NARITA, Japan (AP) -- The Dalai Lama said he supports China's hosting of the Summer Olympics on Thursday, but insisted that nobody had the right to tell protesters demanding freedom for Tibet "to shut up."

Unless I'm missing a vital piece of information, I don't think the Summer Olympics are being held on Thursday. Why do trivial mistakes in syntax and sentence formation drive me nuts?

Office, rearranged, originally uploaded by redefining.

The energy feels better now that I've moved things around a bit. And the best part? I don't have to face any flourescent lights (since my office partner insists upon turning those on).

It's a Suzuki Burgman 400 and gets 55-65 mpg. He's loving it! His ultimate plan is to sell the Miata and get a small truck. He knows he needs a vehicle a bit more practical than the Miata, but he also wanted to have something fun and good on gas. This was the answer.

One issue we had was how we were going to accomplish this goal of solvency given that we have separate checking accounts and a significant income disparity. We discussed it at length and ultimately made the decision to unify for the sake of the bottom line.

We started by creating a spreadsheet of all our debt and then ranked the creditors into two categories: revolving debt and monthly bills. We then ranked the revolving debt based on the interest rates for each of the accounts. This part was quite alarming to see. Even though we had kept a close eye on our bills all along, we realized that only when that information is consolidated into one location is it possible to see the big picture. The revolving debt itself totaled in excess of $41,000. While this amount was still below one-third of our total income (which we had understood to be a good thing), it was a significant percentage of our total income. And we were paying interest on most of it!

So, we got to work.

I called the credit card companies and negotiated a lower interest rate on any of the cards carrying balances. We had nothing to lose except our income (being spent on interest). I was quite surprised at how easy it was to get these rates dropped on most of the accounts. We then separated our debt repayment into phases, determining that Phase 1 debt was the sum total of the accounts carrying higher interest rates.

The amount of debt in Phase 1 totaled $16,000. Yikes.

On one of the cards included in Phase 1, there was a balance of around $1200 that was about to have a 20.99% rate kick in (a balance transfer offer was expiring). The company would not lower it even though we told them we'd just pay it off immediately if they didn't. They didn't, so we did, using some of our savings that we had accumulated when contemplating buying a house (which we ultimately decided not to do).

Next, we prioritized the order in which the rest of the cards in Phase 1 would be paid, and each of us created a budget to determine how much we would be able to put towards debt each month above and beyond minimum payments.

It became a matter of sticking to our guns, staying focused on the goal, and paying our debt off at the rate of one card at a time.

The hardest part of this entire process was the first couple of weeks. I was in the habit of running up a credit card and paying it off every month, but I wanted to break that cycle. No more credit cards! It was a painful adjustment because I had to drastically reduce my spending and change my habits. I also realized I had been living like a spoiled child. I was not happy to be giving up certain luxuries such as eating out often or spending frivolously on things like pedicures and new Apple hardware. Over time, it got easier (and I learned that not visiting the Apple store was a simple way to avoid additional expenses).

I started bringing my lunch most every day, and Jon and I also stopped going out to eat so often. We decided to pay close attention while grocery shopping to ensure we were only buying what we needed. This became a true debt diet for us, and we were both on board. We knew that duality was important for this to work.

Both us started paying close attention to where our money was going and tried to cut back if we could. We also focused on saving a small amount each month so that we could continue working towards having at least three months of our income in savings (and ultimately work towards having six to eight months' income in the bank). A small portion of our monthly income was set aside for pocket money (for the day-to-day incidentals), a small portion was deposited into savings, and a large portion started going towards debt repayment. This seemed to work for us.

We constantly update a spreadsheet to show us our progress (and coincidentally, doing this helps us to stayed focused). Jon and I are very fortunate in that we enjoy staying home and watching television or a movie together while enjoying a nice bottle of wine or eating a home-cooked meal. It's so much cheaper than going out. However, we still treat ourselves on occasion by going out to eat or buying something new. We just keep it within our budget.

The results so far have been amazing. In three months, we have dropped our total debt from $41,000+ to just over $29,000. We are even going to take the tax rebate stimulus check that we'll receive in May and pay off debt (sorry, Mr. President, but we have lofty goals, too). We've decided that if we continue paying at the same rate that all of our debt (except for the house) and both of our cars will be paid off within the next 18 to 24 months. PAID OFF. As in, no more debt.

I can't begin to tell you how good this feels. Before we started on our debt diet, neither of us had problems managing our finances or paying our bills, but we knew we didn't want to keep heading in the same direction and giving our hard-earned money to credit card companies (and perhaps digging a bigger hole for ourselves). We made a conscious choice to change - a change that has and will continue to benefit us. My credit score has increased by more than 20 points since we started this plan. What a great reward!

After the debt is eliminated, we plan to build our savings at a faster pace and put more money into our retirement plans. We may work on paying off our inexpensive townhome ($100k left on the mortgage) so that we are in better shape to buy a house that fits us better (amazingly, our small home feels perfect now as we work towards clearing debt). We also have contemplated where we would like to travel and how awesome it will feel to be debt-free.

The possibilities are endless! This feels like true freedom. Heading towards solvency has been an awesome experience for us financially and, interestingly enough, emotionally. It also has made us feel safer in the changing (and downsloping) economic climate in our country.

My only reason for sharing this information is that it may help someone else recesssion-proof their finances, too. So, if you happen to be reading this and have some thoughts, feel free to share them.

I am from shoes, the soles of my fathers
I am from Florsheim, crafted by reputation and stitch,
sold with service and a smile.
I am from the marigolds I planted near the back door
I am from the garden, brimming with vegetables,
the Christmas trees we planted in the side yard
and the secret tulip garden I planted near the fort in the woods
I'm from Dortches and family reunions with
covered-dish suppers, cousins and a pick-up game of softball
from Cora and Roscoe.
I'm from the wise and outspoken
From the dirt poor farmer's daughter and the books
From pen on paper and colors outside of the line
I'm from Durham,
macaroni and cheese and red-eye gravy
From the moment at the Old Well
to the long arms of my grandfather
that reached out to grab me as I tried to run past
to the tears my mother cried that grew my soul
In a chest full of needles and thread
is the scent of my grandmother
captured forever in the entangled ribbons and string
the memory of her strong and delicate hands
forever creating
Ivory keys hold melodies that captured a piece of me
when I was looking the other way
songs that have become the musical score of my life
A scrapbook full of yellowing memories
placed on a shelf that holds frames of five generations
full of smiles and hope
slowly transformed to withstand the test of time
I am from all these moments, and more.

I realized last night that I miss those tender moments of his youth. Childhood is so precious and so fleeting. My heart aches when I think about how he was the one who made me a parent and helped me grow and mature into motherhood. I miss those times and find that sometimes I'm a bit sad that I'll never experience them again. At the same time, I look forward to other stages of his life and continuing to be his mother as he grows and matures.

So I'm just having thoughts. And that's okay for now.

They showed a tape where money had been left lying in a parking lot, and how it was the people who consider themselves lucky and who are open to possibilities (positive thinking!) who saw the money lying there and got it.

I know, right? It's a pretty awesome thing. By using my brain, I can score some cold, hard cash.

So I decided I'd start some positive thinking and create some monetary opportunities for myself. I'm amazed to say that the system works! In the three weeks since I've seen the episode, I've found 5 cents in pennies on the ground in random parking lots. FIVE CENTS. in pennies. on the ground.

Three of them were on heads.

Perhaps I'm not thinking hard enough. Or being open enough. In fact, in regard to positive thinking, my results show that I may be downright uptight and not open to anything. However, positive thinking leads me to believe that I should keep trying. Because I know I'm a lucky person.

And this is exactly how my cat looks when I continuously torture her. Love it!

Welcome to the gutter with your host Diane!

I love my life. I'm glad I remembered not to forget that.

These days I find myself looking forward to the next phase of my life. I want some of what I gave up in my 20s. I missed that decade of freedom that is a rite of passage for most. I traded it for motherhood and getting married to a man who wasn't meant to be my forever. Now that I've found a relationship that works for me and a man who nurtures who I am, I'm ready to become more of the women I envision myself to be. This is an awesome gift.

I am becoming. My life is being redefined every minute that I move towards the person who I've often thought about... that person who gave up a scholarship to college and instead opted for marriage and a family... that person who followed her dreams of becoming a writer... that woman who found a stronger calling with technology and the internet... that person who still wonders a lot about what tomorrow holds for her and what she'll become.

In September, I turn 40. This fall, I am going back to school because I want to experience more of what this world has to offer me. I will take more risks and push myself to grow. I will listen and trust my intuition. I will remember that I am a creator and that anything is possible for my life and for me.

Edge pieces, completed. Now it's time to work on the middle of the puzzle.

I've also decided to pursue my undergraduate degree. At last! I was joking with coworkers yesterday that I do things backwards in my life. First, have a kid and then get married. Second, develop a career and then pursue a college degree. I think after this I'll just start doing it the right way.

Heading down to the Florida Keys this summer on a vacation - ever been? If so, tell me what's good or not good to do!

Toot toot!

It's Friday, which is universally known as the day of relaxation and slacking off at work. I needed Friday because Thursday was so incredibly shitty. I woke up this morning and had to talk myself out of bed, talk myself into the shower, talk myself into doing my makeup and hair and talk myself into getting dressed. Then there was the constant talking myself into driving to work.

I made it here only to find that, pardon my language, shit's blown up. Our one systems administrator made the decision that yesterday would be the day he'd make the DNS switch and point to the new web server. A server that only he tested. A server that only he had access to until yesterday. Forget testing to make sure things were working. None of that here! Let's just flip the switch and see what's broken.

Let me just say WHAT THE FUCK. And HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK. And FUCK! I'm irritated that this is the type of environment I work in. I'm irritated that THERE IS NO COMMUNICATION. I'm irritated that THERE IS NO PLANNING. And I'm irritated that my phone is ringing OFF THE FUCKING HOOK with people informing me that things aren't working. YES I KNOW THAT SHIT'S BLOWN UP. I know.

Friday has turned into a Monday or some other day where things just don't go right. I want the madness to end. I want relaxation so I can work on my presentation that I've been procrastinating on. I want the fluorescent lights off because they are burning my eyes. I want to be in my comfy clothes at home with the television on and my husband sitting next to me on his laptop. I want to work with competent people.

Now that I have vented I feel a little better. I think I'll take my iPod and go hide in the bathroom.

However, since that conversation, I've really wondered what has become of my blog and why I walked away from doing the self-expression thing on the web. For me, I think this blog - if that's what you want to call it - serves the purpose of being a sounding board for me. Ever since I've had a website, I've had a sounding board. It's just that the posts during the demise of my first marriage and my angst with life were far more interesting than the posts these days that really say a whole lot of nothing. And that's fine with me. I tend not to force myself to type words if I don't feel the urge.

So that's my take on blogging. I thought you'd want to know.