See My Head? *BOOM!*

(NOTE: Audience Participation Requested! Feel free to email katherinsorensen@yahoo.com with extra information!)

My brain is too small - or too slow - to absorb all this stuff:

1. The Financial Crisis: I CANNOT believe that the government is giving away BILLIONS of dollars to people who got greedy, lost a little money, and then "needed help." I realize the effects of the capsizing banks on the "little people," and I understand how our financial system may have dipped for a while without a bailout. But, continuing to borrow, finance and "use" credit will land this country in an even bigger mess and I'm furious that while I choose to live my life debt-free, the people running my country think that's there's no other way besides borrowing up to your eyeballs to keep a sinking system afloat! Does this "solution" make you mad or glad?

2. Higher Education: I now realize how so many people come out of the educational system and follow the liberal cause in this country like lemurs off a cliff. It's easy! I sit in every classroom, inwardly seething, occasionally commenting and constantly wondering if my fellow classmates, and teachers realize they are spouting rhetoric and fail to have a single original thought. They're repeating what they've heard without rolling it around in their brains for a while to see if it actually makes sense. There's no reason to point it out, they'll just get more angry! Can you sit silently while people voice their opinions that are exactly contrary to yours?

3. Dangerous Dog Ordinance: We have escape artist dogs. Even Sadie, with her sad, old hips will get free if she tries hard enough. So, we removed the ineffectual fence in the backyard and attached their cables to a stake in the ground. Then, this week, the Omaha City Council decided that dogs cannot be tethered for more than 15 minutes without an adult present. So, my dogs will no longer be able to bask in the sun all afternoon while I clean up in the house. They can't sit outside and sniff the breeze and chase the rabbits away. No, now they have to stay locked inside, underfoot, while I fight the losing battle against the furballs in the corners. Do we build a fence or find another way around the ordinance?

4. Fasting: Our pastor has called for a church-wide fast next week. I'm nervous, having never fasted for any length of time (unless I forget to eat breakfast - and that doesn't really count). The biggest problem is my caffeine addiction. I tried three times this week to go caffeine free. Today was the final effort and I am currently fighting a horrible migraine. We're supposed to do a juice fast or strictly fruits and veggies fast. I don't know if I'll be able to make it through a day, let alone act as a functioning member of society! Could you do it? Am I crazy to even try?

5. I'm searching for people with a story to tell (continued from #1): I am planning on being pretty uneffected by the financial meltdown, due to the way Eric and I live our lives. Our biggest splurge is eating out (and yes, we do so a little too often). We do not use credit cards or debt. We save for my schooling and pay it all with a check. We rent movies from Red Box (only $1 a night), I buy mostly store brands and love to find great clothes on clearance. The simple life has always worked well for us. However, there are people in this country (and, now I hear, around the world) who will have to drastically change their lifestyles in order to survive after this shift in the financial realm. Do you live a simple life? If so, how do you define simple and do you feel like you will be able to keep living it? Are you going to make changes after the market shake-up? Are there certain things you may do differently? (i.e. pay off credit cards, eat at home, etc?) I know there's a lesson for normal people to learn in all this, and I'll do my best to find it!