Happy Thanksgivin’!
Happy Thanksgiving people! Actually, I like to say Happy Tofurkey Day. Anyways, I’m heading to good old Waretown, NJ for the next few days, and most likely won’t be posting much (if at all). So have a fab holiday!
photo credit: traceytilson via Flickr
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (1)Home for a little longer than the holidays.
Another good article I found regarding coming back home to live with the folks. Especially interesting, because they say these days that the recession is supposedly “over,” but it looks like many of us will be feeling the effects for a lot longer.
Goodbye jobs, hello mom and dad
Hope Yen, Associated Press writer
WASHINGTON – Faced with limited job options, many young adults are turning to an old standby to weather the recession: moving back in with mom and dad.
Nearly 1 in 7 parents with grown children say they had a “boomerang kid” move back home in the past year, according to a study released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center. In a turnabout in the rite of passage in which a college graduate finds a job and an apartment, many are returning to their parents’ empty nests because of tight finances or as they pursue an advanced degree.
“The journey home for Thanksgiving won’t be quite so far this year for many adults,” said researchers Wendy Wang and Rich Morin, who wrote the report. “Instead of traveling across country or across town, many grown sons or daughters will be coming to dinner from their old bedroom down the hall.”
Pew’s survey and analysis of government data found that the share of adults 18 to 29 who lived alone declined from 7.9 percent in 2007 to 7.3 percent this year. Drops of that magnitude were also seen during or immediately after the recessions of 1982 and 2001.
Roughly one-third, or 35 percent, of boomerang kids said they had lived independently at some point in their lives but had to move back in with their parents. About half of the grown children worked full- or part-time, while 25 percent were unemployed and 20 percent were full-time students.
The findings are the latest to highlight the sweeping social impact of a recession that began in December 2007. The effects have included declining immigration and U.S. migration between states, as well as increased carpools, use of public transit and “doubling up” of families in single-residence homes.
Data released earlier this year showed that older Americans will make up virtually all of the growth in the U.S. work force in the coming years as a nearly unprecedented number hold onto jobs and younger people decide to stay in school.
Among 16- to 24-year-olds, less than half, or 46.1 percent, are currently employed, the smallest share since the government began collecting such data in 1948. At the same time, a record high of about 11.5 million Americans ages 18 to 24, or nearly 40 percent, attended college in October 2008.
“Boomerang kids are a major trend, and they represent a shift in cultural norms,” said David Morrison, president and founder of Twentysomething Inc., a marketing and research firm. “Young adults are the first to feel the brunt of a bad economy and the last to feel the benefits of a recovering economy. So the first way you hedge your bets is to minimize your expenses.”
Saying there is now less of a stigma in moving back home, Morrison predicted that the trend of boomerang kids may lessen somewhat but still continue after the economy recovers. That could create longer-term ripple effects in social relationships, from multigenerational family tensions to delayed marriage, he said.
According to the latest Pew survey and census data:
_About 20 million people ages 18 to 34 live at home with their parents — roughly 30 percent of that age group. That’s up from about 18 million, or 27 percent, in 2005.
_About 12 percent of young adults ages 18 to 34 said they were forced to move in with a roommate because of the poor economy.
_Fifteen percent of adults 18 to 34 said they had postponed getting married due to the recession. That share increases to 21 percent for adults ages 25 to 34, when many people tend to get married.
_Fourteen percent of adults 18 to 34 say they delayed having a baby.
Pew based its findings on data from the Bureau Statistics and the Census Bureau. It also interviewed 1,028 people ages 18 and older by cell phone or landline from Oct. 21-25. The poll has a Margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Article source: Yahoo! News
Filed under Back to the Nest: Articles | Comment (1)Fun and Useless Crap
I’ve made a conscious effort to stay away from Urban Outfitters for the last few months, because what tends to happen when I “browse” their website, I end up justifying spending a whole crap ton of money I technically don’t have on stuff I probably don’t really need. BUT today I spent most of my morning thinking about Christmas gifts and where I would like to shop for them. So UO makes a triumphant return to my browser window. I did myself a favor and stayed away from clothes/shoes/jewelry, and stuck with the apartment section (which is my favorite anyway). Here’s what they have me suckered into lovin’ right now:
The Micro Terrarium – Venus Flytrap
I love these. I can’t figure out for the life of me why. I bought one way back last spring that was supposed to grow a small field of lucky clovers. One measly little clover sprouted, realized it couldn’t handle our cruel world, and died. My own good luck then followed suit. Did I learn anything from this? Not so much. I still have hope for the Micro Terrarium, this time the Venus Flytrap version, even in all its cheap plastic and photoshopped glory.
Singin’ in the Rain Shower Curtain
The photo is craptastical, but this shower curtain is so cute! I’m kind of anti-decorating bathrooms because…it’s the bathroom and who gives a rat’s ass about wallpaper and that sort of thing in the bathroom? But a cool shower curtain is like a built-in bathroom decoration for lazy people (like me).
Silver Duck Mirror by David Dear
Why the hell…well WHY THE HELL NOT? It’s a mirror. It has the silver anatomically correct feet of the Anatidae bird kingdom. Don’t ask questions. It doesn’t get much better than this.
There might just be a recurring theme here of me wanting to grow plants sans an actual garden of sorts. Podlings are these little foil pyramids filled with seeds and a peat pod (is that what you call those?) where you cut off the top corner and add water. Then it grows, like magic. Awesome!
Actually, someday I would like to have a garden of my very own. Not today though. God, no, not today.
Relevant, because I happen to be in dire need of a USB flash drive at this juncture in my life. Why not go all stealth about it, just because I could? I feel like due to the size and nature of this (I keep wanting to say “these” because when referring to glasses you always say “these”) drive, the likelihood of them it getting lost decreases quite a whole lot. Plus, they it just looks totally badass.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (4)Yup, I have a problem…
…and you probably already know, that problem is Fantasy Football.
I refrained from following up on how the tough matchup between Michelle and I went, because I thought the bad karma would get me this week. But since it doesn’t matter now, I can tell you that I not only beat Michelle and Anton, but I also completely crushed, murdered, and annihilated everyone in the whole league, and ended up ranked #1. Booyah.
Not so fast. This week (11) I’m up against Schiano’s Dream. Not that great of a team, and I don’t think the person who manages it is, well, managing it in any sense of the word. I was projected to win by like 28 points, and it should have been in the bag.
Here’s what’s actually happening, as of last night:
Really?!?! I give Lee Evans a chance and he spits in my face. Forte ran all over the place last week and look what he does to me this week. And don’t even get me started on Devin Hester (we’re in a fight). I leave Jamaal Charles benched because he was supposed to be useless after playing the Raiders last week, and what happens? He scores 20.6 fantasy points, and the Chiefs beat the Steelers in overtime! Unreal! I even considered playing Mike Bell, who’s essentially done nothing all season, but of course he garners 21 points, since I leave him on the bench. And HOW THE HELL DID THE RAIDERS BEAT THE BENGALS?!? STOP THIS MADNESS!!
At least I have Chris Johnson playing tonight, but even he might have it out for me.
Who am I? WHERE am I? This can’t be my life right now. I need a new hobby.
Have a nice Monday, ya’ll.
Filed under Addicted to the Internet | Comments (2)Heavy Rotation: Double Shot | Kid Sister
Not only are you getting one Heavy Rotation after another, this time you’re getting two songs for the price of one. Oh, you’re welcome.
Normally rap isn’t really my thing. So when I do find rap that I like, it’s a really big deal. Enter, Kid Sister.
I heard the song “Family Reunion” last year. Around that time, Kid Sister was supposed to release her debut album, titled Dream Date. After being delayed a buncha times, Kid Sister was apparently less than thrilled with the outcome, and asked her record label to hold off on releasing Dream Date. The album was thus reworked, and the name was changed to Ultraviolet, and finally released earlier this week. RCRD LBL calls it “a landmark, merging electronic music and club rap in ways that have never been done before.” I call it ridiculous amounts of fun and awesomeness by one super badass chick. It’s like 80s female rap, only better, with synth and way cooler lyrics.
“Family Reunion” was unfortunately left off the final cut of Ultraviolet, so I’ve included it here, along with “Get Fresh,” another favorite. Enjoy!
*Other favorites from Ultraviolet include: “Right Hand Hi” and “Pro Nails,” You can stream the whole album for free HERE, so make sure you do it!! Keep in mind, some songs are NSFW, just so you’re aware.
