Even more exorbitant

Addendum to yesterday's blog--I saw a handbag in InStyle Magazine with a price or over $7000. It wasn't even attractive.

Exorbitant

One of this week's vocabulary words is exorbitant. Now I usually have a short discussion about some of the words with the class, but this word prompted me to give a few examples. My subject was designer handbags. At one time--and I mean fairly recently--a designer handbag could be had for $200. Now that is considered a medium to low price. Very few designer handbags sell for under $400. I mentioned that most of them are now priced over $1000, and many sell for much more than that. This is what I mean by exorbitant. A handbag is just that--a bag in which to haul your personal stuff around. Leather is preferable, but not necessary. Style is nice, but not required. What is the difference between a bag that sells for $400 and one that sells for $1400? Since the really expensive ones are behind the counter, it is sometimes difficult to find out firsthand. So my question is-- is that difference between expensive and exorbitant?

Are they giving the stuff away?

This week I went shopping. Every store is having a sale. Macy's had a two day sale, which they followed with another sale. The same thing at Carson's and Kohl's. Most of the mall stores had some kind of sale going on. So I came home with bargins, but most of it is going back next week.
I have my schedule for next semester--three classes, all the same prep. It is a very nice schedule.
Today, we went food shopping for Thanksgiving. Now at the grocery store, there is a sale every week.

The first flake

I think that winter is here, at least for this week. The cold continues, the gray skies continue. Most of the trees have dropped their leaves. And today, as I left for the gym, I was treated to a few flakes of snow. Looks like winter to me.

Is It Winter Yet?

The temperature isn't that low, but all the other signs of winter are present today--gray skies, cold drizzle, bone chilling dampness, early darkness.
I am wearing a turtleneck sweater and a sweatshirt.
Real winter is a month away, but it feels like its here already.

I Cast My Vote

I even got a sticker that says "i voted!"

Today is one of the nicest--maybe the nicest Election Day ever--the weather is warm--in the 70's, there is a light breeze, the sun is shining and the fall colors are great. It is one of those storybook autumn days--my feet shuffle through the leaves, and they crunch a little bit. I hope that all of you are having a nice day too.

Vote tomorrow as if your Life Depends on it.

This column, from today's Chicago Tribune expresses what I have been thinking about writing in my blog for quite a while. Think about it when you go to vote tomorrow.

In next president, let's see respect, not just swagger
Dawn Turner Trice
November 3, 2008
I want a president who understands that Article II of our Constitution doesn't give us an overly elaborate description of what the presidency should be. So he (or one day, she) has to check himself, understanding that his powers are immense but not boundless. He should neither exploit them nor abuse them.I want a president who appreciates that he is the embodiment and caretaker of an institution in which Americans of every hue see the best of our country and ourselves reflected back.I want a president who has the intellectual heft needed to help us dig out of our various holes. I'm not interested in a "Joe the President." He and I won't ever need to sit down and have a beer, or throw back a few shots of hard liquor or even go bowling. We've had an everyman; we know how far a false swagger can take us.I want a president who is curious about the world around him—a president who neither thinks as an ideologue nor speaks in sound bites; who neither believes that issues are simply black and white, nor thinks as if they are.
Dawn Turner Trice Bio E-mail Recent columns
I want a president who recognizes that he doesn't know everything, so he surrounds himself with people—from both sides of the aisle and from opposing viewpoints—who can help fill in the gaps. I want a president with can "laugh with" as opposed to "laugh at." I want a president who wants to hear what scientists say about global warming and then work to effect change.I want a president who appreciates green spaces and sees the importance of creating bicycle and walking pathway systems that rival our interstate highway system.I want a president who has the discipline and stamina of a marathoner and the heart and dig of the best little leaguer.I want a president who loves the arts and believes in growing national treasures such as the great (now late) Studs Terkel who can write about average Americans with nuance and humanity. I want a president who has convictions but knows when to let go.I want a president who is loyal to his friends but not loyal to a fault. I want a president who can bring an end to our wars and take the billions of dollars being spent overseas and invest them in more affordable health care and education systems here at home.I want a president who understands the importance of separation of church and state and knows that our country was not founded on Christianity but on religious tolerance.I want a president who will not turn over his job to the vice president (except when going under general anesthesia). I want a president who can convey to the country (and through his actions at the helm of government) that there really is no such thing as a free ride or easy credit. And beware of "No money down."I want a president who can explain, as he might to a daughter, why we should pay our own way so that we're not beholden to anybody. I want a president who knows that there are still parts of our country where mountains appear purple and amber-colored grain waves and steel buildings stand at attention. And yet our true measure is not how anything looks on the outside, but who we are on the inside. That will be the America revered beyond our shores.I want a president who can continue to inspire and electrify as well as remind us that even in our darkest hours there's much to believe in. It's not enough that tens of millions of people have viewed the presidential debates and already have come out in early voting. After Tuesday, the real work begins and Americans must stay engaged.Most of all, I want a president who—after solemnly swearing or affirming that he will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States—goes about the business of doing so. dtrice@tribune.com

Election Paranoia

I've just finished reading an article and several op-ed pieces in today's New York Times. It seems that democrats are very nervous about the outcome of the election on Tuesday. My seriously democratic friend is very nervous too. She is afraid that the Republicans will come up with some kind of dirty that will turn the electors to John McCain.
Who knows. Unfortunately it has happened before. Remember 2000?
I haven't voted yet. My husband wants to wait until Tuesday. So, I will teach my 8am class, and when I get home, we will go to vote. Then we will have CNN on all day.