Is It Time?

I read a lot of blogs and I have noticed that at a certain point the inevitable happens - the blogger declares it is the end!*

So I am wondering, is it time for the end of Getting to Maybe? Honestly I feel like the blogging has been all TV recapping, quotes and an occasional link to coolness in between. Do I actually have anything to say anymore besides the regurgitation of what someone else is saying? More important, do I have time to say what I want in between the stress of work and the busy life in between?

When I started this a little over 2 years ago I knew it would be hard to keep up with it. That is why I enlisted a great team of bloggers to keep up the energy. Some of you went completely missing while others** have stuck around. But truth is, I have tried to give this blog some love everyday and thankfully we have some readers to show for it. However, most stop by through some random Google search for project runway or heroes or the office and are never to be seen again.

So maybe it is time? Maybe.

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*This applies more to blogs where people don't get paid for it

**I want to give a special shout-out to Chris B, who has kept on blogging these past few weeks when I couldn't even find 5 minutes to post a quote.

Hi There!

Hey all!

Please don't hate but right now I cannot be blogging like normal. I am just swamped and really this blogging thing is just for fun when I have spare time. And right now spare time is not easy to come by. So please forgive my absence lately and once things chill out a bit over here I will be back to normal.

For now, check out the Heroes recap I did over the weekend

- Shawn

Slow Down

Hey Readers!

Time is not on my side right now so expect limited posting over the next few days. Hopefully some of the other contributors will step in and fill the void.

- Shawn

Closing Out The Summer

It is with sadness that I bring to your attention that it is officially the end of the summer. August is coming to an end, Labor Day Weekend is here and all the kiddies are headed back to school.

Not that the seasons change or anything in Miami, but there is still some type of heavy hearted feeling when summer is over. Maybe I am just reliving my feelings from high school years or maybe it is a shock at how fast time is going. Seriously, where did this entire year go?

So I bid farewell to summer and I say hello to hurricane season, the Jewish holidays, the Austin City Limits Music Festival, my sister's baby, my other sister's wedding, Thanksgiving (yes!) and the Hanukah/Christmas season! Oh, and hopefully an end to all the drama from the past few months. Amen!

And yes, I almost forget the best part - all the tv shows coming back!!! The Office, Thirty Rock, Project Runway, Lost (ok yea I know it is in a long time from now), Heroes, My Name is Earl...and possibly some newbies???

Unbelievable

The only way you could believe that this pool in Tokyo could be filled with that many people would be to see the video.

(BWE)

HELP

You guys, I'm gonna be honest with you - this has been a shitty past few days. I have no inspiration for blogging and I am just loaded with stress and sadness. As an update from my "mixed emotions" post the other day - my dog didn't fare so well after the stress he went through. I ended up coming home early from my trip to attend to him at the vet. I won't get into details but just know that the ending is sad.

And on top of that I feel like there is just no relief from all these other constant stresses in my life. After finally getting rid of my old piece of shit washing machine from months ago - I got a new washing machine and it has only given me trouble. I have had to deal with already 5 service calls and the machine still doesn't work. And guess what - they came by today to change another part - and a half hour after they leave my machine starts beeping this error code. Seriously - does it end?

Then on top of that my A/C situation is just dismal. Last week a repair guy came out and gave me the highest quote so far. I will hopefully get another person out here soon to give me another quote - but seriously I can't even afford it anyway.

And why can't I afford it? Well thanks to many increasing bills and a property tax situation - I owe a lot of money. You know that saying "buyer beware"? Well, when I bought my condo I had no clue that the former owner would lose his homestead tax exemption and I would end up paying for it. So guess what - I now owe some major big bucks to the property tax world which I have to sort out this summer.

Oh and did I mention I have to soon decide whether to trade in my car (Mini) or pay up money to continue keeping it? I really love my car. But I have this financing plan called a "balloon payment." So let's just say the car costs 20k. I financed 10k 4 years ago. Now the "balloon" of the other 10k is due. I could refinance the remaining 10k and keep my car or trade it in for a newer model. So the pros - I love the car. Another pro - it might be a little cheaper to refinance - but I am still not sure about that. The cons - it is a 4 year old car that is likely gonna need random repairs that will all be out of pocket. More cons - I am not a huge fan of the newer models but the gas mileage is a little better. I have gone back and forth about this for months now and I just can't decide what to do.

Oh and I think I am getting a cold. And my diet? Down the drain.

So with this ever shrinking bank account (soon to go into the negative) and just this general sadness I really don't know how to even think straight. So excuse me if there are no witty posts for awhile - maybe some other contributors can step up and help me out?

Graduation

The time is here again for the grads to put on their colored robes and walk down long aisles to pomp and circumstance.

And there is no better time than now to talk about all the bad advice that is given to graduates every year. Because really, how many 20-something year olds are investing in their 401k or kicked their expensive latte habit yet?

What would be some good advice for grads?
- Enjoy your possible last summer vacation while it lasts!
- Start planning your next vacation now, before it's too late
- Try to see as many places as you can before your full time career gives you only a one week vacation a year
- Buy some really great clothes now because you are going to be wearing those same outfits for at least the next 6 years
- Don't move to Florida. Just trust me on that.
- Love your email because that will be your only means of contact for most of your friends
- Get a hobby - you don't want work, the internet and TV to run your life
- Sharpen up on your random history/sports/political facts because you may end up at lunch with your 65 year old boss and he could care less about Paris Hilton.

Do you have any good advice for those leaving school behind?

(Thanks Pinc for the NY Times article)

Hmmm...

We know the daddy of Anna Nicole's baby, Dannielynn, is Larry Birkhead. After all that anticipation, does anybody feel different today?

Ashlee Simpson and The Cure?

Say it ain't so!!!

Yahoo Music News is reporting that Ashlee Simpson (yes, the Michael Jackson-esque nose job sister of Jessica, booed off stage at the Orange Bowl a few years ago) is teaming up with Robert Smith of the Cure on her new album.

Seriously? Does Robert Smith make you wanna la-la?

Life and Passover

You know guys, I'm gonna be honest with you, life sometimes SUCKS. You get traffic tickets. You get served with lawsuits. You get threatened to be arrested. You get deported. You lose money. You have panic attacks. You feel lost and overwhelmed.

And then it all comes to a head and you are just begging the universe to right itself.

And the next day you are still here. You can see the sun is out and the ground is below your feet. You can still hear music. You can tell people you love them. You can pet your dog. You can eat chocolate.

And all that bullshit that happened before? It doesn't go away but it gets dealt with. You pay your bills, you find alternative ways to fix things. You fight back against oppressive people. You may not win, but at least you have the power to do it!

So, we all go through it. We all get drama and suffering thrown at us like the rain pours from the clouds. But we still make it to the next day where we can only hope for the best.

To my fellow Jews - hope this Passover is shared with loved ones. Hope your matzo doesn't make you constipated. Hope your food doesn't get cold during the boring prayers during the Seder. And take the lessons of passover, and life, with you - we suffer but we live to see another day.

Some Random Thoughts For Today

Elad just started a new job at a place called Genius Jones (a design store with all things for children - toys, books, clothes, furniture, strollers, etc). He is almost insanely excited about this new atmosphere. He loves the people, the work, the toys.

I continue to sit at my boring desk with piles of documents to read and fight over. No toys. No fun. No fair.

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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just went to the mid-East to spark peace talks. She was hoping to get a final status on some issues such as Jerusalem, the borders of an eventual Palestinian state and the question of whether Palestinian refugees who fled, or were forced to leave, their homes would have a right to return to Israel. All she got was an agreement that Palestinians and Israeli's would talk twice a month in an attempt to resolve these issues.

Ms. Rice, greater people have tried to bring peace and they have failed. I think even God himself called them on a few occasions and negotiated some deal that failed. Nice try. I hope you didn't bill me for that trip.

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The word babies and engagement seem to be everywhere lately. Is it just me?

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It seems that everytime I click on Yahoo news I get at least three stories about abnormal animals in the "most popular" section. Is that what the world is really interested in? Maybe I need to refocus this blog...

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Have you heard of the Pat Tillman story? Pat was a football player for the Arizona Cardinals who enlisted in the army 8 months after the September 11 attacks. He died in battle. First he was made out to be a hero, given a Silver Star and Purple Heart for dying at the hand (or barrel) of enemy fire. At some point down the line his family was informed that Pat actually died from "friendly fire" (that word cracks me up) when he was accidentally shot by another US soldier who thought he was an enemy. After he was shot both American and Afghan soldiers attended to him. His clothes was burned and the entire incident was covered up by the US Army. Until a few months later, when the truth came to light and now there are some serious questions about investigations, cover-ups and how deaths in this war are being handled.

No surprise. Lies! Lies!

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Subprime Mortgages are causing people (especially in Florida) to lose their homes. Many adjustable loans fall into this category, where a lender offers a loan with a low introduction rate which jumps up after two years to a rate that the borrower could not afford and causes a default. Also, there are mortgages where you pay a low amount each month which actually takes away from the equity in your home. In some cases a person with a 90k mortgage could end up owing almost 300k after a few years. And the entire time, the borrower thinks they are paying their home and owning it when in fact they are losing their home to a shady business.

Really sad. I think I was offered one of these when I went shopping for a mortgage a few months ago. Luckily I passed it over and insisted on a fixed mortgage.

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I checked out one of my favorite blogs, Cityrag, and saw a post entitled "Getting to the Maybe". The post had nothing to do with this blog so understandably there was no link to this blog. But still, I am a bit confused and yet flattered at the same time.

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Two people (a non-married couple traveling together) both fell off a Princess cruise into the Gulf of Mexico a few days ago. They refuse to disclose the reason for their fall. The man who fell decided to stick around on the cruise after the fall and the woman decided to go back to land. The crew was informed by friends of the couple that they fell off the boat (how did the friends know??). The Captain immediately turned the boat around and spent 4 hours searching the waters. They were both found in the water with minor injuries.

So why won't they tell us what happened? Why did they fall off the boat? They are demanding privacy but it doesn't look like they are blaming the ship. Ohhhh I am so interested in hearing about this lover's quarrel!!!

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Update on my New Year's Resolutions. I got Bubba's teeth removed. He now only has 2 teeth left. He is doing GREAT. He is very active and happy. I think he is a puppy again (or maybe just acting 12 instead of almost 15 years old). Anyway, I am so happy I went through with it even with all the risks that were involved.

Oh and that eating healthy diet thing....I am still at it. I think I have lost a few pounds but the clothes are still the same size. But, I haven't given up yet!! Now I just need to get to that exercise....