Lord I love Matilda's mind. And you guys for sharing. You could bogart it all for yourselves, but no, you allow the rest of us to bask in the reflected wonder that is Matilda.

I'm going to be explicating "FAIRIES!" at opportune moments for some time to come.

Ginger, what's the general feeling about this case? Is there enough public outrage that it's likely to be dismissed?

There is considerable outrage, but it's in Cobb Country, which in general doesn't believe in pedestrians or black people. My guess is a suspended sentence, but you never know. I suspect a pedestrian or transportation advocacy group will appeal.

I love Matilda's mind too.

13 year old boy in Texas thinks he shot a chupacabra.

What do you guys think? Could it be a mangey coyote?

What do you guys think? Could it be a mangey coyote?

Well I'm pretty confident it's not a chupacabra...

Yeah, didn't some researchers think that most chupacabra are foxes or coyotes with mange?

For me it's not "OMG I should've moved sooner" but more "OMG, I don't think I can ever move back now that I'm used to it". :)

For me, it's both.

But for most people, they don't have that degree of impulse control, or even just plain forget they are on a budget, or can't remember mentally how much they have left to spend in a category and overspend, so carrying only the cash you have to spend can be really helpful.

Yes, studies have shown that on average people spend about 15% less overall when they use cash.

Except for the grad school loans, I always paid off my cc every month so I never cut them up as people like Dave Ramsey suggest. And now I use them all the time for car rental, online stuff, things I want purchase protection for, etc. But I do want to get back to a complete cash system for restaurants and entertainment because I do think I spent more wisely when I was doing that. For me, points or miles or whatever will never be better than more of my cash staying in the bank.

I don't know, but I do know that from now on I will describe anything inexplicable as "probably just a coyote with mange."

I don't know, but I do know that from now on I will describe anything inexplicable as "probably just a coyote with mange."

On a related topic, I have lunch with my former boss today. Then, vacation! (Well, I'm on vacation now, but today I actually go somewhere.)

Yeah, didn't some researchers think that most chupacabra are foxes or coyotes with mange?

It depends on who you're counting as a researcher. A cryptozoologist is going to have a different answer than a biologist or wildlife expert.

studies have shown that on average people spend about 15% less overall when they use cash

Is there any difference between people who carry credit card debt and those who pay it off? I never carry debt. My card is a way to get reward points, and nothing more. Also, is there a distinction between the amount of spending one does if one has a debit card, as opposed to a credit card? For some reason I do groceries and gas on my debit card, and everything else on my credit card. Cash is for taxi rides and purchases under ten dollars.