than that from Fabulous Mr. Bush's Stimulus Program. And I only had to figure it once to get that number. I am guessing the original author had a couple too many zeros in his calculations. Once I "worked it out for myself", it was fairly simple to find the correct answer.

So, you, "anonymous reader", are mistaken in believing I need to work on my math skills. I was remiss in choosing NOT to utilize my just-fine-thank-you-very-much math skills before I posted it, and for that, I accept responsibility. I seldom pass on any forward I receive without verifying its contents first, and I apologize to my faithful readers and friends for dropping the ball on this one.

Oh, and since we're talking, I do NOT believe everything I read, which is why I have some doubt regarding whether or not you actually "do not know me", since you made a specific point of starting with that statement (me thinks he doth protest too much). Which is interesting, since it's not as though I came UP with the formula used in the post (which I was fairly sure I made clear in saying it was a forward I had received); so anyone who knows me should have known that remaining "anonymous" was unnecessary to spare my feelings.

So if you DO know me, and you were feeling catty and superior because you ran the numbers on the calculator before I did and just couldn't help yourself...grow a set why don'tcha? Because if you do know me, you know that I admit when I'm wrong, and am generally grateful for opportunities to learn. I am NOT, however, grateful for being called an idiot on my blog for passing on something that, frankly, most of us know is just a joke because it will never happen, so was mostly posted in good, pipe-dream type fun. (You do remember saying that "WHOEVER" is circulating it was an idiot, yes? I would be part of that collective "whoever".)

And if you really don't know me, as you say...well, I guess, thanks for the info. You didn't need to remain anonymous, either, but whatever floats your boat. I have NO doubt that seeking out blogs on which to point out errors helps to fill up what is probably a fairly droll existence for you. So you're welcome.

The "We Deserve It" Dividend: UPDATED

UPDATE: THIS information is incorrect!!! Please see next blog at :http://formeforonce.blogspot.com/2008/09/balls-dropping-ofand-absence-of-same.html



My good friend Suzi sent this forward to me...sounds like a plan!

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to
America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are
200,000,000 bonafide adults in the U.S. Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that
equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a
We Deserve It Dividend. Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%. Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.

That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam. But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their
pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth

Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care
improves

Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including
the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really
do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's
bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!
As for AIG - liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work." But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the
$85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC.

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.