Here we go! Let's start with the "how come department"

Is it a relatively boring MNF game that has sent me over the edge to create a new blog (can't access the old one) or just my general crankiness??????

How come..............?

1) It's all about the credit markets? Didn't the over-extension of credit get us into all the trouble in the first place? On CNBC tonight I heard a mortgage banker say that they're now going back to checking credit and income and assets - standards that she said the industry had gotten lax about. Cheap credit - that's all we've been hearing about for years. Well, you get what you pay for and now we're all paying for it. I hope that when they (i.e. the government bailout officials) work with people who face foreclosure that they let people stay in their homes, but re-write the mortgages to get back some of our investment through profit sharing. Maybe someday they'll reward those who have saved and spent wisely. How about a tax credit for socking away some money?

2)Speaking of rewards.... Why do magazines always have special deals for new subscribers only? How about rewarding long-time subscribers?

3) Our Congressman is running against our Senator. He says it's time for "change." Um, Sir, haven't you already been in Washington for 12 years........................? Does changing chambers constitute real change? My brother says he's only going to vote for those who aren't incumbents in any shape or form. Maybe he's on to something.............

By the way, I'm forming a new political party - "The mad-as-hell-and-I'm-not-going-to-take-it-anymore" party. Care to join........?

4)The camera always catches a baseball player spitting something foul from his mouth? The other night during a Red Sox game, the camera did a close up of a Tampa Bay player leaning his chin on a railing. He had a mouth full of something. You just knew some disgusting projectile was going to come out of his mouth and the director would tell the camera man to stay with the shot until he did spit! Ugh.

5)"It's company policy......" Had a conversation with someone a couple of days ago about company policies. My favorite corporate ridiculousness? Going to the doctor's office every day for about 3 weeks for physical therapy. Not only did I have to present my insurance card each day, they had to take a xerox of it each and every time.

I once had to pick a large package up at the local UPS distribution office. It was a glass lamp. The box was in terrible shape. I wanted to open it right there to inspect it, but they told me that I had to take it home and open it there. If there was damage to the lamp, I could then call them and they would then send a truck out to make a special pick up to return the package. Um, wasn't I right where the trucks were when I went to pick up the package in the first place?Hmm, let me see. That would have cost them additional man hours, paperwork, gas, wear and tear on their vehicle, etc. Duh! Sorry that was company policy. I did ask to speak to a manager and convince him that the economical and common sense thing to do was to let me open the package there. Fortunately the lamp was in fine shape.

Whew! That's enough for tonight. Patriots win! Good game, Bruins - sorry it didn't end with a W. Heal well and quickly, Mike Lowell. Thanks for another fun year, Red Sox.

Up next - good reads and other favorite pastimes................BTW - I'm not really a cranky person, but that felt good. Let's see what a cup of tea and a biscotti does for my mood..........