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Death and Taxes
Enough is enough already! After getting my final check for the year, I realized after taxes, social security, pension deductions and insurance, I have 70% on my income to live on. I pay out 30% of what I make without even seeing it. Oh wait! Add to that: sales tax, property tax, tolls, convenience taxes, new taxes on all forms of energy use… not much left, is there? And to top it off, no raise (or cost of living increase) in three years.
In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes“. We could add government mismanagement and corruption to that.
In attempting to deal with an anticipated 13 million dollar deficit for the coming year, the city of Elgin, IL (where I live) cleverly approached the budget and public outcry revealing their doomsday scenario: cutting essential services and raising taxes. This of course, involved a lot of smoke and mirrors, making the final approved budget seem more appealing. Instead of raising existing taxes… they created a whole hodgepodge of new ones. Different scenario… same outcome… more money coming out of my pocket.
I’ve never understood the ignorance of politicians when it comes to their decisions and philosophies. The recently approved deal between the state of Illinois and Sears, providing tax breaks to keep their headquarters in the state, for instance. This approval was only greeted with the announcement that Sears would be closing nearly 120 Sears and Kmart stores nationwide. This only further decreases their contribution to the state coffers. What about the mom and pop stores? What kind of breaks are they getting? None. Which explains our dependency on big box stores and why only the strong survive.
Free enterprise isn’t free. Freedom isn’t free. We are slaves to our jobs (those lucky enough to have one) and our country. Land of the Free and Home of the Brave should be changed to Land of the Slaves and Home of the Oppressed. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This is why uprisings such as Occupy Wall Street are happening. But, are demonstrations effective? Is anybody listening?
Today’s Pic of the Day: Break is Over. My car in the empty parking lot at BHS at 5 am yesterday. I see this view frequently, often the first to arrive and/or the last to leave.
Hi! I’m ADD OCD ADHD … How Are You?
The choir director at school and I often comment jokingly, on our numerous disorders when we get caught up in all the details of putting together the school’s musical. The fact is, everyone has some degree of psychological and/or personality disorders. I recently read an article that claimed over 30 million Americans have some diagnosed personality disorder and more than half of our population will suffer from some disorder at one point in their lifetime.
Does a diagnosis mean someone is abnormal or unable to function in society? Does that really mean we all need to be medicated? Does a medicated society mean a better society?
The commercials for the latest, greatest medications for depression and other ailments run continually, 24 hours a day. “Depressed? Take this! It might make you commit suicide but otherwise you’ll feel better.” This scares the begeezus out of me. Our society over medicates way to frequently. If you need one medication, chances are you’ll need four more to counter the side affects.
I’ve never been diagnosed with any disorder but I assume we all would fall into some category, even if only marginally. Today, we are no longer simply individuals… we are a subgroup of some disorder. We are no longer quirky or strange, we are diseased. I understand the medical and scientific community’s desire or need to categorize everyone but whom does it benefit?
I hate labels! Labels tend to make people shut down, both the person that is labeled or diagnosed and the people dealing with them. At school I often hear, “Oh, don’t expect much from them… they are ADD (or insert here).” My usual response is, “So?” I’m not going to give up on someone just because they come with a label attached. That’s one of the big problems in education today. Label the kid and you don’t have to teach them. We all learn differently, respond differently and react differently. That’s what makes us unique individuals.
Some of the most brilliant students I’ve encountered have labels. What’s yours?
Today’s Pic of the Day: Thinking about this subject, I noticed how from a side view, my demure “Bird Girl” statue has a really evil quality when you look at her profile. I took this photo yesterday afternoon and enhanced it.
Anyone Have Four Million Dollars Laying Around?
Since I finished my Masters Degree in Entertainment Business last September, the question I get asked the most is: “So what are you going to do with it?” Good question. The main reason I got the degree was to make myself marketable again in the theatre industry. I’ve been out of the professional theatre world for so long, I thought the degree would be a nice boost to my credentials.
One slight problem, there are no jobs. Looking at listings nationwide, the majority of the positions open are for experienced professionals in development and grant writing. There are a few occasional listings of interest but even in metropolitan areas like New York and Seattle, the salary range is about half what I currently make… which isn’t that great to begin with.
My current job is pretty stable and satisfying right now. I’m directing AND tech directing the musical, Ragtime, this year at school. It’s the first year I’m officially directing. No huge issues with the rest of the job, so I’m mildly content to stay. There are many things I want to do but no clear path has me chomping at the bit.
UNLESS…
Does anyone have 4 million dollars you want to give me?
Four million dollars. That’s all that is separating me from creating my dream job and legacy: a creative and performing arts center. I have the knowledge and experience and I have a completely written, detailed business plan. I just need the cash.
So if any of you big spenders want to contribute, let me know.
Today’s pic of the Day: My angel statue in the back yard. “To love another person is to see the face of God.” — Les Miserables
Just Say ‘No’ To New Year’s Resolutions
Have you made any New Year’s resolutions? If not, I say DON’T! If you have, it’s not too late to tear up that list and run screaming in the opposite direction. Why do I say this? Because most resolutions are doomed to fail from the start. Why torment yourself that way?
Most resolutions people make are life-changing. What makes you think that the January 1st is any more magical than say, 
August 15th? If you aren’t ready to change something in the middle of August, I hardly think the month of January will make you any more successful.
How many times have you heard, “My New Year’s resolution is to _______ (fill in the blank), but I’m going to wait until after the holidays”. OR, “I was going to start _____ but I’ll do it next week”. Clearly, these statements make it obvious the speaker isn’t ready to commit.
Don’t get me wrong, I think change is great. Especially if it will better your health or improve your quality of life. If you want to make important decisions and changes for your future, it requires you to prioritize that activity and you have to change your daily routine.
I’d rather hear people call their resolutions: goals. Doesn’t it sound better to say, “I didn’t reach my goal” than to say, “My resolution was to ____ and I failed”? Plus, if you can creates steps or milestones towards your goal, it seems much less daunting. Failure, or the fear of failure have a huge impact on your self esteem. You have to be truly ready to make changes and take steps daily if you want to reach your goals.
Being better, stronger, healthier people is an ongoing, lifelong commitment. You just have to be realistic and and ready to make the change. You have to consciously adjust your daily routine to include the task ahead… it won’t magically fit itself into your current schedule.
If you are struggling: STEP BACK. One of the most common reasons for failure is too much, too soon. Take a break, look at what is working and what isn’t, adjust your plan of attack and start again. Most important- whether you reach your goal or not, find the positive impact the experience has had on your life. There will always be one, you just might have to look harder to find it.
Today’s Pic of the day: GARBAGE! What?!? Elgin, IL is a dying city. Our house is surrounded by churches and low income housing, so there is quite a bit of foot traffic and LOTS of littering. This bag of trash was left on the parkway, on the side of our house, Thanksgiving weekend. I decided to see how long it sits there before: a) the city removes it (the parkway IS their property); b) someone rips it open to see if there is anything good inside; or, c) a Good Samaritan carries it away to dispose of it. Status: 6 weeks and counting.
Reflecting on 2011
Last day of 2011. Just another day in my book. As a society, we mark it as a milestone and reflect back on the past year. What really annoys me is how the media started putting its lists of best and worst, highlights, etc. together back around Thanksgiving. Apparently, the last five or six weeks of the year don’t count. I find it highly amusing that only a few rogue news outlets will dare to talk about 2011 after January 1st, like it’s suddenly a taboo topic. Doesn’t it make more sense to review a year after it’s over? I guess everyone wants to be the first. If you’re not first, then you still have to put it out there quickly and not be the last.
At the movies last week, I noticed a couple of yet-to-be-released movies are already advertising themselves as the best drama or comedy of the year. Does anyone seriously buy that? If it is being released in January and it is the first or only comedy to be released so far, I hardly think that earns you the title: BEST of anything.
I’ve heard a number of friends say, “2011 was the worst year, next year has to be better”. That annoys me. I always want to ask, “but did you learn or accomplish anything this year?” Whatever happened over the course of the past 12 months is not the calendar’s fault and there is no guarantee next year will be better or worse. You can’t control everything that happens around you.
Reflection. What occurred and how did you respond to it. That’s what is important to me. Everything we do, every experience that comes our way, colors our lives differently. We are a culmination of every event, every person, every thing that touches our lives. We can only become the people we want to be by reflecting on our experiences and our actions.
I think I learned a lot about patience and diligence this past year. I’m finally at the age that “I want it now” has given way to “I want it right” and “I want it better“. Quality really only comes through patience and diligence. I found the anxiety of the beginnings of tasks, give way to the excitement of the process and finally, the bittersweet completion. I both love and hate deadlines because I am both driven by, and a slave to them.
Two big milestones of my year were completing my Masters degree and my play, September’s Heroes. Two great accomplishments and I’m extremely proud of both. I realized how much I love to learn, read and research; and how what I can do to have an impact on others.
The most important milestone is that I think I finally understand and like myself. That may sound odd, but the journey to self-acceptance is probably the hardest road many of us will ever climb. In accepting myself I feel I’m much better equipped to understand, help and encourage all the wonderful people in my life. It’s a pretty terrific feeling.
Today’s Pic of the day: Set for my play, September’s Heroes 
My Facebook Addiction
Today's Pic: Collins Attacking The Chia Cat Grass
Addicted to Facebook? Why, thank you, yes I am. Facebook is always up on my computer. I’m not staring at it 24/7 but it’s always open. I love the ability to reconnect with old friends, stay in touch with current ones and make new friends as well.
I’m the type of person that can’t just sit and watch television. I always have to be doing something else to keep my mind occupied. I used to work on a variety of crafts while the TV was on… then I was selling books on Ebay… and now, Facebook.
I can proudly say that I’ve recovered from my Farmville addiction. I no long try to schedule my free time around planting and harvesting crops and fertilizing friends’ farms. Now I’ve moved on to about a dozen games I play on a regular basis.
The most important thing that Facebook contributes to my life is the ability to connect with others. I’ll frequently troll friends’ pages, hijack a conversation, or attempt to be witty and lighten someone else’s day. I can actually keep up with what my family is doing and encourage them along the way. Sharing and viewing pictures is fun and I absolutely love the new timeline format. It actually forced me to figure out how to use my scanner so I can go back and scan old photographs to add to my timeline, tagging friends along the way.
In addition to the ability to share life’s joys and sorrows across the miles, the most fascinating aspect I’ve discovered is who I chat with most. I’ve found Facebook has allowed me to build great friendships and carry on some pretty amazing conversations with people I never would have connected with, in the same way, through other forms of communications. I look forward to chatting and teasing a couple of my high school friends daily. Friends that weren’t in the same cliques back in school. It’s really made me realize how important people are in our lives–how they can enrich our lives– and how much we can miss out by not connecting.
I actually had over 180 people wish me “Happy Birthday” yesterday… including an award winning actor and a Broadway Diva! Before Facebook, I might have received a couple calls and a few cards… see a few friends for dinner… but Facebook allows us to be there, no matter where we are in the world. For that, I am extremely grateful. Right now I have 748 friends on Facebook. Yes, some are gaming friends, some are celebrities I like to follow but most are actually people that have played an important role at some point in my life. We may no longer be in the same place or have the same interests that originally connected us… but Facebook allows us to stay connected, even if only marginally, for many years to come.
Chia Cat
Today’s picture is of Collin’s munching on the infamous Chia brand’s Cat Grass. I broke a piece off and gave it to him the other day and he played with and ate it. Yesterday, he found the planter on the counter and proceeded to entertain himself, rubbing his face in it and munching. As soon as I got up this morning, he followed me downstairs and was up on the counter munching away before I could even turn on the light. Go figure. I wonder what he would do to the Chia Obama?
New Blog
So this is what 49 at 5am looks like? Oy!
Today is my 49th birthday. I’ve been think a lot over the past few weeks of how I could commemorate this year. I decided I wanted to try to blog daily. I also want to try and take one photograph each day as well. It will be interesting to see if I can actually accomplish this.
The name for this blog comes from Jonathan Larson’s song Seasons of Love from the award-winning musical RENT. “How do you measure a year in the life?”
Every day we have the opportunity to influence another person and potentially change their lives forever. It has been proven time and time again that the actions of one single person can forever change the world. Each and every one of us have the opportunity to make a difference. Will we?
Working in the performing arts and primarily with high school students, I see the world differently than most of my friends. I have the opportunity to see it through young eyes and experience it through an older but wiser mind. Yes, times are changing and yes, it’s not like it used to be. The world is constantly evolving and we continue to adjust. How do we measure those efforts? How do I measure? That’s what I hope to explore.
How Do You Measure 525600 Minutes? 