Current Events

The last post was getting a little long so I decided it was best for both of us if I started a new entry. I just wanted to comment on a few of the stories in the news that have particularly peeved me lately:

Runaway bride:
GRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!! Why are you in the news?!?!?!?! Why is anyone paying you for your story and making a TV movie?!?!?!?! Get over it America!! I think that now she got paid $500,000 for that story she should personally pay for all of the costs associated in searching for her, and give whatever is leftover to some battered woman's shelter because some women could actually use that money to get back on their feet. Lastly the media just needs to stop putting the story on TV. IT'S NOT NEWS!!!!

Terri Schiavo:
This has been one of the most frustrating stories to watch, especially being in the same local TV network as the hospice where she was. Someone remind me why this is a newsworthy issue again? While your at it, remind me why any government body got involved? This is/was a family matter and that is it. PERIOD. Both the state and federal legislatures were way out of bounds in attempting to manipulate this case. The funny thing is that no one actually called out the Republicans for the cheap political manuvering, because that's all it was. To think that the Republicans, who used to pride themselves for believing in state's rights and small government, trumped the local judiciary to learn that the federal judiciary could not intervine because it was unconstitutional to intervine in the first place and then turn around and scream "the judiciary is out of control!" You pompass ass'. Now the parents are upset because the husband had her burried in FL as opposed to PA and because of what is written on her headstone. WHY IS THIS NEWS?!?!?!?!?!? I don't care. She's dead, and while I understand you need to grieve, do it in private!!!!!

Missing teen in Aruba:
This is a sad case, honestly. However it could have been avoided ten times over by responsible parenting and vigilant chaparones. Now the only parenting action that I can judge the mother and step father on is the desicion to let their daughter go to a foreign island nation for a high school graduation present, which was stupid to say the least. You know where I went for my graduation? To my summer job, that's where. I just think that it was a little over the top to allow that trip to take place, as well as it being sponsored by the school, which leads me to my next point. Where were the chaparones? It was reported that one chaparone was present the night she dissapeared but that person left hours before any of the kids. Excuse me? I seem to recall school field trips with rules like 'if a chaparone is not there, you are not there whether you liked it or not'. The last little detail that could have prevented this from happening is the girl herself not trusting these local guys she met and going back to the hotel with her friends (who ironically turned out not to be friends at all by leaving her there alone). Who goes to a foriegn country and hangs out alone in the wee hours of the morning with locals? Well I think the answer unfortunetly is dead people.

That's it for now, hopefully I didn't offend too many (in other words the 1 person that reads this)

So frustrating

This is a call to action! I know quite a few of you who read this, if indeed you exist, are in the same predicament I find myself in. On July 1, 2005 the interest rate on federal student loans will jump a whooping 2%, costing everyone a great deal of money, but there is a way to avoid it. If you were to consolidate your federal student loans before this date then you will not be subject to the increase and probably owe less in intrest than you would have originally. The catch is that everyone is trying to do this all at the same time. The website for online applications has timed out on my more times than I can count and when you call to ask a question the automated voice kindly tells you "Your call cannot be completed at this time" and promptly hangs up on you. THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING!!!!!!! Not only is the online application process buckling under the pressure, but there is no one to help in any way shape or form, which isn't helped by that diabolically evil voice telling you HAHA I won't help you !! GRRRRRR!!! Anyway, enough venting about that crap, I'll just wait until later tonight when there shouldn't be so much web traffic at that site and try it then (brilliant!!!, in theory at least).

Melissa and I are still in the process of looking for a house, which consistently gets more depressing with every new development we look at. I'm not exactly sure why, maybe because of the hurricanes or the hordes of people moving from up north, but there is absolutely nothing resonably priced availible for miles. It seems like everything being built is out of our price range by at least $100,000, which is outrageous. Builders just aren't interested in building 'starter homes' anymore. Like everything else these days people want luxury this and luxury that and somehow have all the money in the world to pay for it. How do people get all this money? Is there some communal fund out there I don't have the pin number to? I just don't get it, but that's nothing new. We were watching one of those home improvement shows on HGTV, I think it was called 'Moving Up' where 3 homeowners sell their old homes and they show new people moving in and the changes they make to the house, and it was set in Boston, or a similar city, and the three houses cost between $900,000-$700,000. Melissa and I looked at each other like Scooby Doo, but unfortunetly only I made the confused grunting noise (she's just no fun). Now what does someone in our position do in a market where houses cost that much and they don't already own that property?
Let's take a look at that:
"Experts" reccomend you put down 10-20% in cash which amounts to $70,000-$140,000 on the less expensive end. Then the closing costs on the house usually run about 2-5%, so lets just assume 2% (cause I like to be cheap) which amounts to another $14,000. So just to buy a house in the Boston area it's going to cost you between $84,000 and $154,000 up front, and that's only if you want to do it the way the "Experts want you to do it. Now granted I only saw a small portion of the market in Boston, which may end up being statistically insignifigant (yes folks, I'm also getting a Masters in big, important sounding words), but I'm wondering to myself is this inevitable across the country? Will I have to fork out over half a million just to provide my family with a roof over their heads? That's more than a little scary, and frustrating to think about if you ask me.

This is the greatest sign I have ever seen