Matt and I were watching Donny Deutsch's "Big Idea" show last night. Bill Gates was the show's guest, so Matt and I curiously watched.
The thing with Bill Gates is, you really wouldn't know he's insanely rich by watching him. The man has a $12 Cost Cutters hair cut, non-designer glasses (as far as I can tell - they're probably still very expensive) and doesn't wear shirts that are eleventy-billion thread count (yes I know that applies to sheets, but I'm just sayin').
But, wow, he's incredibly smart. Even answers to simple questions lit a fire under his ass and he spoke with the eloquence of a well-adjusted public speaker. At least the money he's spending on image is money well spent!
Of course, Donny asked what Bill Gates has on his iPod. Eh heh heh, he made a funny! Donny the Douche, ladies and gentlemen!
Ultimately, the viewing of the show lead Matt to say, "What would we do with all that money?" Before I could even ellicit an intelligent response (pay off debt, buy a solid house, cars, etc.), he said, "We wouldn't live here."
That answer surprised me. In my lifetime, I always dreamed of living anywhere but boring ol' Minnesota - Las Vegas, Colorado, Texas to name a few. So I asked, "Where would we live?!"
"I'd live on a lake. Do lots of fishin' ..."
Again, I was surprised. I expected him to say he'd live somewhere warm and sunny. Or even in Colorado. Summoning my courage, I said, "Well ... see, I have this dream." I stopped.
"What?"
"Well, ... I want to write. If I ever became a famous author, I'd have a cabin in the North Woods, maybe on a lake, maybe not. Anyway, I'd go up there for a summer and just write. It'd be my solace." Suddenly, I realized how romantic the idea sounded. Being away from here without really leaving ... taking walks in the woods, spotting the first Lady's Slipper, bird watching, and cranking out about five hours of solid (or sometimes not) writing a day. Meanwhile, Matt goes fishing or hiking ... and nights would be spent sitting on the dock with a glass of wine or two (which is funny, because I really don't care for wine).
Maybe someday a novel will spill out of me. I think I'd have a pen name. I bet my maiden name would sell way more books.
It could happen. But I have to figure out what to write, first. And how to write. I don't much care for writing groups, but I suppose it would behoove me to join one.
This all went through my head far quicker than it took to write. I ended my thoughts with a simple, "It's stupid to dream."
Ah, the good ol' cynicism.
Matt admonished, "It's not stupid to dream!"
I know he's right, but I'm the logical one, the realist, the grounded one. I have trouble dreaming because of economics. Instead of freely dreaming, I think of how much this dream will cost. What sacrafices will have to be made. How to do it. Kids, mortgages, even furniture for a new place. And then I lose sight of the dream.
I just remind myself: All I have to do is dream and desire. Then my heart is in the right place and I can do anything.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Go Johnny, Go
I've decided to make the move from Live Journal to Blogspot. Maybe it's because I want my writings to take on a more pensive feel. Whatever the case, I'm taking the advice of a college professor (not mine - I only interviewed him for an article I wrote).
"Jackie," he said excitedly, "You should write every day! It's important to write every day."
This advice, coming from a published author (in several countries), is now well-received. His other advice, for me to continue studying the Spanish language thus becoming fluent, wasn't as well-received. Perhaps if I would have studied abroad, I would have taken this advice as well. But studying abroad is costly, and I didn't want to pay for it for several years the way my best college friend will. That said, money isn't everything. In my short 23 years on this Earth, I've realized that health and happiness far exceed the balance in your checkbook, or the amount of debt you find yourself carrying.
I plan on writing about observations - the way things touch me, irk me, inspire me. How I would do things differently, or why I wouldn't change things for the world. I wish I had more important things to write and think about, but I'll leave that for my horribly-PC Uptown/U of M crowd. I'll let them hash over why Bush is the devil, or how Barack Obama would be the greatest president ever. Sorry kids, I just don't see it. But maybe the time has come where America is looking for a Joe Schmoe, the way they did when they elected Jimmy Carter (let's not get started about that administration - sigh).
What I've found amusing today is John Edwards. Oh, Johnny, you are a source of comic relief. You are far from your counterpart Howard Dean (yeaaaarrgghh!), but I'll take you in a pinch. Again, Johnny is running for president (I guess being a semi-ambulance-chasing trial lawyer isn't doing it for him these days). Again we hear about how horrible the poor have it (OK, I don't disagree) and how much Wal*Mart sucks. We get it. He even made a point of signing his new book at a Barnes and Noble across the parking lot from a Wal*Mart because they pay their employees more money per hour. The kicker? Barnes and Noble pays their employees $7.00 an hour. Wal*Mart pays their employees $7.50 an hour, John Edwards' acceptable wage.
But Jackie, you say, he protests more than the wages Wal*Mart pays their employees. He protests the working conditions, the horrible ways employees are treated, and so on. Fine. But I am using this as an example ... he was speaking specifically about the paying wage, not about the corporation in general.
And why does John Edwards think that $7.50 is a livable wage? Maybe for Appalachia, but certainly not in Minneapolis. And furthermore, why does he think people are poor because they are too lazy to work? Perhaps that's the case for some, but for others it's because they've fallen on hard times, the sucky job economy, not being able to afford a car to get to work and their current public transportation is scarce or doesn't even exist, or maybe government-sponsored programs such as welfare or Social Security keep people poor. Some people work two or three jobs and still can't afford to pay the rent. Some strive to get an education only to find that they still aren't qualified for a higher-paying job, and then in six months the government is calling their house asking for the first loan payment. Never mind that Congress has received seven, yes seven, pay increases since 1997.
So yeah, any jerk can go and get a job at McDonald's. That's not the problem. There are many more underlying factors, which I mentioned above. Why can't we have a safety net system? Why do we keep wasting government money on these programs that keep the classes divided? Do your homework, Johnny.
And get off my lawn.
"Jackie," he said excitedly, "You should write every day! It's important to write every day."
This advice, coming from a published author (in several countries), is now well-received. His other advice, for me to continue studying the Spanish language thus becoming fluent, wasn't as well-received. Perhaps if I would have studied abroad, I would have taken this advice as well. But studying abroad is costly, and I didn't want to pay for it for several years the way my best college friend will. That said, money isn't everything. In my short 23 years on this Earth, I've realized that health and happiness far exceed the balance in your checkbook, or the amount of debt you find yourself carrying.
I plan on writing about observations - the way things touch me, irk me, inspire me. How I would do things differently, or why I wouldn't change things for the world. I wish I had more important things to write and think about, but I'll leave that for my horribly-PC Uptown/U of M crowd. I'll let them hash over why Bush is the devil, or how Barack Obama would be the greatest president ever. Sorry kids, I just don't see it. But maybe the time has come where America is looking for a Joe Schmoe, the way they did when they elected Jimmy Carter (let's not get started about that administration - sigh).
What I've found amusing today is John Edwards. Oh, Johnny, you are a source of comic relief. You are far from your counterpart Howard Dean (yeaaaarrgghh!), but I'll take you in a pinch. Again, Johnny is running for president (I guess being a semi-ambulance-chasing trial lawyer isn't doing it for him these days). Again we hear about how horrible the poor have it (OK, I don't disagree) and how much Wal*Mart sucks. We get it. He even made a point of signing his new book at a Barnes and Noble across the parking lot from a Wal*Mart because they pay their employees more money per hour. The kicker? Barnes and Noble pays their employees $7.00 an hour. Wal*Mart pays their employees $7.50 an hour, John Edwards' acceptable wage.
But Jackie, you say, he protests more than the wages Wal*Mart pays their employees. He protests the working conditions, the horrible ways employees are treated, and so on. Fine. But I am using this as an example ... he was speaking specifically about the paying wage, not about the corporation in general.
And why does John Edwards think that $7.50 is a livable wage? Maybe for Appalachia, but certainly not in Minneapolis. And furthermore, why does he think people are poor because they are too lazy to work? Perhaps that's the case for some, but for others it's because they've fallen on hard times, the sucky job economy, not being able to afford a car to get to work and their current public transportation is scarce or doesn't even exist, or maybe government-sponsored programs such as welfare or Social Security keep people poor. Some people work two or three jobs and still can't afford to pay the rent. Some strive to get an education only to find that they still aren't qualified for a higher-paying job, and then in six months the government is calling their house asking for the first loan payment. Never mind that Congress has received seven, yes seven, pay increases since 1997.
So yeah, any jerk can go and get a job at McDonald's. That's not the problem. There are many more underlying factors, which I mentioned above. Why can't we have a safety net system? Why do we keep wasting government money on these programs that keep the classes divided? Do your homework, Johnny.
And get off my lawn.
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