All Moved

You may now find SO NOT AN EXPERT: BUT WILLING TO COMMENT ON MOST THINGS at the Chicago Tribune's Chicago Now blog site. It's under News & Opinion, subcategory Voices.

I still have a bit of adjusting to do and need to add a photo, but it's up!

Here's the link:
chicagonow.com/sonotanexpert

Thanks so much for reading!
Jackie

Moving

My apologies.

I'm in the process of moving SO NOT AN EXPERT to the Chicago Tribune's Chicago Now blog site.

Things should be up and running by tomorrow, Thursday, March 4. There's a lot to learn!

Thanks for your patience.

-Jackie

Long Lost Friend's Success Gives Me Hope...

...Hope for my own male offspring, that is.

I had planned to post something else today, but once my sister sent this my way, I had to go with it (see http://freep.com/article/20100302/SPORTS08/100301060/1356/SPORTS/CMU-coach-Dan-Enos-philosophy).

Kendra, my Texan sister, stumbled upon this article accidentally. On a whim, she decided to check the local news from our hometown in Michigan. We had no idea.

You see, I grew up with Dan Enos, the new head coach of Central Michigan University's football team. We went to school together from grade school on.* He was my kid sister's summer-time softball coach and was once nice enough to buy lemonade (that she stirred with her bare hands and licorice sticks) from her not-so-prosperous front yard stand.

I remember him (yes, I know he's not dead, but it's been a long time) as a good-looking, smart, kind, funny, and confident young man who walked with a natural strut I'd never seen before, a swagger that most likely contributed to his propensity for attracting (or causing) a teeny bit of trouble.

There was, of course, the grade school gym teacher who threw him against a locker and held him there by his neck...for what, I don't know. Not that there's ever a reason for a teacher to do that.

Then there was the experimentation with cigarette smoking in my parents' garage. Luckily, it didn't become a habit for anyone who took part in that stupidity...at least that I know of.

There was also our high school's senior year spring break in Daytona Beach. That was a trip to remember, or not, depending on how you look at (or recall) things. (As a result, my children, by the way, will NOT be partaking in any sort of senior trip.)

If my memory serves me right, that trip, which involved drinking and fighting, nearly cost Dan his full-ride football scholarship to Michigan State. He was physically and formally removed from the state of Florida.

Occasionally, I have wondered, whatever became of this guy? I have told old time stories of him to my family.

I am only too happy to know that he, once being the handful he was, found success. Dan has been coaching in some capacity for many years at many colleges, including our own Southern Illinois (1997-1998), according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Enos). I wish him and his family all the best.

I say this for three reasons:

1. I do mean it.
2. My kids may one day need a good word put in for 'em.
3. Dan's made me realize my son's gonna be just fine.

As my good-hearted but sometimes rascally 13-year-old navigates his way through the teenage years, I'm going to need to reflect on the Dan Enos story over and over and over again.

I'll remember that no matter what completely asinine thing he tries--peeing on the school's bathroom wall, engaging in modern warfare with airsoft guns inside the house, igniting the fumes of his Axe body spray,  and wearing shorts and no coat when it's 30 degrees outside--there is hope.

And, the next time (there had better not be a next time for this one) he explodes an empty aerosol can in the backyard fire pit, risking shrapnel injuries for Pete's sake, and says, "But, mom, we made sure to move the chairs outta the way," I'm going to ground his butt through the next century.

Then I'm going to take a deep breath and know that one day, when he's set free into the world, he and the world are going to be OK.

Indeed, there is hope.

How about you? Has someone you know allayed any reservations or fears you've had? Do you worry about the future of your kids, or is it just me?

*To be sure I'm laying out all of my potential conflicts of interest, I do have to reveal that Dan was my best middle school guy friend turned "boyfriend" for the briefest of time--like maybe a week or two. (Please do not tell this to my children who, as current middle schoolers, are far too young to be engaged in such folly, no matter how innocent.)

A Penny for Your Thoughts...

...My husband says, literally, because that's about what I'm paid.

Money isn't everything.

Jeez.

Surviving Without Checks

I ran out of checks several months ago. You know...the personal paper things that you physically tear from a tangible checkbook.

I haven't replaced them since.

Why, you ask? Two reasons, really.

1. I'm hypothosizing that they are unnecessary and, thus, are a deletable expense.

2. I wanted to see if I could really survive without them (gotta put a little spice in my life).

So far so good. Sure, there have been times when I really wished I'd had some checks...like at Christmas time, when I wanted to send my out-of-state nieces and nephews a gift. I knew sending cash was not smart and, to me, sending gift cards seemed equally risky. I wound up ordering them books from Barnes & Noble, because, hey, books are always good gifts and they were shipped free.

When the Girls Scouts came around seeking payment for their cookies, I cursed myself for not being better prepared. In one case, I put off the delivery, because I had no cash on hand. (Oh, why don't they take credit and debit cards, I found myself wishing, along with, why doesn't my family stay away from the cash in my wallet?) In another case, my husband accepted the baked goods with a promise that I'd run to the bank for cash and deliver to the girls later (which I did, by the way...you can't cheat good little samaritans, especially when they live next door).

So, how have I been handling all my other payments? On-line banking. It really is so convenient...the bank writes the checks for you, stuffs them in envelopes, and picks up the expense to mail them. My service is free, but I can imagine it would still be cost effective, even paying a small monthly charge.

For all other transactions, I pay cash or use my debit or credit card. It isn't all that bad being checkless. I have a friend who finds herself in the same situation and she's doing fine, too.

My banker just let me know that I am entitled to free checks with my account, but, you know, I think I'm going to pass. I'll let you know how things turn out....

How about you? Do you write many checks nowadays? Could you survive without them?

I'm Gonna Be Rich...or Disappointed

Much to the chagrin of my children, when I find a mistake on a receipt, I get my money back...before I even leave the store. I'll do it for a few bucks, a dollar, even a lousy nickel...it doesn't matter.

I march myself, sometimes leaving a mortified preteen a bazillion feet behind me, right on up to the customer service desk (or the register where I made my purchase) and point out the mistake. Although I do this with all the politeness I can muster, I do not think these stores or employees (or my kids) much like me.

Well, I don't give a hoot. Money is money...or maybe I'm just plain crazy.

Keep in mind that every store has a different price-guarantee policy and every employee of every store seems to handle things differently. More often than not I get the price difference refunded. Occasionally, I'll get the item free (this is rare, but it does happen). If it's my mistake, I either return the item or keep it and chalk it up to a learning-to-remember-better experience.

I do, however, have to warn you that my mistakes are few and far between. After being home with my family surviving on one income for so long, I am slow approaching expert level at bargain shopping. I can pretty much remember the price of ANYTHING. (Such talent, I know.)

That said, I thought it would be fun and educational to keep track of how much these mistakes can add up to...just how much money can be saved in a single year.

Here's where we stand today, February 26th, 2010 (Day 1): $2.58. I'll post updates periodically.

What's your guesstimate on the one-year total? Do you keep close track of your purchases, or could you care less?

Those Forwarded Personal Emails

It's like nobody wants to read them.

"Mom, I'm about THIS close," my daughter says as she shows me her thumb and forefinger about a half inch apart, "to marking you as spam."

"You wouldn't!" I say, shocked and rather offended.

"I would." I think she means it.

Ms. Smarty Pants. Forget soap in the mouth, I think to myself, how about a nice run through the washing machine?

After hundreds, OK maybe thousands, of forwards sent his way, my husband came home from work one day, put his foot down and said, "Enough with the forwards already," in his I'm-trying-really-hard-to-be-kind voice. Nice guy and all, but man he could use a sedative.

My sister-in-law...now, she was smart. She caught it right away, nipped things in the bud, as she politely asked me to remove her from my forward list--after the very first one!

Still, I remain strong. I continue to pass on emailed inspiration to those not brave enough to tell me to stop. And even then, I press on...ignoring my very own sister, my own flesh and blood, when she tells me I'm cursing her forever because she doesn't know 10 people to pass the stinkin' chain mails on to.

It's like a sickness, an addiction really, that they just don't have a name for yet.

I'm not blaming, I'm just saying, it's my friend Mary. I do so love Mary (for the benefit of Mary, who may very well be reading this). She sends me them, I read them, and then feel compelled to pass them along. They're cute (especially the animal ones)...I just can't help it.

The intentions are good. I always imagine the recipient smiling (as I do when I get them) when they see my name and insightful message in their in box; but, in reality, they are... flinching...or sighing...or ignoring...or deleting. Yet I refuse to see it.

I've heard of other people with the forwarding addiction going so far as to send the messages with the "FWD" part removed to trick people into opening them. There's no other way around it. I'm going to have to get sneaky.

Now, I'm no expert at human relations, but it seems people might get a bit angry (angrier) with me.

How do you feel about forwards? Are you a fan...or do you simply get annoyed by them?