'07

Good morning everyone, and Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a good time last night and isn't too hungover this morning. I would give myself about a 4 of 10 on the "headache" scale...I can tell I got all banged up, but I am in pretty good shape. Smoking Hot Roommate already ran seven miles of so...bitch. Now she is making me breakfast, so I take back the bitch comment.

I got an 8:15 "Happy New Year" wake-up call from my favorite 11 year-old. She is too cute:-) She comes home Thursday, and I miss her:-D They stayed in (I forget the place...) last night for New Year's and are back on the boat today and tomorrow. She is having a blast, which is not surprising...

I told Tinkerbelle's Mom that I would call about Noon to say Hi, so I have to remember to do that;-) I also want to talk to all the people I don't get to see today...The Body and The Mouth, my two BFFs, my cousins... Seems like a day to do that.

It is raining out and looks relatively gross. I don't intend to go outside today for anything, except maybe to pick up food somewhere. Even that is not something I am willing to commit to yet...lol. I have some work to do, and we have to clean up a lot (sort of impromptu late-night party here) and beyond that I am just gonna sit around. The Boy and SHR were both making noise about finding a bar and watching football all day, but I have not committed to that yet.

Speaking of The Boy...I really think I broke him...hee hee. He was just way too cute in his tuxedo, and I was feeling way too hot in my little dress. It took all of my self-control not to sneak off and find an empty bathroom in the hotel for a quickie. But then I had my way with him when we got home, and he is currently sleeping so soundly that I couldn't even wake him up for morning sex (good thing...I think it would have hurt, a lot...lol).

Actually, I am a little broken on my own...I have a huge red mark on my shoulder from being pinned up against my bedroom wall (I'm little, he can hold me up:-)) What can I say, I get into it and I can get a little carried away. Come to think of it...maybe some of this headache is from hitting my head on that same wall...hmm...I don't think so, but I suppose it is possible...

Anyway, I have a huge red scratch on my shoulder, my abs are killing me (24 and counting:-D), my thighs are shot, I still have a lingering muscle pull in my back, and I am VERY sore. So, methinks that there will be no fucking for me today, and maybe not tomorrow either;-)

I find myself surprisingly non-introspective today. Usually, New Year's makes me...and everyone else...kind of "thoughtful". I guess it is an overall level of contentment, but I really haven't been too hung up on that. I did spend some time laying in bed thinking about where I was on prior New Years and where I will be next New Years, but not a ton. Mostly, I think I am just happy, grounded and content.

There are much worse things to be;-)

Happy New Year's

I got up super early this morning and went out to breakfast with Smoking Hot Roommate. The Boy is sleeping soundly...I wore him out good!!! (Ella...21, highlighted by seven yesterday...a full day with some snow and no real responsibilities is usually going to be a pretty active one for me...today, recovery...lol)

Breakfast was really nice...I realized that we haven't really had much "alone" time of late. We both have super hectic schedules and even though I see her all the time, it is usually not that relaxed and we are not that isolated. This reminded me a lot of times in college when we would spend time just doing nothing.

That is what I miss most about college, the complete lack of accountability. There was just so much free time, and I don't feel like anyone appreciates it nearly as much as they should. I think it is because you feel busy, but then when you get out of school, you realize what "busy" really means and it gives you a new perspective (ok, I am probably a bad example of this). College seems like a long time ago...

Anyway, this is now my New Year's Resolution...to slow down and relax more. And to have more "dates" with Smoking Hot Roommate, who remains my most very favorite person in the world (at least my favorite person who can't order off the kids menu!!!). Her birthday is coming up, and I have to get a tribute for her ready, too!!!

Well, that will be my last post of 2006, my first year as a blogger (ok, my first two and a half months as a blogger). Best wishes for everyone, have a great New Year's Ever, and let's all root for Ally to finally make out with Ozzy:-P

It's Snowing

Snowing out...really the first snow we have gotten all year. Which led to the following exchange with Munchkin...

Me: Hey kiddo, you are missing the first snow of the year.
Munchkin: Yeah, well, it is like 80 degrees here. I will be ok.

So that put me into my place, I guess...lol. Smoking Hot Roommate and I are kind of doing some decorating. She just bought some new furniture (we had some empty rooms...) and we are figuring out where stuff should go. Later, we are gonna go and liberate some stuff from Pottery Barn and the like...

OK, when I say we are "decorating", what I really mean is that we are changing our minds about stuff and The Boy and The Adorable Dork are moving heavy things:-D Somehow, I imagine he will turn this into an excuse to demand backrubs later on.

Boston note...I love Abe and Louie's...if there is a better restaurant in the city, I don't know about it. Totally top-notch, completely unpretentious...just a brilliant place.

Anyway...any interesting New Year's plans? We (me, The Boy, Big Sis, the Brain Surgeon, SHR, Adorable Dork, Papa Bear and his lady friend who I haven't named yet...) are going to a party at a hotel downtown. I believe it is a Cancer Society benefit, but I could be wrong about that. The boys all get to wear tuxedos, which I just think makes any guy hot.

Which reminds me that I completely kissed Big Sis last New Years Eve. The Brain Surgeon was out of town, so she was stag that night. Midnight came and I had had just enough drinks to decide that it was a good idea to plant one on her...she is a very good kisser;-) Who knows, it could well be a tradition...we'll see.

Anywho...that is about all I have today. Interesting feedback on the money discussion, I may get back to it next week if the mood strikes. So, if I don't check in tomorrow, Happy New Year, everyone! Hope it is a good one for everyone!

More on Money and Stuff

Hmm…since we got so much reaction to the money discussion, I am going to continue it. Before I do that, though…the O count is at 11, because you asked;-) My stomach muscles hurt…hee hee.

And Munchkin is in Tortolla. Lucky little bitch…lol. They slept on the boat Tuesday and Wednesday, but in a hotel last night (and I think tonight). She is having a blast, which is not terribly surprising…she tends to have fun wherever she goes. And no seasickness, either, which is obviously good!

OK, back to money, and to some of the comments that were left. First, allbilly said “I find people with money love to talk about it and those without loathe talking about it.” I only really think this is partially true. I think people without money spend an inordinate amount of time talking about how little of it they have. I feel like it was sort of an 18 year running conversation around my house growing up. And I realize that I am making some really, really broad generalizations, but I am allowed to…it is my blog:-P

And there are clearly some wealthy people who love to highlight exactly how much money they have. But I would also say that I have observed a lot of wealthy people that are extremely uncomfortable with the subject because it can generate resentment and unfair expectations of generosity. I will spare you the stories because I think this is already going to be a long post, but maybe more on it later if I decide to.

Then I would like to get to something that Bob said “Save and invest as much of your money as possible now and you will be able to do what ever you want later in life. I started investing in my 401k when I was 19 and I really have quite a pile now (for a poor kid who ate free gub'ment lunches in JR High school).” First, he is dead on with the saving part.

But, his second point, that he started saving when he was 19. There is a huge gap in financial literacy, and I feel like it hits harder as you move down the economic scale. Who taught Bob to start funding his 401K when he was 19? Whoever it was, he should bake them some cookies because it is a life lesson that will serve him tremendously. It is likely to be more important than anything he learned in school…

We hear often about the importance of having Math and Science education, as well as the importance of well-rounded kids with art, music, sports and theater opportunities. All of which is very valid…but why has no one ever brought up the importance of basic financial education? By the time someone finishes high school in America, they should have had basic teachings in budgeting, saving, borrowing and investing.

They should know how to budget money to allow for some savings (even if it is $10 a week). They should know how credit works, how to build your credit profile so that you are in a position to buy a home when the time is right. They should know what they are in for when they buy a house and borrow a huge sum to do it. They should know the difference between a savings account, a CD, a bond, a stock and a mutual fund. They should know what each can and should be used for.

And especially girls!!! I don't think boys get much of an education in this stuff, but I do feel like they are more likely to have it brought to their attention than girls are.

I don’t feel like this are overly-complicated lessons, but I think it would erase an enormous amount of trouble as people get older. It will also begin to erase the social divide…I think that part of the reason that the poorest people in America remain poor is that noone has ever informed them that there are vehicles available to them to change that.

The Baby Boomer generation is getting close to retiring, and while they have an enormous amount of wealth, there are HUGE numbers of them with basically no savings. Many of those with no savings made plenty of money during their adult life, but spent every single nickel of it. Which means more support from those of us who will be working during their retirement years. Why did they buy so many BMW’s and so few mutual funds? (That was witty!!!) Could it be that while they were dropping acid and having sit-ins in 1968 they missed the lesson where someone tells you that you might need some money when you retire?

Anyway, I am rambling again, but it is a big topic that is worth a lot of ink. It also probably comes off as a little bit preachy of me (the 24 year-old lecturing on saving and investing…) But I don’t care:-P It’s my blog and I will preach if I want to!

Money and stuff

First things first…for Ella W, the number is now 8…it was a VERY good night.

I feel really important today. The executive committee called me from their meeting yesterday where they were figuring out bonuses. They were trying to get a finger on what the people in the firm were “expecting” and felt like I would have a good idea of it. Which I do…everyone tells me everything for some reason.

So I was sort of let in on the basic numbers (which I think also bodes well for me…I doubt they would let me listen in on the discussion of what the range would be if I was going to be at the bottom of the range.) It was very good news…I would say that most people figure that the payouts will be in the neighborhood of 20% of their base salary. The bosses seemed to settle on a range of anywhere from about 15%-30%. Two people are getting a huge number based on a specific thing they did, but I am not one of them:-P

Anyway, with this forthcoming windfall, along with my raise from last month, I am feeling kind of flush these days. Needless to say, this is not really a feeling I have ever had before in my life…Lol. It also gets me to some questions…

First of all, there can be absolutely no doubt that I live very much under the goodwill of Smoking Hot Roommate and Papa Bear. I pay SHR rent, but it is way, way, way less than would be considered a “market” based rent. Ballpark, I think a fair rent for me and Munchkin would probably be in the order of $5,000 a month….yes, you read that right. It is a really nice place… I pay her a very, very small portion of that.

And that doesn’t even get to tuition that they pay for Munchkin, which is another massive sum every year. Or the free use of the beach house (I know I keep promising…someday I will tell you about it in detail). Anyway, you get the picture, they give me a lot…

All of which makes me feel a little guilty when I get raises or bonuses. I feel like I should pay them back for the stuff they have given me. But, that almost implies that I ever could pay them back, which I doubt I ever could in real dollars. Nor would they let me…I usually have to yell at SHR to cash my rent checks, and if I try to give Papa Bear any money, he won’t take it.

So, most likely I will offer and he will refuse and tell me that he would rather I saved it. Which I can do…I have a financial advisor (again, someone who deals with some of their money and works with me almost solely as a favor to Papa Bear). My advisor is also really, really cute…hee hee…but that is a whole other story. I will also offer to pay SHR more rent, and could use all of your help in convincing her to take it:-P

I also kind of like saving money…I got really excited because I got my 401k statement a while back and there was like $20,000 in it. I think I am typically a little less excited about impulse purchases than most girls are; not that I don’t like useless and hyper-wasteful handbags, just maybe less than average. But I really like the idea of saving and building wealth for the future. Obviously I would like to buy a house someday, and maybe I will need to help Munchkin through college…I just don’t know.

I am kind of rambling, I guess. I also wonder why people are so hesitant to talk about money…it is like the ultimate taboo subject… I guess that is a longer subject for another day.