Tough times for the mistress

In these financial times, it seems as though the wealthy are hurting, too. In a recent market research study among individuals with a net worth of $20 million (alas, we did not receive this survey...it must have gotten lost in the mail), it was found that 80% who had extra-marital mistresses were planning on cutting back on their gifts and allowances. 12% said that planned to give up their lovers altogether because of financial reasons.

It seems that these millionaires are curtailing their spending, and their lovers are included. I guess it's harder to hide expensive gives from your spouse when there are fewer dollars in the bank account.

It should be noted that questions about curtailing gifts to lovers came at the end of a longer survey about wealth management. The full survey was administered to 518 people, with 191 opting to answer these "extra" questions. There were some gender differences found, with surveyed wealthy men more likely to curtail gift giving to their lovers than wealthy females. However, because only one third of the survey respondents were female (about 63 total), I don't think this difference is statistically significant.

The full story is here. I guess it's nice to know that the rich, or those in bed with the rich, are suffering just like the rest of us!

A few of my favorite airports

Because I fly so often, I've started to concoct a list of favorite airports. Those that do a great job of making you excited to actually have a layover, or delay, because there's something about the airport that puts you at ease. I know, crazy. Anyway, I've come up with five that I think are among my most favorite I've visited so far:

5. Pittsburgh: While it's an older airport and in need of a little face lift, the indoor mall makes those extra-long waits a little more bearable. It's a little awkward to maneuver a roll-bag between the stand-alones at the GAP, but it's nice to be able to shop if you're so inclined.

4. Detroit: I never thought this airport would make it on my list, but the Northwest terminal is amazing. Spacious, contemporary, with a little red indoor monorail that reminds one of the toy trains that circle along the ceilings of kitschy toy shops. Good restaurants and comfortable seating take the chaos out of this airport.

3. Charlotte: The word "whimsical" comes to mind. I love the white rocking chairs nestled among the tree-lined atrium and they have some of the cutest mobiles hanging from the ceiling. It's easy to get around and they have my favorite eatery there - Yovana (freshly made yogurt).

2. Heathrow (British Airways Terminal): Despite this terminal being practically on the other side of the country from the rest of Heathrow, it's definitely worth the drive. It's exactly the kind of terminal I would imagine Apple creating - lots of fun high-tech imagery, high-end boutiques (in case you're in the mood for a $5,000 Gucci handbag at 7:00am) and easy to get around. It's a very fun terminal.

1. Raleigh-Durham (Terminal 2): Not only does arriving here mean I'm home, but the newly remodeled terminal is gorgeous. Contemporary and spacious, with outlets by every seat and really good restaurants (finally!). I can't wait to see what the whole airport will look like when they are finally finished remodeling...in another ten years!

A random list, I know. But it's the little, silly things in life that help make travel a little more bearable!

One very very lonely calorie

I'm not sure how I feel about this series of ads by BBDO, Dusseldorf. They are the new ads for Pepsi Max, which only has one calorie. Granted, these are ads that will, presumably, be placed in another country, but I still think they are in poor taste. I like the art and editorial aspect of them, but it doesn't quite seem fitting for a company that is trying to sell a brand. Seeing them in a high-end gallery somewhere, yes. On a billboard or in a magazine, no.


In short, these ads seem in poor taste. I'm surprised that Pepsi corporate didn't nix these right away.

To see the full series, click here.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

It is officially December, which means it's now appropriate to pull out the Christmas decorations and start playing the holiday music. While I had previously believed that Black Friday kicked off the holdiay shopping, I am now informed that it was, in fact, Cyber Monday. I've never heard of Cyber Monday before and I wonder if any other days of the week will soon get their own holiday adjective, as well.

Our firm is doing something a little different for its employees this year. Usually, it gives out holidays gifts to everyone (we're a small firm of about 40 people). Last year, for example, everyone got Wiis. Scott and I were excited about this for about a month; neither of us were allowed to have video games growing up, but the novelty of the Wii soon wore off and it's now sitting, dusty, in our living room.

This year, because of the economic downturn and the resulting effect on our communities, the firm is doing away with employee gifts and using that money to sponsor 10 families - 5 families in Atlanta (where our second office is located) and 5 families in Durham. So our employees have been busy playing Santa Claus and it has been touching to see what we have purchased for these families.

That sparked an idea for me and Scott - we are fortunate that neither we nor our families truly need anything. So we asked that we don't exchange gifts this year; instead, we'll use the money we normally would have spent on our families on a Raleigh family that is truly in need. So far, we are only halfway through our budget and I'm amazed by the amount of clothes we've been able to buy for these four children. We racked up on Black Friday, finding nice, warm coats at Old Navy for $30 each. Not only is it so much less stressful, but it also embodies the true meaning of Christmas. And, in the end, we will probably buy so much less "junk."

So this weekend, we're off to buy a Christmas tree and finish shopping for the family. This year, the holidays feel so much more like they should be - filled with the joy and giving of the season.

A free ride

We live in a capitalist society. This means that businesses are born, businesses die based on the market. Successful businesses are able to foresee hurdles and barriers in the marketplace and navigate around them in order to survive in ever-changing times. Those businesses that are unable to do that die or are bought up. It's a kind of Darwinian model.

So I have a little angst around the Big 3 car companies asking the government for help. These car companies did not successfully foresee the hurdles and barriers in the marketplace - or they did, but failed to change their course to navigate them. Now they are hurting in a big way and expect that the government will bail them out. I'm sorry, but that's not how our economy is supposed to work.

Three years ago, I was lamenting to my father (a big supporter of American cars, who will never, EVER buy a foreign car) how the American car companies didn't have any hybrid cars. That honor belonged to Toyota and Honda at the time. Even as the Prius sold out and was back-ordered, the Big 3 continued on their same track - building the big trucks and SUVs because they were still hot sellers at the time. If the car companies did a better job of making smaller, more gas efficient cars a priority, perhaps they could have by-passed some of this mess.

Now, I know that there could be huge repercussions if these car manufacturers go under. Loss of jobs, loss of health care, implications for the supply chain. But our demand for cars, overall, is unlikely to change. Which means the foreign car companies will get bigger and absorb those workers and give business to the supply chain. In the long-run, we would be a a stronger economy.

But no one wants to hurt in the short-run. Maybe that's our problem, though. Maybe the generations, starting with the Baby Boomers, never sacrificed, never suffered. That could be one reason the Iraq war was such a disaster - in WWII, everyone hurt together. Americans had to ration supplies and volunteered for the war effort. But today, we don't even know a war is going on unless we turn on the TV. We don't have to curb our consumption or volunteer for anything. In short, we're spoiled. Maybe if we stick to our guns now, stick to what our economy is supposed to be it will be very painful for a few years. But we'll suffer through as Americans and in the long-run we'll have better run businesses and maybe more efficient cars.

Of course, that means higher taxes in the short run, as we support the millions of people who will be unemployed and without health care. But if we give the Big 3 the bailout, then we'll just have more of the same. We'll be rewarding businesses that did not successfully navigate the market. That's no way to foster new ideas, business savvy and capitalism.

James Bond, baby

I've never been a huge James Bond fan. I guess I never did fully grasp what the draw was for guys. Yeah, Bond get the women, the cool gadgets, the fun spy job. But after 87 movies, doesn't that get a little old?

That was until Daniel Craig came along. As long as he's James Bond, I'll keep watching. Those eyes. Those muscles. That scruffy-yet-handsome face. Excuse me while I swoon.

So Scott and I went to see the newest 007 installment and we were a little disappointed. Daniel Craig, of course, did not disappoint, and there was a lot of action and fun gadgets. But the last movie came out - what? three years ago? And this movie picks up right where the last one ended, without any back story to remind you what happened. So we were confused for most of the movie. The plot was a bit thin and we felt that there were story lines that were started but never fully developed. Also, this James Bond is a little "colder" than other ones...you don't quite warm up to him like to you do the other Bonds (and he doesn't get the girl in this movie).

The problem will be magnified when this movie makes its run on Spike or TNT. Usually, each Bond movie is its own encapsulated movie. But this one relies on the previous movie to make any sense. So you really can't watch it in a vacuum.

A word to the interested: unless you're looking for eye candy, watch the last James Bond movie before seeing this one. Maybe you'll leave the theatre feeling a little more fulfilled.

Deck the halls with turkeys and pumpkins

I get it. Really, I do. The economy sucks and retailers are hurting. But that doesn't give anyone the right to put out Christmas decorations three weeks before Halloween.

A few weeks ago, I walked into Crabtree Valley Mall, only to find workers hanging fake garland from the ceilings and assembling a ten-foot tall reindeer-shaped garland topiary. And I didn't even mention the Santa-land that is now positioned by the entrance of Southpoint Mall. Before you even think about turkey and stuffing, you can now have Junior's picture taken with Santa.

Adpulp has a good article about retailers' strategy for the holidays. It sounds like consumers are cutting back on shopping (although, as I've mentioned before, I have yet to actually witness this is Raleigh). But maybe this is a good thing. Just like when gas prices skyrocketed and we saw people curtail their driving and opt for gas-sipping vehicles, maybe we'll see people reorder their priorities and become less wasteful and less consumption-driven.

Of course, no one wants anyone to suffer or to go without things that they need. But at the same time, there are lots of things we buy that we don't need and which we buy just for the sake of buying or having. Perhaps tightening our belts a bit will allow us to better understand what really matters and to just consume those things we truly need. Not only is it better for our souls and pocketbooks, but it's also better for our environment.

So let's turn off the holiday music and take down those hideous topiaries. Let's enjoy the season for what it is and maybe, for just one year, take it easy on all that shopping.

A new chapter

Regardless of who won last night, our country was turning a page and starting anew. But with Obama's win, we're also starting a new chapter. I'm excited to see what this new president will bring (God knows I wouldn't want his job right now) and how he will guide us through all our current troubles. And I'm also excited to see how the election of an African-American to the presidency will speed up the elimination (or, at least, the suppression) of racism in our country.

I thought McCain had a very eloquent concession speech and did a great job of bringing closure to the campaign while encouraging his supporters to support the new president:

I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited...

I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.

And Obama did his fair share, trying to unite the country. Both speeches moved me to tears.

The one reservation I have is that our government-elect is now made up of the majority Democrats. As a moderate, I like to see balance, and I'm nervous that the pendulum is going to swing the other way without temperance or hesitation. This isn't just for four years - this new government will make several Supreme Court Justice decisions, whose rulings will affect us for decades to come. I just hope that Obama and the Congress keep some moderation in their decision-making and remember that while the Democrats have won in the elections, the make-up of the country is much more evenly split.

So here's to a new president, a new chapter in our nation's history. May our leaders be guided by faith and temperance and may the next four years bring success and happiness to America.

The confederacy is dead

If Chris Matthews makes one more comment about the South in reference to the Confederacy and how that affects how southern voters vote, I'm going to scream.

While there are, no doubt, some Southerners who still fly the Confederate flag and secretly wish for succession, I would hazard a guess that the vast majority have bookmarked that part of the South's past to the history books.

Mr. Matthews, let's get a better grip on your southern viewership. Enough with the Confederate references.

I voted!

I hope everything has had a chance today to go out and vote. Fortunately, the there was no line at my polling place; I walked in and walked out.

I'm not particularly a big Carrie Underwood fan (country music isn't quite my thing), but I did love this quote from her in TV Guide. I've ranted about the media doing this before, but I also feel the same way about celebrities. In my opinion, celebrities aren't qualified to tell American voters how to vote and I think it's a little arrogant of them to think that their opinion should matter to the average American. Get over yourselves.

Carrie put it a bit more eloquently:

There is someone I do support, but I don't support publicly. I lose all respect for celebrities when they back a candidate. It's saying that the American public isn't smart enough to make their own decisions.

So today, don't listen to the media. Don't listen to well-paid celebrities. Don't listen to your friends or family. Make up your own mind. Decide for yourself and what you think is best for this country. And vote.

Go Vote!

Tomorrow is the big day. I don't think I've been this excited since 2000, when my college roommate and I tried to stay up all night to watch the election results, only to fall asleep at 2:00 am and wak up the next morning just as confused.

Just about everyone I know has early voted, but I'm waiting until tomorrow. There's something about voting on the actual day that is special and emotional. Yes, I'll probably have a long line, but isn't that part of the experience? Isn't it about sharing that energy with other voters, all waiting to exercise their moral obligation to vote? After all, not everyone in this world has that freedom, and I think it's special to be among our countrymen who are fortunate enough to have been born into a nation that values that freedom.

Plus, it'll be fun to get a free cup of coffee.

Happy Halloween!

We survived the hosting of our first Halloween party and had a blast! The party was a costume party, but I really didn't expect many people to dress up. But almost everyone came to the party in a costume! I think, secretly, people love a good excuse to dress up. Plus, being silly and fun helps to keep us young!

The best costume awards of the night went to Jen and Rich for their rendition of the Geico caveman and the Gecko. Hilarious! Runners up went to Alison and James for McCain and Palin. Apparently, Alison had been practicing her accent all week, and it showed. She really did look at Sarah, too! Of course, their visit wasn't complete without the McCain/Palin sign they stuck in our front yard...Scott promptly removed it and it's now sitting in our garbage can. Sorry, Sarah!



Thank you all so much for coming! We hope you had as much fun as we did!

Oh, Baby!

The past couple of months have been littered with baby news and this month is no different. I now have five Fuqua friends that are pregnant and one college friend. Congrats to Joanna and Elizabeth who are the newest receipients of fertilized eggs.

I suspect by the end of the year, there will be a few more names to add to that list. I guess we've officially entered that phase in our lives when it's perfectly acceptable to start reproducing.

In all seriousness, I'm really happy for my friends. It's exciting to see these women whom I've known for several years and watch them grow into mothers. I get to watch a whole new transformation, becoming someone a little different, developing a side that I never knew about before or could previously imagine. Watching that transformation is such a special experience for a friend.

Heck, I knew Elizabeth as a wee college freshmen, when we bonded as roommate over having some of the same clothes. And now I get to watch her become this whole other person. We've come a long way, baby!

Congrats to all the newest carriers of life's creation! I'm not quite ready to join you all, but I'm available for babysitting anytime!

Fuqua moves up in the rankings?

Saw this article on Adpulp today. Looks like MBA students at Kellogg got a little out of hand during a party at the Field Museum. The night of drunk debauchery included vomiting in the museum, spitting on fellow party-goers and throwing things at Sue, the T-Rex. It's all fun and games until the dinosaur gets pissed.

The complete story from the Chicago Tribune is here.

Now, Fuqua students liked to party with the rest of them, but I don't recall anything quite as scandalous as what the Kellogg students did. At least when we partied this hard, it was usually in a parking lot, camping out for basketball tickets. Maybe I just didn't hang out with the right crowd.

I wonder what this will due for the MBA rankings? If Fuqua moves up, do I get a raise?

Quote of the Day

I'm really pushing the quotes this month. Must be something in the air. In any case, I figure people could use a diversion, given then firehose of politics that have been aimed at us these past fifteen months. This one comes courtesy of a tall non-fat vanilla latte.

"When I was young I was misled by flash cards into believing that xylophones and zebras were much more common."

--Amy-Elyse Neer, Artist and Starbucks customer in San Jose, California

Add X-Rays to that list, as well.

Oh, to be wooed

I'm registered as an Independent. Sometimes that means I'm conflicted - I like the policies from one candidate and the policies from another. I tend to think that there are good and bad ideas from both parties and, ideally, would love to wed the two of them together to form the perfect party. And, this political season, I've been hearing personally from both sides - my husband is a staunch Democrat and my parents are staunch Republicans. They all use me as their sounding board. Being the first child, it's hard to balance my own views with the need to not disappoint my parents. So, sometimes, being an Independent has its trying moments.

But sometimes it means you're seen as a little more special than those who are registered to just one party. I've received polictical mailings from both sides. I get special home visits from volunteers in the neighborhood, asking if I want to talk about it. I'll get personal phone calls from campaigns. Everyone wants to woo the Independent.

In a way, it's nice. Not just because I'm loved. But also because I get to hear both sides and become a little more educated than, perhaps, the average one-party voter. Sure, a lot of the information is propaganda and needs to be taken with a grain of salt. But, at the very least, they have incited questions which have prompted me to dig in a little deeper into the local and national issues and better understand who I agree with and who I'd like to vote into office. Despite some of the heartache, I think being an Independent has its advantages.

Plus, it's nice to be loved.

Quote of the Day

Mark Twain has always been a favorite of mine. Saw this quote from him today and I thought it was perfect, given the impending debates and elections.

"Politicians and diapers need to be changed often and for the same reasons."

--Mark Twain

Financial crisis? What financial crisis?

If I were visiting America from another country, I would cry foul on all the newspaper headlines about America's current economic situation. The images I would conjure up are black-and-white pictures of long unemployment lines, parents stealing bread to stay alive - a la Les Miserables, people tightening their proverbial belt buckels and pulling their money out of banks.

But these images are nowhere to be found. I visited two malls this past weekend (Raleigh-Durham has a lot of shopping centers), only to find them bustling with people, their arms laden with shopping bags, taking advantage of all the Columbus Day weekend sales. I went to Charlotte to see David Sedaris this weekend, only to find the hotel - and concert - sold out, ticket-holders sipping their $8 glasses of wine in the lobby. The restaurants are packed - we had to go to four different restaurants before we found one that could seat us immediately.

Where is this economic meltdown we've heard so much about?

Maybe people are drowning their sorrows in restaurant-prepared meals and retail therapy. Maybe employers haven't felt the tremors of the crisis and have yet to cut their balance, and employee, sheets. Maybe this part of the country has somehow gained immunity. I'm just completely surprised by the reaction.

If I was visiting from another country and never read a newspaper, I would have no idea of the chaos that is going on. After all, even my currency would be weaker against the dollar than it was a month ago.

The Subprime Primer

I thought this was pretty funny and actually did a decent job (I think) of explaining the current subprime disaster that we're in. The only thing that's really missing here is the responsibility of the borrower (but that's another post for another time).

Warning...explicit language is used in the presentation, so keep little children away from the monitor!

div style="width:425px;text-align:left" id="__ss_626325">Subprime Debacle Explained

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: mortgage humor)

Rock on, Tina!

Seven costume changes. Four dancers. Three-inch high Louboutin heels. Two backup singers. Fireworks. Fireballs. On Fire.

Abby and I went to the Tina Turner concert in Chicago this past weekend. She played a few songs that I hadn't heard before, but she didn't disappoint on her oldies. What I can't get over is that this lady is 69 years old and she is kick-ball-changing around in her Louboutins and belting it out with the best of them. The highlight of the show was the encore, when a crane swing her out over the crowd and she was dancing on the platform, as we held our breath that she wouldn't fall into the crowd. Of course, the crowd would save her...they loved her. She is a diva, after all!

It wouldn't be a weekend with Abby without an adventure. On Saturday morning, we pulled out our tickets and realized that we bought them...for Friday night. Whoops! Fortunately, StubHub came to the rescue and we found tickets for cheaper than our original tickets. Once we got to the concert, we were randomly chosen for an upgrade, so we actually got closer to Tina than we ever imagined!

Thanks, Tina and Abby, for a fabulous weekend!