Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like storage solutions. Julie and I have LOTS of stuff and few places to put it. In the last few years, we’ve managed to stow away fine china, wedding gifts, all kinds of miscellaneous items, extra cookware and baby stuff. But now we’re bursting at the seams and needed a solution. One of the best wedding gifts we got (via gift cards) was an outdoor closet that was tall enough to store long-handled tools. That freed up some room in the only utility closet we have in our home. But that space was quickly eaten up. We recently took the plunge and bought a deck box to match the outdoor closet. This new addition is big enough to allow us to keep our paint cans, air compressor, gas cans, tool boxes, saws and a lot of other stuff outside. Now we have much more room in the utility closet, which will fill back up soon. This deck box is worth the money. GET ONE TODAY.

This week, I love Graham’s nap time. On the weekends, I get a full dose of what Julie goes through each and every day with Graham. Life is certainly all about Graham now! For the most part, he is a good baby. But he has his fussy moments, which really make me appreciate the time he spends sleeping. I’ve come to realize that these rare quiet moments are great for accomplishing other tasks around the home, including catching up on my favorite TV shows on the DVR (kidding!). Graham is a sound sleeper and I’ve recently introduced a new sleeping position into his routine (face down). Let me tell you one thing right now, America: there’s no better feeling than having the dead weight of a sleeping baby on your chest.

This week, I don’t like Russell Athletic. When he founded an apparel company in 1902, Benjamin Russell probably didn’t realize how much positive impact his company would have on Alexander City, Alabama, in the years to come. He probably didn’t realize how much of a negative impact it would have either. Russell Athletic grew to such heights that it was the official supplier of uniforms for Major League Baseball as recently as 1992. That’s not to overlook the significant role the company played during WWII , manufacturing uniforms for the Army and Navy. Heck, we all remember watching Auburn and Alabama play in jerseys made by Russell Athletic. Lots of good was accomplished by Russell Brands and it served as prominent employer in the area. But that all changed in 2006 when the company was sold. The company headquarters were moved to Kentucky and jobs were sent out of the country for the sake of lower labor wages. My employer has an office in Alexander City and we get reports from the staff there about more and more rounds of layoffs by the various Russell companies there. The economic impact is obvious and that’s why it irks me to see the Russell Athletic logo positioned in lucrative endorsement spots. Russell now endorses golfer Kenny Perry (from Kentucky) on the Champions Tour. I’ve also recently seen their logo at the announcement of the new head coach for the St. Louis Rams. C'mon Russell - you can spend lots of money in these spots but you have to cut more and more jobs in Alex City???

There are lots of things wrong with the economy and this country. But we are getting exactly what we ask for by not providing means for Americans to make it for themselves. Bring the jobs back!