Doin' My Part

Ah, Black Friday...

Must say, I was honestly a bit disappointed. Yes, there were some "doorbuster" markdowns, and a few were even items I wanted to buy.

But the overall pricing wasn't that much improved over the previous week, when we took the kids looking for ideas. And frankly, I'm buying less than last year - so every bit is noticeable.

Still, I managed to unload my entire Christmas bonus in about 3 hours! Thankfully, I have just a few small items left to buy, and all those cards to mail, and then I'm DONE.

(And ok, the HP printer doesn't count - it's not a gift, just a replacement, and a fabulous deal from Office Max at that)

So Now What?

The gas station in my little town has regular gas for $1.99 a gallon. After the $4.09 in the spring, it's such a relief to see. But it has me wondering...

When we were at $4/gal and climbing, everyone - including me - was trying to find ways to conserve gas.

Hypermiling
Hybrids and compact cars
Ride sharing and carpooling
And so on...

Now that gas is back down, how many people will honestly keep worrying about this? Or will we, as Americans, climb back in our 18 mpg SUVs and get back to our old ways?

For my family...we've relaxed a bit, I will admit. I still hypermile in my Hyundai Elantra some, but I'm not coasting every light like I used to. And the Explorer is seeing a bit more useage than before. I do think we've fundamentally changed our mindset, however.

Will be interesting to see how everyone else reacts!

What a weekend

We just returned from a great weekend in Las Vegas! Took the kids with us, to celebrate my brother's wedding. They had a lovely ceremony in the Flamingo garden, followed by a fun party in the Stratosphere. I'm so absolutely delighted with how it went...almost wish *I* got married in Vegas now! Can you tell the kids loved the view from Strat?

One small complaint. We stayed at the Flamingo, in their recently remodeled "GO" rooms. Cool, mod decor - but those neat frosted glass doors to the bathroom don't block the light at 2am. I could have KILLED my hubby when he woke me just 30 minutes after I'd finally fallen asleep...

Today's Fun Discoveries

It's amazing the random insights you can have when stuck with excel spreadsheets all day...particularly when listening to mediocre online radio.

For instance...I never realized how prevelant the wailing jazz sax in 80s ballads. Yikes. I know Kenny G was big and all...but why did EVERY band have a Kenny-wannabe!?!

And another thought - no matter how intimidating a boss might be, how annoying a coworker or neighbor is, keep this in mind. EVERY single one of them has done the Electric Slide at a wedding. ALL OF THEM. Hard to be annoyed or scared when you can picture that person sliding on the floor, no?