there was an article (maybe in The Atlantic) last month that discussed how fucked up Greece's economy is and that instead of using currency, many people were trading goods and services for their immediate needs.

I've always been attracted to this idea in theory. Doesn't work for a global marketplace, but in small communities...

I'd be much more onboard with that idea if I produced practical consumer goods rather than something ephemeral that people only seem to have money for when the economy is doing well.

msbelle, I will neither confirm nor deny that I know of a boy with similar athletic prowess, but if I did, he would, I believe, be older than Mac.

heh. I was having similar thoughts although the theoretical child I am thinking of is younger. But yeah, not raising another Emmett here.

heh. The thing is, mac is actually pretty athletic, he just lacks the confidence. He used to play soccer much more aggresively and had better ball skills. I am not sure where the disconnect is.

The argument seems to be that since s/he'd be sleeping for a number of those hours, they shouldn't count.

But you're paying for the sitter's TIME. I could understand maybe $15/hour awake, $10 asleep, but $5/hour is not an acceptable living wage in any case! (I know we're making the same argument, I'm just boggled that anyone thinks this would be okay.)

In my babysitting coop, we've all agreed that when the kids are asleep you don't "pay" more for multiples (since we're such a small building, babysitting a sleeping kid usually just means listening on the monitor from the next apartment over). But it's a points system, not cash. I would never offer to pay my regular sitter less for an overnight sit than I pay her during the day! If anything I would pay her more because it would be overtime.

I'd be much more onboard with that idea if I produced practical consumer goods rather than something ephemeral that people only seem to have money for when the economy is doing well.

I'm one to talk. I joked with my graduate school friends back when that we could walk the streets with signs that said "I will do literature reviews for food."

Although I probably could help someone set up a wifi network - that is probably a skill I do have that I could charge people for.

I'd have to learn to do practical things and things that your average person values (as opposed to being a niche resource in a knowledgeable area, where I still have to spend time educating the oddest people).

I'd be much more onboard with that idea if I produced practical consumer goods rather than something ephemeral that people only seem to have money for when the economy is doing well.

Oh, man, yes. The only things I have to barter with are fiction about interstellar explorers (or classic children's novel protagonists), or baked goods. And if the zombie apocalypse happens, I don't think we'll have enough sugar to bake with anymore.

...although I suppose my climbing skills could come in handy: I could climb onto buildings to help shoot at the zombies from a distance.

In other news, because I am a complete weenie w/rt confrontation, I sent a carefully-worded apology this morning regarding the spat I had with My Nemesis yesterday. I apologized for losing my temper, but not for having insulted her, since I only said the truth.

I am now aglow in the righteous light of the moral high ground. We'll see how long it lasts. Perhaps I need a donut to continue glowing.

The argument seems to be that since s/he'd be sleeping for a number of those hours, they shouldn't count. Also, she's a single mother and this is all she can afford. There are so many issues here, and I honestly sympathize, but none of it adds up to $5/hour being okay.

Yeah, I can honestly see all of it, but COME ON. What the rest of you people already said.

ION, I am currently working on a JavaScript file called packaged.js. Package.js deals a lot with the DOM (Document Object Model).

Slashing various include files makes my job more interesting.