Themes

Am I supposed to have a theme? Will you all go away if I don't stick to it? Certainly you all will high tail it if this just becomes whining. Maybe if any of you out there can ask a question in the comments, about depression, parenting, the recession, transgender kids, you name it, I'll try to address that issue is my next post.

Meanwhile, this week we find out if Steve gets a low-paying, temporary job with no benefits. Are we sitting on the edge of our seats?
In the words of Sarah Palin: You betcha! The alternative is stumbling along with the virtuous energy auditing and empty pockets. We thought we'd hear by now, which isn't a good sign. Please make it so.

On a baser note, Matt was bending over to caulk the back of Ted's closet where we added insulation. Yes, folks, he revealed a plumber's crack peeping out from his low-slung jeans. Is this a hazard of the working class laborers? Will I soon develop one? Frankly, folks, I'd rather have writer's cramp.

Which brings us back to me. Mi, mi, mi, mi, mi! I was helping a friend, a busy dual-income family with a small child and ADD parents. They're both academics and she needed research fact checking. I literally loved it! I'm a detective, a Lois Lane, pen behind my ear. She quoted in an academic paper on environmental law: "The U.S. has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the world's emissions." The review board asked, "Where's the citation?" A quick search proved everyone and her brother cited this statistic up the wazoo, including the New York Times. Nobody, it seems, had added a footnote. Finding a source proved difficult. With a gentle nudge from my hubby (that PhD was good for something!) I checked out the Union of Concerned Scientists. Eventually I found a chart showing the world's major polluters and the emissions per major polluter. Add them all up, figure out the percentage of the U.S. and voila! 25%! Not the quote I was looking for, but the facts, ma'am, just the facts. Later I ended up talking to mayors' offices across the country. Everybody was happy to help. In short, I've found a profession I enjoy, now to find clients...