Tag Archives: finances

Shirt off your back

Posted on August 16, 2011 | 1 Comment

The rich pay fewer taxes, and celebrities get free clothes — just some of life’s many injustices.

But you would think — if you were one of those lucky celebs — you’d wear free clothing that was a) good-looking and b) looked good on you.

Case in point:  Express has been giving away the same blue-and-red striped dress to a lot of young actresses in Hollywood.  Take a look-see:

Now, with the exception of January Jones (who is many months pregnant right now), these are some of the skinniest women on the planet..and yet the broad, horizontal stripes make them appear short and wide and thick, which I doubt was the goal.

(Imagine what this dress would look like on someone of average size, height and weight.  No, I take that back…don’t.)

I know it’s free, ladies, but that doesn’t mean you have to wear it.  Your jobs all pay pretty well.  Although you may have forgotten how, you can pay for your own clothing…just like the rich can pay more taxes.

(Well, it’s fun to think about anyway…isn’t it?)

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Posted in Beauty, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Fashion, Finances, Humor, Life

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Attitude adjustment

Posted on August 7, 2011 | 2 Comments

I wasn’t the big winner in the Fancy Farm Picnic car raffle.

The chances were slim, I know.  But anytime I enter a raffle or play the lottery, I seriously think I am going to win.

Crazy, right?

I’ve read the odds on the Mega Millions drawing.  It’s some insane figure like 1 in 175,711,536.  And yet, on the extremely rare occasions I buy a lottery ticket — or a raffle ticket for the Fancy Farm Picnic, where the odds are a wee bit better…

I really think I’m gonna win.

Does everyone who plays the lottery feel such certainty when they lay their money on the counter?  They’re investing — and losing — funds on a more regular basis, so maybe not.

But when the lottery says “you can’t win if you don’t play”…

I expect to win.

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Posted in Commentary, Entertainment, Finances, Games, Humor, Life

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Travel tips

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Have you spent the morning after the 4th perusing your friends’ vacation snaps online?

I know I have.

I stayed in Manhattan this year, but many folks left the city to find their bliss.  The question is: how did they decide whether to drive or fly?

I found a nifty calculator on BeFrugal.com that helps you compare the cost and time of both modes of transportation, so you can make the best choice for every trip.

Just enter your starting and ending destinations, the length of your stay, even the estimated price of hotels along the way if you were to drive.  The calculator will show you the relative cost of the trip by car and plane in dollars and hours.

It even tells you the carbon footprint for each — my, they’ve thought of everything!

Well…not everything.

Which is why I would like to propose my own travel calculator….which I believe simplifies things quite a bit.  You only have to answer two questions.

  1. Who is paying for the trip?  If the answer is “me,” proceed to TRAIN  or BUS.  If the answer is “someone else,” proceed to PLANE.
  2. How long will it take to drive?  IF the answer is under 2 hours, proceed to TRAIN.  If the answer is more than 2 hours, proceed to PLANE.

I hope this has been helpful.

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Posted in Airplanes, Automobiles, Cars, Commentary, Family, Finances, Green, Holiday, Humor, Life, transportation, Travel, Vacation

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Easy money

Posted on September 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

I’m going to be rich.

David Letterman gave me the idea last night on his show.

Joaquin Phoenix returned to the program to apologize for the whacked out behavior he exhibited on his last appearance on “Late Show with David Letterman” in 2009.

Back then, Phoenix showed up in a bushy beard, sunglasses and a near-catatonic state.  Dave initially tried to make conversation, but then just hurled zingers at Phoenix’s expense.

My favorite?  “Sorry you couldn’t be here tonight, Joaquin.”  Classic.

Dave didn’t know at the time that it was all an act for the documentary Phoenix and Casey Affleck were shooting, I’m Still Here, which is in theaters now.

Apparently five minutes of the TV interview with Dave is included in the documentary…without the “Late Show’s” permission.  Letterman brought up the slight last night…and asked for a cool $1 million dollars in payment.

If possible, Phoenix looked even more uncomfortable than last time.

So, now my retirement plans are set.  Find a movie, TV or documentary set.  Get on tape without permission.  Sue the production.  Retire to Bermuda.

It just might work.

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Posted in Business, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Finances, Humor, Movies, Television, TV

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