Just a regular gal living the American dream...

It’s been a while. Working full time really has a way of cutting into your free time. So now, instead of stressing out about the Dow Jones average plummeting, I spend my days stressing out about getting essays graded and lesson plans organized. The world may be on the brink of imploding but don’t worry, in approximately 4 weeks, Change is coming.

Ask the poor, forlorn AIG sales agents who recently drowned their sorrows and melted away their stress at St. Regis Resort in California. With $150,000 spent on food and $23,000 spent on spa charges, I think it's safe to say they are probably feeling refreshed and decidedly, bailed out.

Rest assured, my fellow Americans, the government will save us if we can just hold on until election day. It doesn't really matter now who you vote for because Change is coming to Washington whether in the form of a "cuppala maverick" or a Harvard law grad. What Change looks like is still unclear. In fact, it's really rather silly to get caught up in such detail because we really just need to focus on the Change. We have from November to January anyway to worry about what that Change actually is. But those interim months will move merrily along as it will be the holiday season. Or, if HGTV is to be believed, the holiday season IS here. You betcha.

I have seen my first holiday commercial - complete with jingle bells, flashes of red, green and gold and snow flakes. I know what you're thinking, "say it ain't so, Joe," Yes, it's true. It's still 70 degrees out but Santa is making his list. Perhaps you could ask Sarah Palin to give the jolly old soul your Christmas list since she is one of the Main Streeters from up there in Wasila. If she can see Russia, I'm sure she's also seen a flying reindeer and some elves too. Wink.

As for me, I'm just hoping to be able to make my mortgage payment and furnish a room or two.

Furniture shopping is like writing an essay. It’s not really that fun while you are doing it but I imagine there will be a sense of accomplishment when we finally see your house all put together. It’s nice to be able to start with a clean slate but at the same time, it’s seeming like a bit too much. We have to pick colors for the walls, colors/patterns for the rugs, color/patterns for the furniture and then figure out what’s going to fit where. Boy, I tell ya, I’m just a house-owning outsider. Gosh darnit, I don’t know whether to pick out my couch first or coffee table. But I tell you what, I’ll tell you straight up what it’s like to walk around a huge warehouse with faux Chinese food eerily placed on a fake kitchen table with an ever present lurker just a few feet behind you – waiting to pounce the minute you feign the slightest interest in something. It’s weird. The furniture salesman is reduced to stalking customers as they weave in an out of fully furnished areas, waiting for a question. My only question is why display a fake spilled coffee mug? Is it to show the fabric is stain-resistant? It certainly doesn’t make me want to buy. But you know how some people are these days, they don’t really want to answer your questions directly. They just want to talk about what they want to talk about so I didn’t bother asking. But there was a bright spot: the carnival sized carousel ride in the corner next to the café.

In the end, I walked out with no more idea of what I want then when I walked in.I’m not sure I really have a “style” and clearly have no experience furnishing houses but I figure if I just bring my folksy charm to Bethel it’ll all work out.