Old School Coinage

Pensions.  What the heck is a pension?  A fixed amount, other than wages, paid at regular intervals to a person or to the person's surviving dependents in consideration of past services, age, merit, poverty, injury or loss sustained, etc.: or at least that is according to THIS website.   Well hey that doesn't sound too bad does it.  I myself as a public school teacher have been part of a pension plan ever since I got my first job.  You may think I would be excited to be a part of this plan, but I am not. In fact I am downright fearful.  First of all the state that I live in is known for corrupt government officials who have been part of various schemes that involve lining their pockets with a bunch of taxpayers money.  That money is probably also taken from the state teachers pension funds...so that blows. Second, I don't have any control of how that money is invested or saved.  I would much rather have that m...

February: I sat on the edge of the bed wringing my hands.  It was cold out but my body felt as if it had run 10 miles.  My heart was pounding and I was trying my best to look stoic.  My wife was weeping in the bathroom.  We had just received her test results back from the doctor.  She was going to lose another child.  ANOTHER. I wasn't mad at her.  I wasn't mad at myself.  I wasn't even mad.  I was in disbelief.  In that moment I came to the terrible realization that we would probably never have kids. March: My birthday is in march.  So is spring break.  We took a nice weekend trip to St. Louis and had a wonderful time.  My wife was still struggling with health issues which worried me.  We didn't know what was going on.  She was supposed to be o.k.  I didn't really understand what was going on.  All I knew is that she looked fine and felt fine, but one day I could wake up and she could be dead ...