This is a sore topic for me. I have heard the statistics on the percentage of accidents caused by driving while talking on the cell phone. In fact, for me, a person who went from seeing pagers as a thing that was banned in schools to seeing teens be freely given cell phones, this hits a sore spot since even before I had a kid. In fact, I saw an 10 year old girl with a Blackberry and I had to wonder who in the world was she talking to or why did she really need a phone?

There are so many times I have almost been hit by someone using a cell phone. Usually it was merging over into my lane, and sometimes running the red light or stop sign. My younger sister texts while driving and it scares me because the car veers to one direction or the other and her eyes are not on the road. It got so bad I refuse to ride in her car, but I worry for my niece’s safety.

I remember watching the news recently and heard that driving while using the cell phone was apparently the equivalent to driving under the influence of alcohol. I am not the perfect driver, but I usually refuse to use the cell phone unless I have a hands free system. It is a risk I cannot afford for myself or when I have others in my car with me.

I know a lot of people do use them and I am not condemning people, but wanted to know – is it a concern of yours as well?

This past weekend, my boyfriend took his son, my own son, and myself up to Springfield, Illinois. Along the way we ate breakfast at McDonalds on the road, and then later on we dined at a Chinese buffet. Until we were done and paid the bill, I realized something – McDonalds was becoming increasingly expensive to eat at, especially for families. (We went to the Chinese buffet, as my boyfriend knew they also had a sushi bar too.)

Our breakfast bill was under $23, while our buffet dinner including drinks was just under $28. We got more for our money at the buffet. It kind of got me thinking back to the days when I was growing up and my family just made sandwiches, put some food in a cooler, and overall, saved money. Though the Dollar Menu would have saved money, some McDonalds do not offer what other stores do. For example, some allow 2 hash browns for a $1 or even a Double Cheeseburger for $1, but other McDonalds locations do not.

I am certain this can be said about others, but this just happened to be a particular incident that came to me. I am beginning to feel like I should do what my family did when I was younger and just do picnics for dining on the road. It may be healthier too.

What do you usually do on car trips? Do you always eat out when on the road?

It is a fairly common thing to see the following online: free Ipod, free laptop, free digital camera, free money. What person does not like something that is free?

The dictionary says that the word ‘free’ is the following:
a. Costing nothing; gratuitous
b. Publicly supported

Many of these ‘free’ items that are offered can be seen in emails, pop ups, or banner ads on a multitude of websites. Of course, the word ‘free’ has always been an infamous buzz word in advertisements for many years, perhaps many milennia as well. When a person is approached with a product under the pretense that it is free, naturally that person would be happy to accept the item. Many of the items offered for free online are for items that are expensive luxuries.

The disturbing part of this situation is that it is a gimic. Once the person is drawn into seeking out how to receive the free item, they are asked to choose a few programs, some costing money and requiring a subscription. However, the actual item that was free says that no purchase is required to obtain it. This is disturbing in a few ways. For one, if the offers are not completed, then the person who signed up will never receive the gift. This contradicts the whole concept of the word ‘free’. It is misleading.

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Found this while shopping at Walmart around here. I could not help it – too hilarious to pass up and not take a picture of.