Not Even Dreaming

Today in class, iwe brought up a topic that I would like to expland my opinion on, and it was the topic of many American families during Dinner. I heard responses on how people act in a restaurant and how people behave at home, and how people behave on special occations with a bigger family.

When I was younger, both of my parents were very strick about how me and my sister should behave in a dinner table. Every night we would sit down at the table, and just chat about our day. This brings up my interest in the class discution we had today. A few people mentioned that they would watch TV while eatting dinner, and it would feel like a chore if there wasn't anything to do, or watch.

Now, even for me, it's rare that I do sit down in the dinner table with anybody else, and when I do sit down on the table, it is almost never a fresh cooked meal. Usually, I will just pop something into the microwave and call it dinner. I must confess that I do miss the old days when there was company at the dinner table everynight and people did convers with me about anything.

When it comes to sitting down and eatting at a restaurant, I would do that once a week when my family had a better income, but now, I try to keep that small tradition alive, even if it's with me and my mother one, or just me and my dad. I would behave at a restaurant when I was with my family, we would never sit around the TV, and we would still chat wit each other, along with enjoyingt he meal. When it comes to screaming babys nearby, we would never complain or mention anything to anyone around us, but nowadays, I see that to be different.

I work in a restaurant now, and I do see many people complain and fuss and bitch and moan over the smallest things. I now see that the family has broken down and when it comes to children, it has a major impact on them. I no longer see much nurturing and discepline when it comes to children. Most people just let them run around as the do nothing, which just reminds me that I would never act that way if I was around my parents at that age.

Times have changed, and I know and accept that, but I think the traditional breaking down of the family is just too much. I would love to see more families together acting like a nice community based on love and confidence, but that just doesn't seem to fly around here anymore, it's more like endagered species.

Karen

Tradition

I believe that the obvious answer to this age old question is that tradition is what people do over and over again, throughout the ages. In a way, that's very true, I think that tradition is just something a person grows up with, as being natural. What may be natural to me may not be natural to other people, like I'm used to hanging out with guys and going out with my group of guys friends on the weekend, other people just stay home and eat a nice dinner on the weekend.

I don't have much to say about tradition. I just think that it's something that people are always going to have and do throughout their lives. Whether it's with one self, family, or a group of people, traditions is something that everyone has and will continue until a person dies.

Karen

More Money More Problems

So I received my financial aid check this weekend. It turned out to be higher than what I expected it to be. Along with the money I have saved up in my checking account, it turns out that I have a lot of money, actuallyt he most money I've never had in my account ever.

Since my father taught me everything about finances, I went to him for advice on what to use the money on. I had narrowed down my choices to 3 categories, it was either finally buy a car, buy a new phone which I have wanted for a whiel, or rent an apartment with a roomate.

I told my father about it, and what he advised me to do was save the money for four more months because in that time, his insurance contract will be up and he'll be able to put me under his name for car insurance, hence it'll be cheaper for me.

At the same time, the phone isn't as expensive as a car or an apartment. I was thinking of just buying the phone and saving up for the car, especially since my father might help me buy the car anyway. Since I already know it's not going to be a brand new car, it won't cost me $2800, so the used car I may be able to find will be within my budget.

Right now I'm confused because I do want to save up, but I want so much material things, just like every other person in my situation. I've needed a car since my senior year of high school, and now that I'm able to buy it, it may not be the one I want ot the one that I'm able to afford.

Great, I can't make up my mind.

Karen

Good Deal or Rip Off?

I need a few people's opinion about something. I make a living out of doing henna tattoos, sometimes for money, and sometimes as a favor. I don't live off it, but since it's something I like to do, I really don't mind buying the henna ink, and practicing how to draw.

Now, the henna ink itself, is really difficult to find. I only know one store that sells it, and it doesn't always have them on stock, so when I do go to the store (which is really far from where I live and I don't have a car), I'm always at chance that there will be or there won't be ink. Also, the ink itself, is really cheap, not in the good kind of cheap, and not really the best quality, but I manage since I can't find ink anywhere else.

I don't really like buying anything online, because I know that whatever I buy is going to cost me an arm or a leg for the shipping and handling, on top of the actual item itself, but I took a chance. I found a website that sells ink and other henna miscellaneous materials that can help out my practice.

On that website, I bought an 10 oz. bottle of pre-made henna ink (which is a lot), and a stencil book with 20 pages which has 80 pictures of stencils I can make with no problem. Both items came to a total of $84, plus the $12 of s&h, so in total it cost me $96.

I have never paid that much money for any ink before, but then again, I only buy a 2.5 oz. of ink at a store, and as far as stencils go, I usually just print pictures off the internet and make stencils out of them. Then again, I continue to buy ink when I can find it, and that's almost $20 every time I buy ink.

Did I get ripped off or did I get a good deal? Should I buy it again or should this be my last time buying ink online?