[caption id="attachment_291" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Photo from www.thepopularmechanics.com"][/caption] With the gas prices lower than they've ever been in months, people are starting to breathe a little bit easier again.  However, there is a big likelihood that with the elections now over, the prices will start to go back up. I have been looking for an economical way to commute to and from work and have semi-seriously considered buying a Vespa.  I only have to travel 10 miles one way, but most of it is on state and interstate highways.  However, the 2008 Vespa's top speed is 59 mph, not ideal on the interstate.  Then I stumble upon an article on the 2008 Piaggio MP3 500.  I have to admit it is funky-looking, but those three wheels give it more stability than your standard two-wheeler.  This Piaggio model can get 60 MPG and has a top speed of 90 mph.  Zoom, zoom! Though sorely tempted, all I have to do is look at my children and I come to my senses.  But those with an adventurous spirit looking for something different, click here to read more about the Piaggio.

Up for bidding recently on eBay were a pair of black lacy panties described as "size humongous" and an empty packet of condom "size small". The seller says of the panties: "They are so huge I thought they may make someone a nice shawl, or even better, something for Halloween perhaps." The scorned wife says she came home and found her husband of 22 years "acting suspiciously" and tried to prevent her from going to their bedroom, where the lover's panties were still on the foot of the bed, and the condom packet under his pillow. The wife promised that his Harley will be up for bidding next, beginning at $0.99 with no reserve.  Oh, if only breakups were as amiable as Simon and Terri's! Photo and Article from The Sun | digg story

Simon Cowell and Terri Seymour have split up, reportedly due to Simon's unwillingness to get married and have a family.  They were together for six years.  Simon may have left Terri broken-hearted, but he did not leave her broke:  he gave him $5 million in cash and a home worth $4.6 million.  That's a lot of retail therapy! Photo from The Hollywood Gossip.

Since the Nebraska Safe Haven Law went into effect this July 2008, 17 children have been given up at various Nebraska hospitals.  The Safe Haven law was intended to protect unwanted newborn children, but no age limit is specified in the Nebraska Law.   Recently, the following were abandoned at Creighton University Medical Center: Nine children aged 1 through 17 who were abandoned by the father after the mother died last year and he lost his job this year. He allowed his 18-year old daughter to stay at home.  His in-laws lamented that he should have approached them first and they would have been happy to help.  They are now fighting to gain custody of the children. A 14-year old girl from Iowa who was driven to and abandoned in Nebraska by her grandparents in to "teach her a lesson".  The grandparents later changed their mind and got her back. Read the entire text of the Nebraska Safe Haven Law  here. Experts now say there is great potential for this law to be abused, and with how badly the economy is doing nowadays, they fear that many more children could be abandoned. Image from Stephen & Karen Conn's Nebraska Travel Tips.

And so it starts ... answering the telephone and facing up to these debt collectors.  It was actually pretty hilarious, considering the situation. As I had mentioned before, there was an order to garnish my wages, and my employer complied with the order and decided to garnish an entire paycheck.  Since we are living paycheck to paycheck as it is, that really put us in a bind.  I couldn't pay any bills and had to be super creative in feeding my family of four for two weeks.  The family didn't starve, but the bills still need to be paid. Since that garnishment I have been a month behind on my car loan payment.  Since this wasn't the first time in my history with them that I had been late in paying, my account is probably on their Watch List.  Their rep would call every day  at random times.  After I decided to grow a backbone, I answered their call yesterday.  After I said "Hello" there was stunned silence for a few seconds, then a tentative "Lily?  Is this Lily?"  I actually grinned. She questioned me about when I was going to be able to pay, and I calmly told her that I might be ...

In The Top Ten Things a Broke Person is Afraid Of, #1 was "The Telephone", for good reason:  I am speaking from experience.  We have long gotten rid of our land line, so collectors call my cell phone.  A blessing and a curse:  Since I have my cell phone with me, collection calls follow me wherever I go.  But since it is a cell phone, I can customize ring tones for phone numbers, and you betcha, I customized all the collectors' phone numbers with a "Silent" ring.  :-)  Works wonderfully! Still, they leave voice mail, and listening to that is still a stressor -- a reminder that I am broke.  It is also a reminder that I am being cowardly.  This song called "Fill the World With Love" has been playing over and over in my head:  "And the question God shall ask only I can answer:  Was I brave and strong and true?".  I decided to take the hint:  it was time to grow a backbone, be brave,  and stop hiding. I am going to start answering the phone, deal with the mess I am in, and put a plan together with the ultimate goal of being debt-free. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itnXw9h4pII

Would you? In one of the blogs to which I subscribe, the author talked about a friend who “had a modest job yet always has the latest gadgets”.  Intrigued, the author asked the friend how she was paying for all that stuff.  The friend confessed to the author that she’s been selling naked pictures of herself on the Internet. The post was astounding to me for several reasons: 1. The blog was a money-saving blog and I was not expecting the authors to address ”less mainstream” ideas. 2. The author had the nerve to ask her friend how she pays for stuff.  What would Miss Manners say? 3. The author described the friend as “pretty but a bit pudgy”. Wow. 4. A woman would want indecent pictures of herself all over the Internet.  What if a friend or family member saw it? The blog post went on to say that there are adults-only auction sites where a girl can try to sell not only Playboy centerfold-type … umm … “spreads”, but also their high-heels, outfits and even underwear.  If it hasn’t been washed, would it fetch a higher price?  Hmmm. That author’s friend claimed that her annual income from this online venture is around $6,000.  Not a bad haul. I sure could use an extra ...

Addie Polk, a 90-year old Ohio woman, attempted to kill herself with a gun as local deputies were arriving to evict her from her home.  Bloggers are calling her "the face of the crisis", embodying not just financial hardship but also lack of financial guidance. Ms. Polk has lived in her home for around 38 years, according to neighbors.  The mortgage was paid off in 1982.  She had since re-mortgaged her home three times since 1997 to ease financial burdens.  What would probably helped her is a reverse mortgage to allow her access to her home equity without having to make monthly payments.  Those lenders that have given her a mortgage since 1997 should have explored other options for Ms. Polk to consider based on her age.  Her last mortgage was with Countrywide in 2004, the mortgage company that had become infamous in recent times for its mortgage practices. The people of Akron, Ohio have rallied behind Ms. Polk, including the OH Congressman Dennis Kucinich.  A Fannie Mae spokesperson has also said that Ms. Polk's mortgage has been forgiven.  Ms. Polk is in critical condition at the Akron General Medical Center.

A mixture of dread and hope.  That is what I felt all the while I was reading Ms. Betty Londergan's book "The Agony and The Agony".  As a parent of a 14-year old daughter and a 13-year old son, I am certainly in the throes of the agony of parenting teenagers.  They drive me up the wall.  They drive me nuts.  Sometimes they drive me to drive to the nearest bookstore cafe, where I can soothe my feelings with latte and chocolate cake while getting lost in a suspense novel. In the introductory part of the book, Ms. Londergan mentioned that raising teens isn't funny, so much so that she thought it was time for a funny book on the subject.  She certainly has  a great sense of humor.  However, I felt that the earlier chapters of the book were too focused on being funny that I equated it to watching a parenting seminar on Saturday Night Live.  I also didn't care much for the flippant references to coping with the parenting issues by drinking alcohol. Halfway through, Ms. Londergan toned the humor down a bit and her insight on the issues facing the parents of today's teens really shine through.  From filthy ...

A wheelchair-bound man wheeled into a Dallas 7-11. Armed with a knife and a baseball bat, he went straight for the cash register and smashed it until it opened. However, he must have had more important things to do. Instead of taking cash out of the register, he grabbed 10 boxes of condoms and an energy drink before rolling on out of there. Now there's a man with clearly-defined priorities in life! read more | digg story