Fifty Shades of Grey - Didn't Have Me Tied Down

Warning - I'm going to talk about sexuality.  Knowing full well my mothers and friends read this, I'm giving you the chance to click that red X in the corner lest the idea of me broaching the topic of erotica, sexuality, and the social impact of literature gets your panties in a twist ... and not in a good way.

For the rest of you still hanging out, thanks for being curious :)

Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James is taking over the bedrooms of bored women across the nation, or so the headlines have been screaming.  The book charts the complex relationship of Anastasia Steel (literature student) and Christian Grey (wealthy entrepreneur).  It's the classic story of unworldly, slightly clumsy, doesn't-know-she's-hot girl meets experienced, dark, I'm-in-need-a-therapist hot guy.

The twist, if you're not aware, is that instead of your run-of-the-mill romance novel steamy scenes, EL James lets her readers explore a slightly darker gamut of sexual expression in the world of dominant/submissive, accompanied by some light bondage, a touch of flogging (not in the Spanish Inquisition sense), and a few spankings.  That would be BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, masochism) and all of the ensuing combinations.

I'll kick off my review with this statement - sexuality is not fixed or binary, it is highly personal, and as long as you and your partner set the boundaries and are honest with each other, what you do with and to each other is your own damn business.

If you think erotica is porn, well, I'm surprised you're still reading this.  I could devote another post to explaining the difference, but porn is visual and leaves nothing to the imagination.  Erotica is sensual and requires imagination on the reader's part.  The difference is profound - porn is a 10-minute quickie whereas erotica is a drawn-out seduction. 

Back to Fifty Shades.  This book started out as online fan fiction for Twilight.  Oh yes, the main characters were once Bella and Edward.  The influence is easily discernible, which may put you off or pull you in.  

(source)

To her credit, James readily admits she's a novice writer.  Which makes it easier for me to gently agree with her.  This is not a wonderfully written book.  A chunk of my editor brain was having fun mentally taking a red pen to the text as I read.  This sentiment applies both to the relationship portions of the book and the "I might blush here" sections.

I also easily tired of our narrator, Ana.  She's young, innocent, exploring her sexuality for the first time (she starts out as a virgin), and is written accordingly.  She can't bring herself to talk about her or Christian's body directly; instead she refers to down there, his erection, or the apex of my thighs.  She constantly says holy shit! when something arousing happens, which gets annoying because it seems so juvenile.

Despite my literary beef with the execution, it distresses me that the media sharks out there have dubbed this work mommy porn  <shudders>  There are so many things wrong with that term - it's sexist, disparaging, and dismissive.

(source)

Granted, this very heterosexual, very white book is not going to cut across all demographics, but to throw such a label on it is repulsive because it seeks to shame any woman (or curious guy) from picking it up.  On that premise, I defend the book for making sexuality more approachable, even if you've innocuously downloaded it on your Kindle or Nook and no one sees the cover (which in print form is also deliberately unremarkable). 

To be honest, this is Introductory Erotica.  Unlike most of the user-submitted stuff you can troll for online, Fifty Shades at least had some quality control, but there's better stuff out there.  If you've never tasted this taboo genre before or are already a closet Harlequin reader, I endorse this for you.  But if your sexuality is more robust, this will leave you unsatisfied.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (review)

Do you remember the Murry children from A Wrinkle in Time?  The creation of Madeleine L'Engle, Meg and Charles Wallace are descendants of the Pevensie siblings from The Chronicles of Narnia but ancestors of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

I read this as a kid but failed to connect with it. I picked it up again when my book club at work turned to the fantasy genre.  Unfortunately, my adult reaction was no different than my preteen self. 

This is the cover I remember

Lowlights
My entire objection to the book is tied up in the main character, Meg. Great pains are taken to emphasis that Meg is the black sheep of her family, incompetent at school, full of unbridled angst, and mousy to boot.

Told from Meg's viewpoint, the story is full of outbursts, tearful declarations, and constant frustrations. This goes far beyond what we would expect from a gangly teenager girl.  Meg isn't just made to feel unattractive - she has an unattractive personality.

What irks me about Meg is that L'Engle left her without any gifts. She is thoroughly unlikeable and untalented.  Daughter of two scientists, sister of a child prodigy, and friend to a math whiz * (reader correction below), Meg doesn't have anything to bring to the table.

I nearly threw the book at the end when Meg saves her brother with her love.  Yes, the girl who fails her classes, wanders around clumsily, and constantly complains saves the day with her love.

I know, I know, it was the 60s.  It was unusual to have a female main character in a sci-fi book.  But still, sigh.  It reinforces that girls are only tagalongs with domestic gifts in adventure stories.

 
Highlights
Despite my objections, I'm glad this book exists.  It's very alternative to something like Narnia or LOTR, even though it similarly mixes religion, fantasy, and science freely.  In fact, that's precisely why it was on the list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenge Books during the 1990s.  That's an automatic plus in my book.

Depictions of women aside, the master theme of the book is the dangers of conformity.  It shows that a world that has removed the individual for simplicity's sake is one full of people easy to control.  

Favorite Quotes

"Just because we don't understand doesn't mean that the explanation doesn't exist."

"You're given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you."

Do you remember reading this book?  What did you think? 

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (review)

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Anthony Bourdain is one of those books that has the rare quality of being hilarious, intelligent, and decadent all in one sitting.

I picked up Medium Raw at the Atlanta airport after some hideous adjustments to my travel schedule.  I was tired, had dined poorly that day, and needed a laugh.

Bourdain’s snarky wit came to the rescue. 

Funny thing though, I never really liked his show.  He was forever going off to places I would never go, eating things that were made of goodness knows what, and describing taste experiences I could never have.

This, of course, is the allure of his show.  I just never got into it.  Though to be fair, I always like his “bad boy” personality better than any of the glossy Food Network stars.

Medium Raw continues Bourdain’s flair for gripe, pointed criticism, and wicked humor that started in Kitchen Confidential.  This is actually the first time I’ve read Bourdain’s work, so I cannot comment on how his work has evolved, only to guess that his TV show, second marriage, and daughter have mellowed out this former drug addict a touch.

Bourdain’s style of writing is like gumbo – it’s spicy and meaty. It comes from rustic origins but it’s been polished over time.  There’s a little something for everyone.

There’s many favorable points for this book, humor being the biggest selling point.  I audibly cracked up several times over Bourdain’s adventures.

But the thing I love the most is Bourdain’s astute acknowledgement of the economics of food.

This is a man who knows and freely admits he has eaten some of the most incredible food offerings in the world – which come with a price tag most of us would gag at and food waste that is appalling.

He is keenly aware that the average Joe and Jane are just trying to get food into their kids’ bellies, not serve up a gourmet delight. That access to better food is hindered by dollar signs. That the state of mass farms and the meat industry are a serious problem. That the allure of food porn splashed on air and magazine covers is likely contributing to our complicated relationship with food.

Bourdain’s outsider perspective and working class roots honors the typical American and their routine experiences with food.  This is not a guy who grew up with steak tartar and vichyssoise, even though he offers enthusiastic descriptions of food I will never afford to look at.

Highlights of the book:

Virtue (Chapter 6) – in which Bourdain champions for basic cooking skills to be taught in schools to everyone.

Lust (Chapter 8) – short vignettes of Bourdain’s most heavenly food experiences.  I have never had pho before (a Vietnamese soup) but he had my mouth salivating.  His description of pain raisins and butter in Paris is particularly intoxicating.

Meat (Chapter 9) – a defense of our American right to eat beef untreated with ammonia and a call for better practices in the meat industry

Lower Education (Chapter 10) – a devilish ploy to shield his daughter from the evils of McDonald’s marketing and food

Lowlights:

Swearing – This point actually endears Bourdain to me, but if you can’t handle a George Carlin-style voice punctuated with every swear word imaginable, you will be offended.  However, if you take pride in your colorful vocabulary, then reading Bourdain is like sitting in the bar next to your favorite drinking buddy. 

Writing Style - Amongst the salty language are lush descriptions of food, people, and places.  The book is infused with exotic passages, colorful imagery, and sharp intelligence.  Mix that with his deep cynicism and you find yourself needing a reprieve from the book at times.  You may need to take a little time to digest in between some chapters and recover from sensory overload.  

Chapters 12-18 – In which Bourdain runs attacks and praises on various food celebrities.  The problem here is that one’s interest wanes considerably if you don’t know who Alice Waters or David Chang is.  This section is clearly targeted at “the people who cook” portion of the title than those of us everyday foodies.

The Final Word
This was an excellent buy.  I purchased Medium Raw from $17.11 (with tax), which is much more than I would normally pay for a paperback.  However, the entertainment value was markedly high and the book saved me amongst dismal travel conditions. 

Its price has also been slashed by the amount of people I've loaned the book to.  Mike snatched it from my hands before I was even done with it. The book was then sent to my mother-in-law, who is a female version of Bourdain.  And she has instructions to turn over the book to my brother-in-law when she's finished.

I believe in setting a good book free for others to enjoy :)

What are you reading?

5 Halloween Movies I've Never Seen

The funny thing about being a film teacher is that people are flabergastered when you haven't seen a particular movie.  Doesn't matter whether it's obscure, a genre I don't like, or has an actor I detest - there's always indignation when I haven't seen something.

This always amuses me.  While some people consider themselves well read, I would call myself "well watched."  But I admit there are noticable and large gaps in my film viewing experience. 

With Halloween around the corner, I've been thinking of horror films that I really should watch.  The problem is, I don't care of horror films - I simply get too involved. 

I'm the girl who jumps, screams, covers her eyes, and punches you when she get scared. 

This actually makes me an ideal person to watch a horror movie with because I can be tormented through the whole thing, which is another reason I avoid them.  

Here are the top 5 horror movies that I've never seen:

Halloween

The Exorcist

Friday the 13th / Nightmare on Elm ST (aren't they the same plot anyways?)

Rosemary's Baby / The Omen (I'd also ask the same question of these two)

Any George A. Romano film

Before you reach through your computer screen to shout your protests at me, all is not lost.  It's not like I've never seen a good horror film. 

I've viewed Carrie, Saw 1, The Shining, The Sixth Sense (albeit the first time last week), The Haunting (both the 1963 and 1999 versions), The House on Haunted Hill, Alien and Aliens, Frankenstein (1931), all the major movies by Hitchcock, Fire in the Sky, Resident Evil 1-4, Deliverance, Silence of the Lambs, and Poltergeist.

So tell me - am I missing out by not seeing any of these?  Are there some that I missed? 

An Anniversary in Dubuque

Mike and I shared a wonderful 10-year anniversary weekend in Dubuque recently.  Despite being in the throes of a sinus infection, I had a relaxing time.  We kept some costs to a minimum while letting ourselves be free with the pocketbook on others.

And before getting into this, my apologies for the photography - it's pretty clear which photos were taken off of my little Casio and which are products of Mike's Canon. 

Dinner at L. May Eatery

Despite our numerous visits to Dubuque, we don't do much eating there.  I found this restaurant while searching online and liked their menu selection.

7-grain bread with a garlic/sun-dried tomato butter - Mike ate both our slices due to my oat intolerance :(  The salad, however, had a wonderfully refreshing citrus vinaigrette.

For the man of the hour, lobster lasagna - it was gone in about 4 monstrous bites

For the lady with the stuffy nose, a simple tomato, basil, mozzarella pizza with balsamic reduction.  Barely shown in the red dish  - scalloped sweet potatoes that were wonderfully spicy - must figure out what was in it! 

The food was outstanding!  We had not had a good meal on that level for some time (restaurant options in Cedar Rapids are pretty mediocre).

Being our anniversary dinner, we didn't put any checks on our tab.  L. May is the kind of place where if you are careful, you can walk out with a stuffed belly for around $35 for two people.

But if you were us that night and order two beers, a martini, lobster pasta, pizza, an extra salad, scalloped sweet potatoes, bread pudding AND a brownie, you will easily double that with tip.  

We had no regrets :)

Fenlon Place Elevator

This is one Dubuque curiosity we've driven by many a time but hadn't checked out.  It's called a funicular railway and it claims to be the shortest and steepest one in the world. 

We paid a whopping $4 for the two of us to make a round trip.  It was hardship I tell ya ;)

View going up ...

View looking down ...

At the top, we were rewarded with gorgeous views of the city and the River.

Shot Tower

Another unique landmark along the riverfront is the Shot Tower.  A relic of the lead industry at the turn of the century, the structure stands awaiting restoration from the city.  Mike enviously pondered the excellent views that surely could be seen from the top.

Stone Cliff Winery

I'd seen Stone Cliff wines at HyVee numerous times but hadn't been brave enough to commit to a whole bottle.  So we made the trip to their tasting room (bottom right), which is located in a historic brewery. 

Most wineries offer a tasting where you pay $5 to sample 5 wines.  It's a great way to try a variety without paying for a whole bottle.   

Between the two of us, we sampled virtually all of Stone Cliff's offerings.  We also got appetizers to serve as a light lunch.

We quite enjoyed the wines.  Smooth without being fussy - simple flavors that linger on the palette.  There's something very Midwest about these wines.

The price is a bargain - their most expensive bottle is $12!

We made it out after a total of 10 samples, two appetizer, and two bottles of wine for home (a cherry and semi-sweet red) only $40 in the hole.

This ended up being quite the inexpensive outing, given that our bed-and-breakfast was free (review here).  All in all, we spent just over $150 for two days out of town, including gas, food, and wine.  

It was a relaxing and unhurried trip - precisely what we needed.

Netflix Drama

By now you've undoubtably heard or been affected by the Netflix plan hike. In essense, they separated their streaming and DVDs into two plans and raised prices for both.

Here's the email I got earlier this week:

We are separating unlimited DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming into two separate plans to better reflect the costs of each. Now our members have a choice: a streaming only plan, a DVD only plan, or both.

Your current $14.99 a month membership for unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs will be split into 2 distinct plans:

Plan 1: Unlimited Streaming (no DVDs) for $7.99 a month
Plan 2: Unlimited DVDs, 2 out at-a-time (no streaming) for $11.99 a month

Your price for getting both of these plans will be $19.98 a month ($7.99 + $11.99). You don't need to do anything to continue your memberships for both unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs.

These prices will start for charges on or after September 1, 2011.

You can easily change or cancel your unlimited streaming plan, unlimited DVD plan, or both, by going to the Plan Change page in Your Account.

We realize you have many choices for home entertainment, and we thank you for your business. As always, if you have questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-357-1516.

–The Netflix Team

There are a lot of people utterly rankled by this price increase.  I have a couple theories on why this is:

• In this economy, people are holding litte luxuries even nearer and dearer to their hearts than in previous years. A $5 increase on something that's already "an extra" is too great a hit for some.  And it feels personal, no less, because we've cut and cut and cut - where does it end?
• There is mounting frustration that our goodies and services are continuing to increase, but our salaries have become stagnant. Everything is getting more expensive, except we don't have room to meet those increases.
• Not everyone has great mail or download capabilities. There are some who can barely get 1 DVD a week or streaming is a joke.  With already limited service, a price jump is laughable.

For me personally, I'm going to eat the increase.  It doesn't bother me. 

But here's the thing - we don't have cable at all.  I mean, we physically have a TV, but no plan whatsoever.  So our entertainment budget is pretty low each month - maybe $40 between Netflix, the ocassional Redbox, and whenever we make it to the theater.  And that's probably a high estimate.

I used to be a devout Family Video customer. I love walking into a video store and browsing covers. You can find the best stuff that way.  But we started to have more and more disk problems with them and their prices weren't super great for new releases. Now I have to go 20 minutes out of my way to get to a store, so that's kind of pointless.

Redbox is a nice deal for new movies and I like the price - $1 a day is great. We have one at our HyVee, which is not only 7 minutes away but along my work route. But you only have access to new releases and they rotate them out after a couple of months. I've also found that the dispenser will have a photo of a movie but it sometimes won't be available, which is very irksome when that's the only one you want.

I enjoy Netflix because of the variety they offer.  I get exposed to movies that I wouldn't before, particularly those that are hard to track down, foreign, independent, and documentaries.  It's also invaluable to me while teaching film courses (as I am right now).

If you're among those who can't stomach the increase and are mulling over dropping Netflix, here are some alternatives to consider.

Have you used any of these?

The Book Ban of 2011

Warning - I'm about to betray all of those in the English field and lovers of books.

I just instituted a self-imposed book ban.

(source)

A buying ban, that is.

The back story on this is that bibliophiles can collect books at an alarming rate.  Mike and I both love books, so you can imagine how many we have together.

We also have half another shelf with coffee table books.  This is pretty modest, really.

Several years back, I made peace with books and did a MASSIVE purge.  When you move a lot, books are literally a pain in the back.  I limited myself to books that I absolutely had to have - coffee table books, ones that had special meaning/were gifts, select textbooks, teaching materials, and classics I would reread again and again.

I got rid of everything that I could easily find at a local library.  The rejects went to Goodwill / the free bookshelf at UNI.

So, I was recently in Barnes and Noble drooling over some tempting offers when a thought began to gnaw at the back of my brain.   

I still have many books at home.  Ones I deliberately kept because I would reread them.  Why am I not enjoying them again?  

I thus decided that I would not buy any new books until I had reread all of the ones I kept.  Well, maybe not all, but I need to work my way through a significant portion before a new book joins them!

Why the ban you ask?  Aren't books relatively cheap?  Isn't the purchase of one book a simple reward, even an intellectual reward?

Absolutely.  However, I'm trying to view everything that we own as a resource.  Something to take advantage of.  Right now seems like the perfect time to do as I planned and get cozy with some old favorites.

Currently, I have these familiar friend on my nightstand.

The Hobbit

Such a cheesy cover!

I have a soft spot for Tolkien.  I read The Hobbit and the LOTR Trilogy way back in high school - my one and only time.  I loved them, was ahead of my classmates in reading them, and felt they were challenging reads.
 
Then the movies came out my senior year / first two years of college.  I loved those even more and they became a yearly tradition with my group of friends at the time.

Now that Peter Jackson is finally in production for The Hobbit, I'm closely following all news related to the movies.  With it on my radar again, I wanted to refamiliarize myself with Bilbo's adventures.

Let me tell you, it has been delightful making my way through Mirkwood and the Lonely Mountain. I am positively giddy imagining how Jackson is going to handle some of the key scenes!  I canNOT wait until 2012 and 2013!!!!

It's also fun to see how much my reading skills have grown.  The Hobbit is positively simple and very accessible.  How was this ever hard?!  

I have 5 chapters left, which I should be finishing tomorrow, and then will proceed to the Trilogy. 

The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

I have always been a voracious consumer of detective fiction.  To my recollection, Sherlock Holmes was one of the first that I cut my teeth on.

As with Tolkien, it has been since high school that Sherlock, Watson, and I went dashing about the streets of London in hansoms and clever costumes. 

Side Note - my love for Holmes recently got transferred to my new favorite series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice or the Mary Russell books.  There's many fan series out there, but throw a sassy, academic female partner with Holmes and you've got my attention.

Anyways, when the latest Holmes movie came out with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law, I was not pleased.  I am never a book snob when it comes to adaptation, but for some reason, Guy Ritchie's version of Holmes was not at all what I was expecting nor what I wanted out of a big-budget reinvention.  

I was so disgusted, I drew the ire of my movie companions that night.  So, to make amends and support my verdict, I'm going back to the source material to determine if I was a complete ass or justified in my opinion.  

So far, I'm sticking to my guns, but I'll make a full report once I've rewatched the movie :)

Question of the Day: Which books will never leave your shelves?  What are you currently reading?

Spring Fever is Banished

So the next couple of posts will catch you up on our recent happenings.

At the end of April, it was dark, rainy, and colder than necessary.  I had a 4-day weekend and was upset we couldn't take advantage of the time off to go anywhere (had to pay off taxes to Lady Liberty).

I work up on a Friday morning, looking at the pale gray weather, and thought, "if we don't get out of the house, I can going to pull my hair out."  So I woke up the hubby and told him of my desire to flee Cedar Rapids.  It wasn't hard to twist his arm. 

We settled on Dubuque.  It's our default getaway-at-the-last-minute city.  Easy traveling distance (just over an hour), Mississippi River culture,  friends and family in the area, and the awesomeness of Galena, IL nearby.

Unfortunately for this little spontaneous trip, it all went on the credit card.

I know, I know <looks sheepish>

There was no money to do it otherwise out of the monthly budget.  If we were truly being responsible, we would have stayed at home.  But I couldn't bear the thought of being trapped inside for four days when I desperately needed a break.
  
This is why you need to have your credit cards paid off or have a nice savings account.  Tight budgets eliminate spontaneity.  Lack of spontaneity can drive you up the wall.  We will, from here on out, being reserving money for such another trip.  Live and learn.

So here's what we did and how much it cost.

1. The Julian Hotel

Despite our last-minute plans, we had the foresight to use Priceline for our hotel arrangements.  We snagged the Julian Hotel, a historic property overlooking the river, for $80 a night.  Well below the average $150 a night.

The only time the sun was out for two days.  Thanks Mother Nature.

 
2. Dinner Friday night

Across from the hotel was a restaurant called Crust and pizza sounded amazing.  So I ordered up a candy bar martini (seriously dangerous), Mike drank a white wine, and we got Blanca pizza - 3 types of cheese, garlic, spinach, and bacon on half.  Excellent pizza, though I've decided I don't like spinach on pizza.  Drinks and tip put the bill at $45.

3. The House on the Rock

A regional curiosity in Wisconsin, I've been wanting to visit this house for some time.  House on the Rock 

It's hard to describe what it even is.  This rich guy (they always are) spent his time collecting collections of this, that, and everything.  He then put them on display for the public. 

This is seriously the WEIRDEST place I have ever visited, and my tolerance for kooky is pretty high.  It's part amateur museum, part fun house.  Everything is for sheer entertainment.  No learning is supposed to, or even can, take place.  Some items are replicas, some are the Real McCoy.  The joke is that you can't tell which is which.

I'll just let the pictures do their thing.

Ginormous planters line the driveway and the parking lot.  

Beautiful Indian motif that ran throughout the place

The Infinity Room - an architectural feat combined with an optical illusion

The Infinity Room from outside

One of several Japanese gardens

A Tiffany lamp - recreation or real, no clue

An interesting way to decorate the ladies bathroom

A collection of guns.  Real, imaginary, from any era?  Who knows.

Very hard to see, but a 90-foot whale.  Because the guy wanted one.  Mike present for scale reference.

Is it just me, or does this look like an ill-advised photo opt?

THOTR is known for music machines.  These can be anywhere from human size to full rooms

This is chandelier.  For no reason.  Other than to look like a flying saucer.

  (source)

THOTR is famous for the world's largest carousel, also the most impossible thing to photograph

Overall, I'm glad we went.  Another tourist oddity crossed off the list.  We got the full tour (3 sections) for $57 and spent 5 hours there.

4. Dinner Saturday night

After a quick nap after the sensory overload of the House, we took the 20-minute drive to Galena, IL.  An old mining community, the entire town is on the National Historic Registry.  How cool is that?

We went out for a nice dinner at One Eleven Main, a family-owned eatery stressing local and organic food sources.

Beer-cheese fondue.  More restaurants need to bring back fondue.

My soup and salad.  The soup was amazing!  White bean and roasted pepper!

Blue-cheese mashed potatoes for the man of the hour (while the lady said yuck)

A penicillin-laden burger and garlic chips.  Gone shortly after this photo was taken.

Gnocchi.  First time I've ever ordered it in a restaurant.

No dessert necessary.

 

Trip Total:                                  $445.84

            Field House                            20.93 (lunch in CR)

            Caseys (gas)                          44.15

            Cookin’ Something Up            21.40

Crust (pizza)                          45.36

Hyvee (medicine)                    9.08

            Hyvee (breakfast)                 14.28

            House on the Rock              57.00

                        Pizza                           6.54

                        Fudge                         6.32

            Great American Popcorn     14.03

            Galena Canning Co              11.09

            111 Main Restaurant           51.04                          

            Hyvee (snack)                       2.24

Several lessons were learned on this little outing:

• Even if you go on a trip on the fly, still pack a water cooler, snacks, and breakfast options to save money.
• Priceline is great for getting hotel deals.
• Even regional trips can add up if you're not watching.

We returned home renewed and tired.  It was a good trip out.  Was it worth almost $500?  I don't know.  It's hard to put a price tag on relaxation and memory making.  Could it have been less with a little more planning?  Absolutely.

It also has helped us renew our focus on eliminating our credit card debt.  I want our cards to be free for exactly these kinds of outing (and emergencies).  We need to keep up our payments so we can enjoy these kinds of vacations in the future without worrying about how we paid for it.


Question of the Day: Where is your go-to vacation spot?