Diamonds are not a girl's best friend

So I watched "Blood Diamond" the other day. Gotta love Djimon Hounsou. He's always cool. And I have to say that Leo wasn't too bad. I think my opinion up to this point was colored by his crappy Titanic performance. I shudder just thinking of it.

Anyhoo, this movie was actually quite sad considering this kind of thing happens all the time, it's still happening today. While the US is one of the countries buying the most diamonds, very few people think about where they come from when they schlep that big, honkin' rock onto their finger. (Not me, as I am poor.) Even if the diamond doesn't come from a conflict area (and, honestly, how can we tell if it does?), the areas of the world where they are mined are generally very poor. The people that mine the thousands of carats of diamonds are living in poverty, just so Buffy can have her four-carat engagement ring. Yikes. These kinds of stories are almost never written about, and if they are, they fall far below the country's mania to find out how Anna Nicole died, and if Britney made it out of rehab. Sad but true.

Party Time!

I have to take my youngest daughter to a birthday party this weekend. I normally don't mind doing these, but this party is at 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday. A Sunday! That's my day for sleeping in and generally being lazy all day. I think this is one of those tit-for-tat things. You know, I go to your kid's party now you have to go to my kid's party. That's how the real friendships are born, forced occupation at a 5-year-old's party.

Not only that, but now I have the dreaded task of trying to find a gift for a 5-year-old that I don't know. I don't know anything about this child, her likes or dislikes. Unfortunately that means she's getting the girl-toy of the moment. Also known as whatever's popular and on sale. It's better than cash.

Setting the decorations on fire at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com

It's Me Again

I'm sure everyone has been on pins and needles waiting for my return. Oh wait, no one reads this blog. Well, for the other voices in my head, it's been awhile since I last wrote. What amazing, dynamic, and thrilling events have kept me away you ask? Well, there was this whole debacle. Good times.

Then there's the family. I know that everyone has at least one crazy person in their family. My family seems to have an overabundance of them. All craving drama and all demanding attention. It makes for interesting birthday and holiday get togethers. I'm going to start wearing a striped referee shirt. It'll save time.

Then there's work. While I like being in demand, it makes for good job security, I don't really dig people arguing over where I should be and who I should be helping and who I shouldn't. For awhile there it was nice to be good and busy. Makes the days go by faster. But if it's so crazy I'm ready to tear my hair out, I have to draw the line. I lose enough hair on a daily basis without helping it along. I'm waiting to find a bald spot one morning. Trust me, it's going to happen. You should see my bathroom floor.

Back to the first item. So I recovered from my car buying experience pretty well. I am now the proud owner of a bus-sized SUV. Okay, maybe not that big. I didn't super-size it after all, but it is considerably bigger than the ol' green monster (aka, kid-toting minivan). So now I pilot the Family Truckster, happy in the knowledge that I will have to live on Top Ramen and PB&J for the next five years to pay for my newly acquired financial burden.

Having never owned a brand-new vehicle before, I was slightly traumatized when the odometer went over 100 miles. That only took like 3 days. Yep. I'm inching closer to that 1000 mile mark, and then it's all downhill from there.

Love that new car smell at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.