I have a theory that made my Catholic girlfriend blow a gasket: God did not create the world in 7 days; he messed around for 6 days and then pulled an all-nighter.

I should know.  I used to pull all nighters all the time at Northwestern and … well, my grades showed it.  And when I look at the messed up stuff in this world, I gotta wonder.

Take for example the economy. I got my degree in social psychology, and went to work for the state as a social worker. Golly, that was so not fun. Everyday, something depressing and the pay sucked. So next I got a job in HR at an investment bank that shall remain nameless. We spent weeks working on a layoff plan, super hush hush. I practically pulled an all-nighter working on that one. So Big Announcement day rolls around, and guess whose name is on the axe-me list?  Mine, of course. The worst part is I knew all the dirt in the deal, how the execs all had their bonuses protected while the little people were sent home with boxes of personal affects.

My girlfriend and I had just rented a bigger apartment, so this was not good.  Then I needed a dental procedure that cost $2300.  So where was the money going to come from?  My severance would just cover rent and food for a few months, but a guy can’t go on job interviews missing a tooth.  So I stayed up all night (just like always) and found on the internet Skokie Title Loans, a car title loan store.  Fortunately, my car payments were done and it allowed me about $2500 in collateral.  The loan process was very easy, and I got the money very quickly, in time to schedule my tooth implant for interviewing.  Now, if I can just get enough sleep the night before and don’t screw those up …

By the way Skokie is near Evanston, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, and Wilmette.

A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

And in this economy, I come to a lot of conclusions.  I conclude that a Saturday night at home is easier than finding a way to do something for under $25. I conclude that I like my job even though it gives me a headache every single day and my boss is a lunatic.  I conclude that living in Park Ridge is paradise, even though I grew up in Florida and married the man who grew up three blocks from Hillary.

I also conclude that there are times when you do things with money you never expected to.  Last fall, our daughter was set to start at Loyola University and we learned we didn’t get the financial assistance we thought she was going to get.  Classes were going to start in three weeks, but we didn’t have the cash to cover that first semester’s tuition.  We didn’t know where to find it, since my husband’s commissions were low all year and I was worried about a layoff. So we went online and found a fast loan source – a car title loan through Park Ridge Title Loans.  I would never have done this if I had to go to a currency exchange or one of those other places.  But this is based on the Internet.  You get your money in like two days and that’s just what we needed.  I’d recommend car title loans to anyone who needs cash fast for important things.

By the way Park Ridge  is near Wilmette, Des Plaines, Lincolnwood, Glenview, and Harwood Heights.

I told my husband, the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.

But he went ahead and bought those 500 tickets when the Illinois jackpot was over $100 million. Big shocker, he didn’t win.

Meanwhile that put us $500 in the hole just when the wall were crashing in. I wasn’t selling houses anywhere, his job ended a month earlier, and we have two kids in school at Oakton Community College and Columbia downtown. I was waiting on a check from a closing I had coming up (nice place in the Maine East district), but both kids had tuition costs and I wasn’t sure how to cover it in time to get them started for the semester.

So I did my own math and decided to look for a car title loan. My car is paid for and about seven years old, and I was surprised at the value I still had on it. I went online and found Niles Title Loans, an online car title loans company that gets you your money ASAP (one day, electronically sent to your checking account). I was able to pay it back in two weeks, but you can stretch it out if necessary.

The kids are both back in school. And I’m encouraging them to take some math classes.

By the way Niles is near Park Ridge, Harwood Heights, Lincolnwood, Wilmette, and Kenilworth.

I read an article that said that the symptoms of stress are impulse buying, eating too much and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That’s what I call a perfect day.

Ah, but the stress of job hunting and unemployment are starting to wear on me. A friend of mine was telling me that she was doing Botox as part of her strategy to find a job. I liked the idea, but didn’t think I had the spare cash for treatments. It’s about $500 in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, more downtown at some of the specialists.

I decided it was a $500 investment in getting a better paying job. So when I was looking at my reflection in the mirror of my car, all clean and shiny and paid for, I realized I was looking at my Botox financing. I had heard about car title loans and went online where I found Morton Grove Title Loans. It was fast, easy, painless and instant (money arrives the next day in your checking account). And I look fabulous.

Of course, everyone I run into in town immediate says I look so young and fresh. I love Morton Grove. It’s nice to live in a small town, because even if you don’t know what you are doing, someone else does.

By the way Morton Grove is near Niles, Glenview, Northfield, Wilmette, and Lincolnwood.

I told my brother the other day there are six things that define when you are getting older:

1. The end of your tie doesn’t come anywhere near the top of your pants.
2. You take a metal detector to the beach.
3. You wear black socks with sandals.
4. You can’t remember the last time you laid on the floor to watch television.
5. Your ears are hairier than your head.
6. You feel nostalgic about saving the Purple Hotel at Lincoln and Touhy.

He hits four of them, me three. And here’s the kicker: at this time in our lives, when you would think things would be settled out financially, we’re both up against it with this financial and housing price meltdown. I’ve heard of people being despondent over it. And I’ll admit I’ve lost some sleep. But I’m a survivor, the kind of guy who goes on the Internet when I have a problem in search of solutions.

My crazy find lately has been car title loans. There have been a couple of pinches I was in – money owed there, receivables due in here – where timing caught me short. So I checked out what my Jaguar could get me at Lincolnwood Title Loans – it was a perfect solution! I needed $5500 for two weeks, and that’s where I got it. A car title loan is just another way of working with an asset to get cash leverage.

Not too old yet!

By the way Lincolnwood is near evanston, Skokie, Niles, Park Ridge, and Harwood Heights.

Evanston is filled with ironic intellectuals. My last boyfriend once said, “I can’t get enough of minimalism” and giggled about it for ten minutes.

Yeah, he was a real comedian alright. And he had a creative streak. He painted murals on the kitchen, bathroom and dinette area walls as part of his aspirations to become a muralist (last I heard, he took a telemarketing job in Niles). So after we broke up, I had to change apartments to something I could afford on my own. It was my name on the lease, so of course I was responsible for the security deposit. Well, when the landlord saw the murals he explained it would take a lot of painting to cover them up, and that my security deposit of $1500 was essentially out the window. So that then presented me with a challenge for coming up with a new security deposit on my new place.

Ever the resourceful gal, I realized my VW Beetle would be collateral in a car title loan. I was always creeped out by the kinds of stores where you would go for one of those, so I was heartened to see that car title loans can now be done entirely online. I went to Evanston Title Loans, where the application was very easy to complete, and I had my money by the next day – just in time to secure my new place. Whew!

Now, I think I’m going to date an auto mechanic or a plumber. Enough with the irony, a girl needs guys good with their hands.

By the way Evanston is near Skokie, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Wilmette, and Northfield.