The Chronic Consumer

If ever I have been in need of a vacation, this is it. My stress levels are at an all-time high because of work and school right now. I am currently working on my Master’s thesis, which obviously takes a lot of time and effort, and trying to fit that in while still working 20 hours a week is really wearing me down. Plus, I still have to do what I can in terms of housework and cooking, so it’s really tough to stay on top of things. I would love to take a short vacation to give myself a chance to decompress and regroup.

I have heard wonderful things about the Outer Banks, and ever since reading the Nicholas Sparks book Rodanthe Nights a while ago, I’ve wanted to visit the place. It would be amazing to spend a week or so in one of the nicer Outer Banks rentals — like Seahawk House (pictured) by Carolina Designs. The property is in a very quiet location and has so many amenities that we would never have to leave! But it’s also situated within easy access to Duck Village if we wanted to go shopping or check out a terrific sunset.

While I doubt that I’ll actually be able to spare the time to go on vacation, it’s still nice to sit here and dream about it! Maybe someday we’ll be able to go….

This past summer my 7-year-old son went fishing with my husband several times and absolutely loved it. He had a blast with the whole process: waking up at the crack of dawn, driving to the lake, going out on a friend’s boat, etc. He even started baiting his own hooks at the end there, which is something I could never do!

Anyway, he’s recently been asking for a pocket knife of his own to use on future fishing trips. Is 7 too young for a pocket knife? We wouldn’t let him carry it around on a daily basis, of course, but would hold it for him and just let him use it while fishing or hiking. If we got him one of those speed safe knives that open more smoothly than regular knives, would that help? It should be noted that the boy will be 8 soon after Christmas and is a bit more mature than kids his age.

Still… this is something we’re going to have to think about some more. I remember being fascinated with pocket knives when I was that age too, but I didn’t actually get one until I was 10 or so.

Maybe I’ve been a bit too quick to end my search for effective weight loss pills. I thought I was doing OK on my low-carb diet, but I’ve now managed to climb back up to where I was before I started that approach. I’m already exercising as much as possible given my daily time constraints, and I can’t really fathom eating fewer than my current 1600-1800 calories daily. So either I’m going to have to get help from a supplement, or I just need to accept that I’m never going to lose that last five pounds!

Have you heard about this gold monopoly game? According to the WSJ blog, this special edition was handcrafted out of 18k gold and is highlighted with various jewels. It took creator Sidney Mobell, a jeweler, 365 days to finish the piece. It should be noted that when Mobell started working on the game, gold was selling for $360-$460 per ounce, but now goes for some $1300 per ounce — making the game worth some $2 million!!! Wow!

By now you’ve undoubtedly seen pictures of the rescued Chilean miners who are recovering in a hospital after spending an incredible 69 days underground. You’ve probably noticed that they’re all wearing some very cool sunglasses as well. Those sunglasses are necessary because of increased light sensitivity after being underground for so long. The shades are Oakley Radar with Range or Pitch lenses and were donated by the company. Of course, that turned out to be a savvy marketing move, as lots of folks are interested in the glasses now.

I wonder what other kinds of companies can get additional exposure from that situation. Obviously the miners won’t need free handouts of any top rated diet pills, but I’m sure they’ll get a bunch of other stuff. And you know what? They deserve it. I certainly can’t imagine going through what they did and maintaining my sanity!!

OK, I don’t know how much longer I can take this. Even though I’m dead tired every night, I can’t seem to fall asleep for very long. I drift off for about 15-30 minutes, but then some slight noise or movement wakes me up and I’m wide awake for the next several hours. The lack of rest is seriously cutting into my production at work and school, so I’m now looking for some kind of sleep aid to put me out at night. I would prefer something all-natural because the last thing I want is to become dependent on pills. Is there anything out there that you would recommend?

McDonald’s announced that it will start selling the McRib sandwich again! Yes, I’m one of those people that actually likes McDonald’s and I find the McRib to be a nice change from the usual burger/chicken options on the menu. This is not a sandwich that I get very often, but it’s pretty good every once in a while. I think I’ll celebrate its return by treating myself to lunch there tomorrow!

Have you tried Listerine Zero yet? All I have to say about this product is “thank God!” Regular Listerine was just too damn intense for me, and made me feel like my tongue was gonna burn off. I couldn’t rinse with that stuff for more than 20 seconds without giving up, but Listerine Zero is far more tolerable. I know, I know, I could have just switched to a different brand, but what can I say? I’m a creature of habit…