Month: February 2013

Economic Myths

There’s a really good article I’m sharing because it illustrates something that no one ever wants to admit: not everyone gets “the American Dream.” The article is “3 Lies That May Bring Down Our Economy” and the lies are:

  1. Everyone can afford to and should own their own home.
  2. Every kid in America needs and is entitled to a four-year college education.
  3. Classroom education is one size fits all.

My sister and I have this conversation at intervals, that society is not set up to survive if everyone has the same education level. We need executives, technicians, customer service, and a variety of other jobs filled. The truth is that if everyone had a college education, what we’d have is a lot of over-educated people doing low-paying jobs… so she tells me. And I tell her that that’s what we have now, mostly because we had a lot of people getting degrees in areas that had no jobs. And I also tell her that there are industries where there are plenty of jobs and not enough people, so much so that we’re importing qualified people… and the “discussion” goes on for a while. 

The one that I’m looking at is the first one, stating that not everyone should own their own home. Does that apply to me? Maybe I’m just a renter at heart. 

Things I didn’t do this week

I didn’t pick something easy for Lent, even though I really wanted to. Then, I didn’t cheat. 

I didn’t make it to The Chocolate Bar to have a piece of cake. I’ve been craving a slice of Uncle Daryl’s Chocolate Cake, which is actually too much for one person. It’s like $10 a slice, but so worth it. 

I didn’t buy the silver charm bracelet from Tiffany’s that I’d promised myself for this year’s Valentine’s Day. I talked myself out of it last year. This year I just let myself not buy it. I guess that means I decided not to buy it, without ever making a decision.

I didn’t make an appointment with the personal shopper from Nordstrom’s. I need someone to help me step away from my current style into something a little more professional, with flair. I’ve been planning to make this call, and this commitment (financial, personal) for a few months. But, once again I let the week pass without making the appointment.

I didn’t keep my budget. Mostly because I went out to eat too many times.

Sweet treats

Pralines

Valentine’s Day dinner at Brennan’s Houston and what do I write about? Not the dinner (which was delicious), or the wine (which was a perfect pairing), or the desserts (which were perfectly decadent). Nope. I go on and on about the pralines you get to take home.

I enjoy the candies themselves, but there’s also a part of me that really likes the idea of getting a final treat, on the way out the door, that you get to take with you. No asking someone for a sample, no additional charge. It’s just a little, tasty, thank you for stopping by.

Nice.