I was reading the other day that the Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies. So does that mean if a plane has to make an emergency landing, they can do it on a highway? And if so, why did they land that plane in the Hudson River in New York City instead of using a highway?

I’m not a comfortable flier to begin with. In fact, I avoid it if at all possible.  I drive to visit family in Salt Lake City when I can. Of course, last year my grandmother took a turn for the worse and I had to go back to see her before she died. Which meant I had to fly. And not only that, but last minute airfares are outrageous — it was more than $800 to get a seat the next day.

I had no choice, but also no credit cards. So I searched online for a quick loan through a car title loan store.  I found Car Title Loans in Salem, and it was exactly what I needed.  I borrowed $1000 off my old-but-paid-for Honda, and was able to leave the next evening.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to do an emergency landing and I got to spend some time with my grandmother in her last days.

We seem to have entered into one very bad economy. I think stupidity got us into this mess – why can’t it get us out?

Seems like the boys in Washington and Wall Street are trying their best. They say they’re working for us, the little people in the heartland who toil away for years, following the rules. And then we read about billions in bonuses to bankers who screwed up royally, and the congress people don’t exactly look like they’re going hungry either.

We’ve had our own money problems here in Kane County. My wife lost her banking job and my days at the plant were over in 2006 already. We’re working part time jobs here and there, piecing it together because we really don’t have much of a choice. We’re too young to retire, but too old for some of the salaries we see in the advertising. But we’re making do and there’s nothing stupid about that.

I found a new trick, car title loans.  It’s the kind of loan you can get when no one else has money for you.  With us, it was when the old stove gave out. We can pay it in installments, but just try getting a loan with part time work only.  The great thing is South Elgin Title Loans didn’t care about our employment status. They just needed to see we hold title on our cars.  We got that money in two days, just in time to go to Glenview and get a deal at Abt appliances. And I’ll do it again if I have to.

By the way South Elgin is near Batavia, Aurora, Geneva, Huntley, and St Charles.

I am taking some classes, including philosophy, at the NIU campus on Diehl Road, and used an axiom from Socrates to explain why I didn’t have an assignment finished: Time is what keeps things from happening all at once. At least, I think Socrates said that.

Truth of the matter is I have to work two jobs in addition to going to school part time just to afford everything. Everyone thinks life in Naperville is easy street, but circumstances have conspired against me lately and I’m doing the best I can. That philosophical excuse didn’t exactly work, but I persevere.

I came up short on cash because of my parents’ alimony situation last semester, and I wasn’t sure I could even take the two classes I wanted, which were prerequisites for classes in the spring semester. So missing that semester would basically put me a year behind where I was already. Not cool. So my mom offered for me to take a car title loan on her mini van, which suddenly made me a little less critical of that ugly ass vehicle. I had never heard of car title loans so I went online and found, you guessed it, Naperville Title Loans. I filled out the form, got an email saying we were approved about ten minutes later, and the money was in my mom’s checking account the next day.

Time was not a problem with that loan. In fact, it saved me a TON of time by allowing me to take classes on schedule.

By the way Naperville is near, Aurora, Woodridge, Bolingbrook, Romeoville, and Warrenville.

Lessons in marriage learned recently: The most effective way to remember your wife’s birthday is to forget it once.

We got married in early July (1992). Her birthday is in late June. And I tend to mentally lump the two together, sometimes trying to get in one present for both of them. But the trick there is to hit the first event (her birthday), which then covers you on the second. It’s the 25th, but I was thinking the 28th for some reason. So once I figured out the slow burn taking place in our home, I knew I had to make amends.

Ever the penitent husband, I offered to go to the Kane County Flea Market with her the next week. She usually goes with her mother and sister from Batavia. I figured, “how much could this cost?” What I discovered is, PLENTY. Just because I had the pick-up with us, she decides this big honking chest was “perfect” for our living room. But for a mere $1000 we have become the proud owners of this fine piece of old furniture.

Which led to a little cash crunch for the past few months. My solution: go to Aurora Car Title Loans, for a short-term loan against my truck. It was a great fix: done entirely online, a car title loan is easy and fast. I had the money in a day.

A well-timed box of chocolates could have averted this whole thing.

By the way Aurora is near Montgomery, South Park, Naperville, Bolingbrook, and Wheaton.