Like many other citizens of the great state of Illinois I was only moderately shocked that our governor was awoken by the Feds and hauled over to the FBI office on Roosevelt. I expected that he would be indicted for something to do with Rezko or some other shady deals at some point. I was shocked at the extent of the corruption.
Where does Rod get off thinking that this was ok? So, let's say that the snippets from the wiretaps were taken out of context. I could buy that for one of the allegations. But, really. How could that be true for the Tribune extortion, the shakedown of Children's Memorial, AND filling Obama's Senate vacancy? There is just too much here for Rod to be innocent.
So, here's the question..what's wrong with Illinois? How can our former gov be in prison for selling driver's licenses for campaign cash and now Rod??? Is Rod just stupid or is it arrogance? How could this happen? I guess everyone needs to have a moral compass to guide them. What happens to some of these folks when they get into office? What about Illinois sends the signal to some of our elected officials that this is ok?
I hope this is a wake up call to Stroger and his cronies at Cook County to clean up. I can only imagine the corruption there.
Illinois is a great state and Chicago is even better. We deserve better than this. I hope that Springfield calls a special election to remove any taint from Obama's replacement. I hope Lisa Madigan gets Rod thrown out if he's stupid enough to not resign. I hope that Obama's ppl are clean in on all of this. Hey, they probably helped turn Rod in.
I hope so.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The sky is falling...
What a weird financial time it is. In less than 1 month, the easy money, easy credit, stock market always goes up times have come crashing down resulting in a hangover much worse than may of us have ever seen. I can't remember a time when the beginning of most conversations starts with how much our 401k/529 have gone down and how we are trying to be frugal. I can't believe a $700 billion bailout and counting has not worked. I can't believe I know so many folks who have lost their jobs, know someone who has lost their jobs, or are afraid of losing their jobs. I also have an eerie feeling that the system is going to convulse again and accounts will be frozen. The fact that i couldn't access our money in the money market account was enough of a warning to have more than $20 in my wallet-or at least build up a fair amount of cash in multiple accounts. So..I discovered that Sears has nice appliances and good quality kids' jackets, eating at home really does save a lot of money, and blockbuster is a great place to rent videogames. Some of you might be saying, congrats for joining the real world. Yea, I know.
But out of the darkness, I think good will come.
Maybe America will rediscover who we are-that we have a long tradition of being an innovative, resilient country. We can figure this out. We are the country that gave the world microsoft and apple, dell, and for heavens sake, GM and Ford. Perhaps it starts with having faith in this country and a shared vision of where we are going. Perhaps it is about sacrificing for the common good. Perhaps it is about saying "I'm as mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore". Whether it be pursuing energy independence so we stop sending our money to ppl who do not like us (or bastardizing our foreign policy so we can buy oil from the ppl who do not like us). Or something smaller like protesting $1.25/20 minutes parking rates in little Oak Park :)
But out of the darkness, I think good will come.
Maybe America will rediscover who we are-that we have a long tradition of being an innovative, resilient country. We can figure this out. We are the country that gave the world microsoft and apple, dell, and for heavens sake, GM and Ford. Perhaps it starts with having faith in this country and a shared vision of where we are going. Perhaps it is about sacrificing for the common good. Perhaps it is about saying "I'm as mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore". Whether it be pursuing energy independence so we stop sending our money to ppl who do not like us (or bastardizing our foreign policy so we can buy oil from the ppl who do not like us). Or something smaller like protesting $1.25/20 minutes parking rates in little Oak Park :)
Thursday, July 3, 2008
First 90 Days
It has truly been an interesting adventure starting/building the business over the past 90 days. I am pleased that we now have business cards, stationery, quickbooks, invoices, 1 project completed, 1 booked for August, a couple in conversation, and now a website. Woo hoo. You can check it out at www.leftexitllc.com
I am really enjoying my more flexible life. I feel like I am connecting more with the kids and have a better sense of what's going on in my life. It's funny how I have created a new "routine". When Alan decided to work from home this morning I was like, "whoa, what do I do now?" He was very respectful that I had a client call and had things to do. If anything I think he has an appreciation that I actually work and not just work out, do the rosary, and volunteer at Ascension! It's funny how I still feel to dress in my uniform (solid color short with khaki pants or shorts), put on makeup, and go somewhere to work for part of the day. I am an expert at finding free internet locations in the greater Oak Park area. Even when I was in Ohio this week with the kids I was able to pickup a free IHOP connection at Starbucks. God Bless Ohio. I am also obsessed with eliminating everyday expenses like switching from a big garbage can to a smaller one ($2/mo), finding coupons on the internet, using the back of paper for the printer unless it is for a client, negotiating a lower cable rate, actually cooking, etc. I know it's not a lot but I feel it's some contribution to offset the loss of a stable salary.
So, I don't have the financial security I had 90 days ago. I hope my accountant agrees with what I consider business expenses. I am stressed out that I need to carry a balance this month on my credit card because I have not rec'd my payment from my June project yet. But,I feel great and am enjoying life.
I am really enjoying my more flexible life. I feel like I am connecting more with the kids and have a better sense of what's going on in my life. It's funny how I have created a new "routine". When Alan decided to work from home this morning I was like, "whoa, what do I do now?" He was very respectful that I had a client call and had things to do. If anything I think he has an appreciation that I actually work and not just work out, do the rosary, and volunteer at Ascension! It's funny how I still feel to dress in my uniform (solid color short with khaki pants or shorts), put on makeup, and go somewhere to work for part of the day. I am an expert at finding free internet locations in the greater Oak Park area. Even when I was in Ohio this week with the kids I was able to pickup a free IHOP connection at Starbucks. God Bless Ohio. I am also obsessed with eliminating everyday expenses like switching from a big garbage can to a smaller one ($2/mo), finding coupons on the internet, using the back of paper for the printer unless it is for a client, negotiating a lower cable rate, actually cooking, etc. I know it's not a lot but I feel it's some contribution to offset the loss of a stable salary.
So, I don't have the financial security I had 90 days ago. I hope my accountant agrees with what I consider business expenses. I am stressed out that I need to carry a balance this month on my credit card because I have not rec'd my payment from my June project yet. But,I feel great and am enjoying life.
Friday, May 30, 2008
A Mind-Opener
As some of you know, I recently started my own company and was on a project in NY this week. It was a great week! It felt great facilitating and brainstorming innovation platforms.
I still can't get out of my head one of the "experiences" for the workshop a pulse reading by a Chinese medicine doctor. I have always been a big fan of Western medicine, big hospitals, and the ability of pharmaceuticals to solve my medical problems. Perhaps that is why i am shocked by how fascinating I found the Chinese medicine approach. I know some folks from the office have successfully used acupuncture to help with fertility issues, so I have had a very rudimentary exposure to non-Western medicine. So, when they asked if anyone wanted a pulse reading, i thought, why not. He explained he was using three fingers to evaluate the blood, heart, and liver (if memory serves me). So, he did the reading. He seemed a bit puzzled and then asked me if I had children. i indicated that I had 2. He then decided to feel the pulse on my other wrist. He asked me the date of my last period. Since I did not have my chart with me I said 3-4 weeks ago and that I should be menstrual in the next few days or so. He asked if I could be pregnant. I said that was impossible (yea, welcome to my world!). He wasn't so sure he believed me but I reinforced that i definitely was not. He sensed that I had a lot of heat in my core/low. He then asked if my hands/feet got cold. I indicated that this happened to me all the time. He asked me what I ate-i said chicken, pork, some fast food. He said I need to drink warmer beverages, eat beef, and wear socks when I am menstrual to release the "blockage". I was absolutely fascinated when I got my period an hour later (3 days early). I was also befuddled about the hold hands/feet comment since the venue was so hot and my hands/feet were definitely not cold at the moment. This of course got me thinking whether there was something to it. A 10 min reading can only get one so far. So then I was thinking, should I go see a Chinese medicine doctor? Would that make me an official nut? What else should I change about my diet? What is this blockage? Or is this just another step on my current midlife crisis???
I still can't get out of my head one of the "experiences" for the workshop a pulse reading by a Chinese medicine doctor. I have always been a big fan of Western medicine, big hospitals, and the ability of pharmaceuticals to solve my medical problems. Perhaps that is why i am shocked by how fascinating I found the Chinese medicine approach. I know some folks from the office have successfully used acupuncture to help with fertility issues, so I have had a very rudimentary exposure to non-Western medicine. So, when they asked if anyone wanted a pulse reading, i thought, why not. He explained he was using three fingers to evaluate the blood, heart, and liver (if memory serves me). So, he did the reading. He seemed a bit puzzled and then asked me if I had children. i indicated that I had 2. He then decided to feel the pulse on my other wrist. He asked me the date of my last period. Since I did not have my chart with me I said 3-4 weeks ago and that I should be menstrual in the next few days or so. He asked if I could be pregnant. I said that was impossible (yea, welcome to my world!). He wasn't so sure he believed me but I reinforced that i definitely was not. He sensed that I had a lot of heat in my core/low. He then asked if my hands/feet got cold. I indicated that this happened to me all the time. He asked me what I ate-i said chicken, pork, some fast food. He said I need to drink warmer beverages, eat beef, and wear socks when I am menstrual to release the "blockage". I was absolutely fascinated when I got my period an hour later (3 days early). I was also befuddled about the hold hands/feet comment since the venue was so hot and my hands/feet were definitely not cold at the moment. This of course got me thinking whether there was something to it. A 10 min reading can only get one so far. So then I was thinking, should I go see a Chinese medicine doctor? Would that make me an official nut? What else should I change about my diet? What is this blockage? Or is this just another step on my current midlife crisis???
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
1988
I was just reading a friend's blog who was reminiscing about what she was doing 20 years ago. So, I started thinking about what I was doing 20 years ago. I just finished my freshman year at Miami. It was a great year. I realized I was not going to be a math major but did realize history or poli sci would be just fine. I decided to join student govt and student union board. I really enjoyed living on my own. I learned that I liked Blue Hawaiians and wine cooler bongs (I didn't like beer bongs). I really liked crashing at Mark's :)
Since I had no money, I had 3 jobs when I got back to the valley for the summer-lifeguard, swim teacher, and bakery girl. I HATED being a bakery girl. 1st, I was called bakery girl. I realized how rude ppl were. Noone ever spoke up when they ordered their pastries and I could never hear them. People were also very impatient. Of course, the fact I was incompetent probably didn't help. While I like donuts and cookies, that's about it for pastries. i had no idea what was in 90% of the bakery case. I also hated working off the clock. Why shouldn't I get paid overtime since I was making $5/hr? Just thinking about it makes me shake!
What's most interesting is thinking about what I thought life would be like in 2008. I never actually thought about it. Now, I am a planner so of course I thought about post-college. I expected that Mark (my high school sweetheart who I followed to Miami) and I would get engaged his senior year and we would get married after I graduated. i figured we would wait a few years and have 2 children (Alexandra and Andrew). I wasn't sure where we were going to live. I figured somewhere in Ohio-maybe columbus-or DC since I was interested in govt. Definitely not in our hometown. I thought Mark was too much of a momma's boy for us to live to close to home anyways.
I would have never guessed that I would wait to have kids until my 30s, have an MBA, and would be living in an 80 year old house! Obviously Alan wasn't even a thought in my head. Alan and Mark are so very different so I don't even know where to start on that one. I should have realized when Mark went to Miami that it was not going to work out. i should have realized my close friendship with Mike in my senior year of high school was a sign of something missing. But, what can i say? Stability has always been a virtue for me. I do wonder what might have happened if Mark and I would have broken up and I would have gone to OSU with Mike. Would it have ended in a fiery crash? Now that i think about it, I think i did think about this question 20 years ago...Obviously I wouldn't change the path that brought me & Alan together. If it wasn't for Mark, Mike, and Alan S, I wouldn't have realized how incredible Alan was when we first met and then started dating, and then lived together. It all happens for a reason...
Since I had no money, I had 3 jobs when I got back to the valley for the summer-lifeguard, swim teacher, and bakery girl. I HATED being a bakery girl. 1st, I was called bakery girl. I realized how rude ppl were. Noone ever spoke up when they ordered their pastries and I could never hear them. People were also very impatient. Of course, the fact I was incompetent probably didn't help. While I like donuts and cookies, that's about it for pastries. i had no idea what was in 90% of the bakery case. I also hated working off the clock. Why shouldn't I get paid overtime since I was making $5/hr? Just thinking about it makes me shake!
What's most interesting is thinking about what I thought life would be like in 2008. I never actually thought about it. Now, I am a planner so of course I thought about post-college. I expected that Mark (my high school sweetheart who I followed to Miami) and I would get engaged his senior year and we would get married after I graduated. i figured we would wait a few years and have 2 children (Alexandra and Andrew). I wasn't sure where we were going to live. I figured somewhere in Ohio-maybe columbus-or DC since I was interested in govt. Definitely not in our hometown. I thought Mark was too much of a momma's boy for us to live to close to home anyways.
I would have never guessed that I would wait to have kids until my 30s, have an MBA, and would be living in an 80 year old house! Obviously Alan wasn't even a thought in my head. Alan and Mark are so very different so I don't even know where to start on that one. I should have realized when Mark went to Miami that it was not going to work out. i should have realized my close friendship with Mike in my senior year of high school was a sign of something missing. But, what can i say? Stability has always been a virtue for me. I do wonder what might have happened if Mark and I would have broken up and I would have gone to OSU with Mike. Would it have ended in a fiery crash? Now that i think about it, I think i did think about this question 20 years ago...Obviously I wouldn't change the path that brought me & Alan together. If it wasn't for Mark, Mike, and Alan S, I wouldn't have realized how incredible Alan was when we first met and then started dating, and then lived together. It all happens for a reason...
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
New Beginnings
Isn't vacation wonderful? I am sitting in our room here in the Bahamas, watching Brayden sleep and listening to the ocean. Alan & Kaitlyn are awake, of course, and are hanging out in the living room with a few members of the Blair family. Ahhh...a peaceful morning in the Bahamas.
It has been a crazy couple of weeks. From my departure from the Infuser to the setting up of Left Exit, I am so thankful for the support of my husband and my attorney as we work through all of this!
It's really cool working with Alan on Left Exit (our LLC). We complement each other really well. He gets so excited about the marketing communications aspect of the firm. He created a temporary logo for me so I could send out a proposal (which was approved...my first sale!) Since he wasn't happy with the logo he created, we now have a firm designing a new logo. Once the logo is done we will have stationery and a small website created.
I am amazed at how quickly the days go by. Last week I did all of the glamorous stuff like setup a bank account, get a EIN, design a temporary powerpoint template based on the temporary logo, set up email accounts, order quickbooks, etc. I also did more exciting things like buy an iphone! Woo hoo. I love having an all MAC environment! I also have learned who has free internet access (library, caribou, panera), and how long you get free parking (2 hours) and how quickly the price rises ($5 for 3.5 hours at the library).
Alan & I have agreed that I am not trying to bill a million dollars here. The firm is a way for me to use my business skills, make some money, and have a home life. The kids seem to like that I am around in the morning before they go to school. Alan definitely likes that he has more schedule flexibility. Of course when I am on a project it will be like the old days. But with 1-2 projects a month (my goal), it should be manageable.
I also like being able to work out 3-4 times a week. Ok..3 times. I swim 1 day, treadmill/nautilus 1 day, treadmill 1 day. I need to talk to the trainers to see if they have an alternate suggestion for day 3 because I am worried about injuring my knees and ankles again (an old ballet injury if you can believe it!)
Since joining/leaving the Infuser, I lost 15 lbs. and bought some clothes that actually fit. I feel like the "old Lisa"-the pre kids Lisa is starting to come back. My energy level is better. I don't fall asleep on the couch during the news every night. I am active in the school, church, and politics-to some extent. It's taken me almost 7 years and leaving Unilever to get there. So, despite the recent Infuser drama, it was a good decision to join. I learned about the "little touches" that help build client relationships. I also learned that I can do this. The experience enabled me to learn what I like to do/not do. It also gave me the space to be with my family more, work out and be involved in the community. Now I look to continue the journey with Left Exit. Woo hoo!
It has been a crazy couple of weeks. From my departure from the Infuser to the setting up of Left Exit, I am so thankful for the support of my husband and my attorney as we work through all of this!
It's really cool working with Alan on Left Exit (our LLC). We complement each other really well. He gets so excited about the marketing communications aspect of the firm. He created a temporary logo for me so I could send out a proposal (which was approved...my first sale!) Since he wasn't happy with the logo he created, we now have a firm designing a new logo. Once the logo is done we will have stationery and a small website created.
I am amazed at how quickly the days go by. Last week I did all of the glamorous stuff like setup a bank account, get a EIN, design a temporary powerpoint template based on the temporary logo, set up email accounts, order quickbooks, etc. I also did more exciting things like buy an iphone! Woo hoo. I love having an all MAC environment! I also have learned who has free internet access (library, caribou, panera), and how long you get free parking (2 hours) and how quickly the price rises ($5 for 3.5 hours at the library).
Alan & I have agreed that I am not trying to bill a million dollars here. The firm is a way for me to use my business skills, make some money, and have a home life. The kids seem to like that I am around in the morning before they go to school. Alan definitely likes that he has more schedule flexibility. Of course when I am on a project it will be like the old days. But with 1-2 projects a month (my goal), it should be manageable.
I also like being able to work out 3-4 times a week. Ok..3 times. I swim 1 day, treadmill/nautilus 1 day, treadmill 1 day. I need to talk to the trainers to see if they have an alternate suggestion for day 3 because I am worried about injuring my knees and ankles again (an old ballet injury if you can believe it!)
Since joining/leaving the Infuser, I lost 15 lbs. and bought some clothes that actually fit. I feel like the "old Lisa"-the pre kids Lisa is starting to come back. My energy level is better. I don't fall asleep on the couch during the news every night. I am active in the school, church, and politics-to some extent. It's taken me almost 7 years and leaving Unilever to get there. So, despite the recent Infuser drama, it was a good decision to join. I learned about the "little touches" that help build client relationships. I also learned that I can do this. The experience enabled me to learn what I like to do/not do. It also gave me the space to be with my family more, work out and be involved in the community. Now I look to continue the journey with Left Exit. Woo hoo!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Yes, SHE can (are you kidding me?)
Yes, this is the fundamental problem with the Clinton campaign. Is it the shameless copying and twisting of Obama's slogan? Annoying, but no. It's the fact that it's all about HER. It's that SHE is a FIGHTER. It's that she will do anything to win.
Obama is about WE (yes, we can). Obama is about bringing ppl TOGETHER (the UNITED states of america)
My home state disappoints me again.
Hopefully the media will remind us that the Clintons said they needed to win Ohio and Texas. Hopefully they will remind us that Hillary should have won Texas by a landslide given her strength among Hispanics. Hopefully someone will do an analysis on why she gets the redneck vote and he gets the educated 100K+ HH income vote.
It's not over yet.
But mark my words. If Hillary is the Democratic nominee, McCain will be president. And Hillary and the media will have destroyed our best hope for change and enfranchisement for a generation. God, I hope that does not happen.
Obama is about WE (yes, we can). Obama is about bringing ppl TOGETHER (the UNITED states of america)
My home state disappoints me again.
Hopefully the media will remind us that the Clintons said they needed to win Ohio and Texas. Hopefully they will remind us that Hillary should have won Texas by a landslide given her strength among Hispanics. Hopefully someone will do an analysis on why she gets the redneck vote and he gets the educated 100K+ HH income vote.
It's not over yet.
But mark my words. If Hillary is the Democratic nominee, McCain will be president. And Hillary and the media will have destroyed our best hope for change and enfranchisement for a generation. God, I hope that does not happen.
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