Tuesday Morning's Ramble...

I finally caught a chance to grab the tube bird feeder and chase out the wasps without getting stung. I have to hand it to them, it is a pretty good place to build a nest, inside the tube, out of the elements. Of course they would have run out of room pretty quickly. After I get this cleaned out, we'll have to be sure we always refill the seed before it gets too low, so the wasps won't have another chance to fly in and start rebuilding.

Maybe it was the moon, but I couldn't sleep last night. I was too restless. I fell asleep probably sometime after midnight, but woke up at 3:30am wide awake. I spent most of the last hours of night trying to fall back asleep before finally giving up at sunrise. I'm sure I'll crash hard later, when I have no opportunity to nap. I didn't sleep well the night before either. I kept dreaming I wasn't falling asleep, so even though I actually was sleeping, I woke up thinking I hadn't.

We finally received confirmation of our new health insurance. I'm thankful we have something, even though its not the best coverage. What was ridiculous was the fact it took 7 weeks to start this coverage when DH was told by the agency it would be only 1 week. I'm grateful we didn't get sick or injured while we were in insurance limbo land. The run around we received back and forth between the insurance company and the temporary agency DH works for was very frustrating. The moment DH began working, we basically lost our state coverage. "You're earning too much to qualify."  We were at the mercy of the insurance company and DH's new employer, waiting for them to get the ball rolling. Something needs to be done to ensure families don't have to go with laps in coverage like this, when they are trying to get off of unemployment.

I saved an article I had recently read to discuss it with my boys. Click here to read it. It basically points out how the middle class of America is shrinking. The rich are getting richer and the middle class is joining the poor in getting poorer. I've always known the future meant competing in a global economy, and its simple to do the math and learn quickly there isn't enough world wealth to go around.

Its sobering for a US citizen to read, but its the truth. We are unprepared for this. I agree with the statement, "The truth is that most Americans are absolutely dependent on someone else giving them a job."  Our government school system is designed to produce good workers but not innovative thinkers. The problem is, the world is full of "good workers" who will do the same job for much less.

I'm hoping that what my boys will learn from this, is you can't follow the pack. You must be a pack leader. You have to be inventive and have an entrepreneurial drive to order to be marketable.

Speaking of marketing, as much as I detest salessharks, I'm coming to realize we all must learn that dark talent. Of course it strengthens you to be able to see through the wolf's clothing, but also it is important to know how to become a wolf yourself. One must be able to sell himself in this global world, or at least, be able to market you own choice of livelihood.

So, yes, I found my insomniac self watching home shopping at 4:00am this morning, marveling at how that woman could sell a pound of cookies in a boring cookie jar for $40. I think the autodidact in me will begin researching persuasive speech.

I better get some smoothie in me. I have a walking date with DS11 at 9:00am. Have a great day!