Day 214: The Beauty of Dessert

 

August 2nd, 2011In what some might deem to be a misuse of my money, I have decided to avoid eating out in an effort to save money. Subsequently tonight, I went to get dessert with a friend, costing only $2, and avoiding any hefty fees that would be attached to eating out. In the morning though, I went straight to EH&S, and worked my butt off delivering stickers to various labs in the School of Medicine. In between I would go to Biomed Library (which is surprisingly still open!), and hang out there. I would play Tetris and watch Degrassi while watching for my next appropriate “sticker delivery appointment”. Afterwards, I bused straight home to Von’s, where I bought some overpriced rotissery chicken and Sunny D (on sale). I’m trying to make it so that on average I only spend $5 a day on food. In doing so, I’m already at $15 spent over the last two days, but I think that’s okay as long as I don’t spend anything tomorrow. The rotissery chicken is delicious, and the value of putting it in my fridge allows me to devour it again tomorrow at the cost of NOTHING. Cheers for that! I still have in my fridge and drawers to eat for free: cereal, eggs, rice, milk, hot pockets, frozen pizza, hot dogs, noodles, soup, among a vast assortment of other things. I stayed at home for many hours, falling asleep and at the same time watching various episodes of Degrassi and Breaking Bad: two very different shows, but very entertaining in both tone and nature. I’m excited to catch up on Breaking Bad to the present day episodes, so I can watch live on TV the day ins and day outs of Walter White. Afterwards, Tran Tran picked me up and we went to get “dessert”. This helped save me roughly 8-15 dollars depending on what type of meal I would have otherwise gotten with her. We talked in the Ralph’s shopping complex while eating some delicious golden spoon. I realized if I stayed in Ralph’s long enough I would see too many people I knew…. sadly enough. I didn’t even bother to scream out their names tonight though. Afterwards, I got dropped off back at my place and spent the rest of the night relaxing.

At about 2 a.m. local time, Iraqi forces invade Kuwait, Iraq’s tiny, oil-rich neighbor. Kuwait’s defense forces were rapidly overwhelmed, and those that were not destroyed retreated to Saudi Arabia. The emir of Kuwait, his family, and other government leaders fled to Saudi Arabia, and within hours Kuwait City had been captured and the Iraqis had established a provincial government. By annexing Kuwait, Iraq gained control of 20 percent of the world’s oil reserves and, for the first time, a substantial coastline on the Persian Gulf. The same day, the United Nations Security Council unanimously denounced the invasion and demanded Iraq’s immediate withdrawal from Kuwait. On August 6, the Security Council imposed a worldwide ban on trade with Iraq. On August 9, Operation Desert Shield, the American defense of Saudi Arabia, began as U.S. forces raced to the Persian Gulf. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, meanwhile, built up his occupying army in Kuwait to about 300,000 troops. On November 29, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq if it failed to withdraw by January 15, 1991. Hussein refused to withdraw his forces from Kuwait, which he had established as a province of Iraq, and some 700,000 allied troops, primarily American, gathered in the Middle East to enforce the deadline. AND WE CARE BECAUSE…?

President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed into law a last-minute compromise plan to raise the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, narrowly averting what could have been an unprecedented default with calamitous economic consequences. Obama’s signature capped a tumultuous negotiation with congressional leaders that spanned months before finally coming up with an agreement on Sunday, two days before the government said it would run short of money pay its bills while lacking the authority to borrow any more. On Monday, the U.S. House passed the compromise measure by a 269-161 vote, overcoming opposition from unhappy liberal Democrats and tea party Republicans. BULLSHIT!

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