Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Things You Definitely Should Not Do

You should not study for a Remedies final exam when you've only had four hours of sleep. In the middle of writing flashcards, you will suddenly realize you've been writing cattle instead of chattel. And, you will giggle (just a little bit) because the contemplation of damages for a converted cattle (a freezer full of meat or a nice pair of shoes, gloves, hat AND matching handbag) is humorous. Nerdy, but humorous. So much so, that you wish you had a herd of cattle that could be converted into these.

You should also never take a toddler to a middle school tour intended for parents and their tweens, unless you enjoy orange juice facials and extracting your child from betwixt the security gates. Also, other parents who don't have their toddlers with them, will give you understanding, yet condescending looks for the rest of the tour. However, your sweet ten-year old daughter will patiently help you reign in the little terror while displaying the right amount of understated awe at her future school.

And, finally, you should not even think about putting your quaint little bungalow on the market to move into the over-priced neighborhood adjacent to the future middle school. It will only cause you pain, anguish, and many, many tears. Resign yourself to carpooling for awhile, or at least until after the capital gains cut-off period, then try to find a fixer-upper in your desired neighborhood while the real estate values are still depressed. Read The Two Income Trap for the fifth time, and pay special attention to the section about rising housing costs and its effect on public education. Rejoice that you did not overpay for your bungalow and vow to increase its value in every way you know how.

No comments: