The Success Rate of New Year’s Resolutions

I bet you can guess what the number one New Year’s Resolution is. Weight loss. Now, looking around when I go down the street, I can see why. I can also see that most people fail to lose weight. Those gym membership cards are left on the coffee table or in the closet, gathering dust. And for some reason, without going to a gym, it’s apparently impossible to lose weight. Hey, ever try eating healthy and walking half an hour or so every day?

My personal New Year’s Resolution is a strange one. I resolute to fulfill last year’s resolutions, and to think up some more resolutions for 2009. Basically 2008 (which I learned from a certain enthusiastic person “rhymes with great!”) is my resolution vacation.

The types of resolutions that often get fulfilled are ones like organizing, learning to cook, spend more family time, and so on. Small things like that are usually better to resolute on. Bigger (pardon the pun) things like weight loss and writing a novel are somewhat harder to undertake.

It would be very interesting to take a poll of people and see how many of them fulfilled New Year’s Resolutions. My guess is that some people would lie in an attempt to make themselves feel like they actually accomplished their goal. But the real percentage is probably somewhere in the range of 20-30%.

Well, here’s hoping everybody had a great New Year’s, as well as a great 2008. Please list some of your New Year’s Resolutions as a comment.

The Nasty Side Effects of Prescription Drugs

If any of you well-informed readers watch one of the major national nightly news programs (ABC, NBC, CBS) you know that the commercials are rampant with prescription drug advertisements. These ads will only sometimes tell you what they are even for, and most of the time, the viewer is left bewildered as to what the drug is for. But this post is not about that. It’s about all of the side effects of the drugs.

Nowadays, side effects are so common, we barely even hear them when we watch an ad. But they are still there. Next time you see one of them, really think about what the side effects are, and try to recall a time when you had one of the conditions that is a side effect of this drug. I think you will be a bit sickened.

For instance, one new drug commercial I’ve been seeing almost nightly is for Lyrica. Apparently, the drug is for some kind of diabetic nerve pain, also known as Fibromyalgia. They claim it’s very common, but I’ve never heard of it. Anyway, when I hear the side affects, I shake my head. Dizziness, sleepiness, dry mouth, swelling of the hands and feet, blurry vision, weight gain, trouble concentrating. Before starting Lyrica, somebody might not be able to move very quickly. But with Lyrica’s side effects, they’ll have trouble getting out of bed in the morning!

I was even more horrified when I saw the side effects of the drug Caduet. This drug is for high cholesterol, but it has extremely common side effects like constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, flushing, headache, nausea, stomach pain, tiredness, and weakness. I think I’d explode if I felt all that… I’ll take the high cholesterol!

Another aspect of these drugs is that you should not drive or operate machinery until you know how “blank” affects you. How long will it take before I know, exactly? So basically, these drugs won’t allow you to get out of bed, drive, use a computer, do the laundry, or anything else normal, for some indefinite time. That’s just wonderful, isn’t it?

Have any of you ever taken one of those prescription drugs? How were the side effects?

The Exploding Refrigerator

We have an ancient refrigerator, and last week we decided that it might be time to replace it. This would not only save energy, but it would also save some cash. For a week or so we traveled around local appliance stores and around the Internet, and finally settled on one from General Electric. Within a couple of days, we had it installed and working quite nicely.

Then on the third day, as I sat watching television, I heard an annoying buzz coming from the kitchen. I went to investigate. It kept getting louder and louder, until it sounded sort of like an airplane engine. It was almost as loud, too. Immediately I called General Electric and explained the problem over the whir of the fridge.

They did not seem to understand that the fridge was so loud. They said that they could barely hear it. I brought the phone closer to the fridge, so they heard it loud and clear. Then they said that an employee would be able to come over in 2 weeks. I couldn’t believe it.

“I think my fridge is about to explode!” I said.The freezer had turned off, and all of the temperatures were wonky. I actually thought, for a moment, that my fridge could explode. And this guy was telling me that he would have a representative over in 2 weeks. The guy said that at best, he possibly might be able to get somebody over in 8 days.

After I had hung up, resigned, my son Daniel came into the room. He asked what was going on, and I explained. Daniel walked to the side of the fridge, reached back behind it, and unplugged. We sat in silence for two minutes, and then he plugged it in again. No sound, except for the normal, gentle hum. I gaped, open-mouthed, as I saw the temperature creep back up to normal.

“How did you know how to do that?” I asked.

Daniel shrugged. “It was in some useless fact book.”

Well, that useless fact book may have just saved us a bunch of money in repair costs. I’m even thinking about ordering it through Amazon…

An Imperfect Christmas

‘Tis the night before Christmas, and all through the house, parents rush to fill trees. They eat Santa’s cookies, and and make sure the kids were asleep. They take the presents out of the impenetrable vault in the basement (the place the kids are most frightened of) and sneak upstairs to wrap them.

At dawn’s arrival, the parents are bleary-eyed and want nothing more than to sleep. But lo and behold! The children have set their alarm clocks for 7:00, and prepare to bound down the stairs and see what gifts lie beneath the tree.

Alas, little Rory, in his haste, trips over Mary’s slipper, and plummets head over heels down the stairs. He ends by sitting in a split position, wailing his lungs out. The family forgets the presents, and hurries to the hospital. After a long wait, because many other people fall down the stairs in their haste, little Rory is diagnosed with several bruises. He wails all the way home.

Finally, we get to open presents. Rory, the smallest, goes first. He opens the first present, a Superman action figure. Instead of cheering excitedly, young Rory begins to cry. “I wanted Batman! I wanted Batman!” he yells. Then, sniffling and wiping away his tears, he proceeds to open the next one. It is an abacus. Rory throws it across the room. “I know how to count without this!”

The other children opened their presents after Rory had torn up his batch, and were quite pleased with them all. Rory tried to steal Mary’s presents, and they got in a fight. Soon feisty Max joined in, and the inevitable happened. The four thousand dollar painting on the wall fell, crashing onto the floor and bursting in half.

Okay, that’s not my personal Christmas story! I just made one up to amuse you. My kid isn’t even up yet. Hopefully he’ll like the iPod, the magazine subscription, and the latest CD from some band he listens to. Merry Christmas everybody! 

Holidays Are Great… Except For Debt

Yes, we all know that the holidays are a time for giving. To exchange gifts, to spend money lavishly, and to drive our average debt even higher. Has it never occurred to anybody that all the numerous little gifts they buy for kids, friends, family, and their left foot all end up costing a whopping amount?

Kids these days want iPods. They want cell phones, XBox 360s, laptops, digital cameras, sports equipment, designer clothes, and the parents want them to be happy. The way they see it, if the kids get want they want, they’ll be happy. But the people who won’t be happy are the parents, once they examine their December credit card bill.

Then there is a lesser known expense for the holidays. Think about how many houses you drive by as you walk down the road that have rows and rows of lights. There ae images of snowmen, trees, and reindeer. These lights are often left on all night, started at 5:00 in the evening and being turned off the next morning. In some cases, lights are left on 24 hours a day. Think of the electric bills!

It’s okay to celebrate the holidays and gifts to the ones you love, but don’t feel pressured to overspend. It’s easy to do that when you see all sorts of sales, and hear people talk about all of the Christmas shopping they are doing for the dozens of people on their list. Happiness can come with moderation.

I have been an overspender in the past, but this year is different. My wife and I gave one small box of chocolates to five of our family friends. Then we got my son an iPod, along with a magazine subscription. We sent other small gift to members of our family. At the end, we had only spent about $350, which is a penny in the jar compared to the thousands some people shell out in order to make themselves feel good. And in our front yard, we had no lights.

However, we put a small, decorated Christmas Tree in the window, so that the neighbors wouldn’t scold us for not having enough spirit. Enjoy your holidays, everybody!