Friday, June 19, 2009

The Answer to All Your Financial (and other) Problems!

Some of us are really suffering financially right now. The car industry is crashing in the United States, people are losing their jobs and houses, and many of us just don't have the extra walking-around-money that we used to.

I found inspiration when I heard about an upcoming fundraiser to take place in Ruidoso next week. A couple who has been trying, unsuccessfully, to reproduce is having a private party that you can go to (yes, you) for just $30 to help them raise money for whatever treatments are necessary for them to win at the game of making a mini-me. Chefs from around town are volunteering to prepare the donated food, and drinks will be served as well. I'm not certain if the booze is included, but it doesn't matter because I won't be attending.

Personally, I find this event wrong on so many levels. Whether or not these folks are feeling the pinch from the economy is really besides the point. If they don't have enough money to have fertility treatments, they probably don't have enough money to properly rear a child, clothe it, send it off to school, help it survive on the $20K he or she will make post-college, etc. It seems that many of these "deals" also result in multiples that the parents can't afford, in which case they sell their souls to TLC for diapers, Juicy Juice, and Johnson & Johnson baby hygiene products.

I may sound incredibly harsh to an innumerable amount of people, but I more or less subscribe to natural selection, and if you can't do it on your own, you probably weren't meant to spawn. But as humans, we have options. There are the fertility treatments/procedures that can have great results for responsible parents, or they can result in multiples that have to be terminated, or the ol' trial and error miscarriage. Why can people who want children initiate a risky pregnancy that will likely result in miscarriage, or initiate a pregnancy that will likely result in multiple embryos that must be removed, but the women who seek, and the doctors who perform, abortions are persecuted and killed for their choice? This seriously has ethical debacle written all over it, but I doubt many people here (including myself) would be brave enough to say something publicly.

Another option is adoption. I don't know how much it costs in comparison to fertility treatments, but why doesn't the couple in question consider taking on a child who was abandoned or whose parents could not care for him or her? Why bring another child onto this already crowded planet when there are plenty here already who need homes?

You know, have kids if you are so inclined, but please be responsible adults in stable relationships and in stable financial situations. I encourage you to give the world intelligent, well-mannered individuals that you can care for until they are well and able to care for themselves.

And in the meantime, I'll be planning my superficial fundraiser so I can get Botox and liposuction. If you need financial help, you should plan one too...

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Last Chance...

This is not exactly an important post. I guess none of mine really are, right? Anyways, as some of you may or may not know, I went to see Kings of Leon last week in Phoenix. They rocked. Melted my face off a little. The concert was sold out (packed) with die hard KoL fans and a bunch of posers who looked a lot like they just had a season pass to the Mesa Amphitheater.

I've been a Kings of Leon fan since I heard them on Sirius (I think on Alt Nation) like two years ago. Believe it or not, as young as they still are, they've been making music for many years. If you're not a fan yet, or haven't heard of them (which amazingly many people haven't), this is probably your last chance to check them out before they blow up Sunday on the MTV Movie Awards. I imagine they'll play "Sex on Fire" or "Use Somebody" and the rest will be history (along with their now somewhat-over-thought hair styles... except the drummer; his flair is expressed with a glittering silver drum kit). But seriously, if you haven't heard Caleb Followill sing yet, you're missing out.

Tangent: My other new favorite band just happened to open for KoL. They're called The Walkmen and have a really cool sound. Kinda old rock. Like ghost guitars being played by some really unassuming guys. I love to see a band before a stylist gets to them. They had cheap jeans, un-ironed shirts and probably self-cut hair. But I loved Hamilton Leithauser's Wayfarers. I know what you're wondering: Were they Ray Bans? I don't know. I do know they moved out to the grassy knoll after their set and awaited girls to wander towards their rock star magnetism, after which they seem to have disappeared. I have a feeling some chicks missed KoL to party with The Walkmen. Anyways, check them out too.

I'm not a music critic. I just know what I like and don't like, which ranges from Guns n' Roses to The BeeGees. So judge for yourself, but check them out. You won't be sorry! :)

Friday, March 06, 2009

Updates and Whatnot

It seems like not much has been going on, but maybe a lot has. The year wasn't off to the best start, as one of my friends passed away, and his funeral was the same day that my own brother died three years ago. I went to Farmington for the services, which was basically like an out of body experience, going back to my hometown, seeing a couple of high school/college friends, and sleeping in the house I lived in for most of my teen years.

Death trips aside, I've been staying busy at Landlocked, bartending, making the desserts, planning killer beer and wine dinners, etc. Business seems pretty good despite this slow season and the economy and I'm just having fun, doing nothing with my degrees, and starting to really not care about that fact.

Aaron and I got a Great Dane puppy in December and her name is Penelope. She is awesome and huge and just a great dog. I had to get Willie neutered because he fell madly in love with her about three weeks ago for some reason. It was pretty pathetic watching an eight pound poodle try and get it on with a 50-pound Great Dane...

I'm looking forward to a great rest of the year and hopefully I'll be more inspired to write interesting and witty things like I used to soon...