There Must Be A Pony In Here Somewhere

Economists may still be lukewarm about the recovery but here’s an encouraging sign: Wage growth just hit a three-year high, according to a new report from PayScale.

Source: Youtube "SHOW ME THE MONEY, JERRY!" (Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire)

National wage growth jumped 1.4 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to PayScale, the highest it's been since the fourth quarter of 2008.

Of course, that means we’re back where we were in about 2008 — but at least things are going in the right direction.

In fact, wages have been going up at a good clip for the past four quarters, PayScale reports. When wage growth goes up in an industry, that’s a reflection of demand in the industry — companies are willing to pay more to retain talent in those areas.

“Things are looking good,” said Katie Bardaro, the lead economist for PayScale. “For the first time in a while, people can start to feel confident about where the economy is heading.”

She cites three specific factors for the optimism: Employment has been going up for the past few months, consumer spending is going up and wages are going up.

What’s more, we’re seeing decent growth, not just snail-paced growth.

“In general, the recovery can no longer be qualified as sluggish,” Bardaro said.

So let’s cut to the chase: Who can really say “Show me the money” like Cuba Gooding, Jr. in "Jerry Maguire?"

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Still getting offers from Nigerian princes to split a fortune locked up in a bank?

Here's something equally profitable: invest in Wadiya.

Wadiya, in case you haven't heard, is an east African country run by dictator General Aladeen.

Not really.  » Read More

In the same way that brides consult 1,000 people along their path to bliss, from cake makers to DJs, divorcing couples have a ton of people to meet as they disembark from their marital joy ride.

Source: Shame on Jane Jewelry What do you do with that gaping hole on your ring finger? Put a reminder on it, compliments of Shame on Jane Jewelry.

Enter “Start Over Smart,” a divorce expo that took place in New York City over the weekend. It was a lot like a bridal expo — only with less cake and more lawyers.

The expo was the brainchild of Francine Baras and Nicole Baras Feuer, a mother-daughter team who have both been touched by divorce. Baras was the child of divorce at a time when it was really a scarlet letter, even for the children. Some of the other children weren’t allowed to play with her. She is now a child and family therapist. Baras Feuer is a professional mediator who herself has been through divorce.

“Bridal magazines are all over the place. There’s no divorce magazine, no divorce community, so a lot of people just rely on information from their attorney,” Baras Feuer said. She and her mom had already started writing a book to help guide divorcees through the process when they heard about a divorce expo in Paris. They spoke with their publisher and realized starting an expo here in the U.S. made sense — to gather even more information before they wrote their book.

The divorce expo was a two-day affair that included a wide variety of panel discussions, from guidelines for parents and divorce for Baby Boomers to how to get back in the dating game and sex after divorce.

(Hey, now don’t get squeamish on me — If you’ve been with the same person for five, 10 or 20 years, you’re going to need a few tips. Your waistline is different now, your hairline is different, your dating pool is different — and dating is different.)

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I'm looking forward to winning tonight's Mega Millions lottery, now up to $640 million, with a cash option of $462 million.

I'll take the cash.

I've already started contemplating how to spend it—pay off all the mortgages and college costs for family members, give a lot to charity, never fly commercial again (EVER), and probably stop working.

Then probably go back to work because I can't sit around for the rest of my life.

And when that life ends, since I can't take it with me, I will spend part of my fortune planning a dream funeral. That funeral may have to include the Bacon Coffin, “for those who love bacon to death,” because I do.

Source: www.JDfoods.net Bacon Coffin

Created by J&D's Bacon Salt, the $2,999 coffin is not actually made of bacon, just looks like it is. The company tells the Huffington Post this is no porcine prank. It’s a real coffin, and they've already sold one. (The company, however, is known for releasing suspect bacon products around April Fool’s Day). "The company also claims the pork-themed casket includes a bacon air freshener 'for when you get that buried-underground, not-so-fresh feeling.'"

Ok, that’s $2,999 spent. What other ways can I turn a large fortune into a smaller one?  » Read More

If you haven't done your taxes yet, you're not alone!

Digital Vision | Getty Images Gah! Is this even in English?

Nearly one-third of Americans wait until the last two weeks to do their taxes, according to Intuit, make of the tax software Turbo Tax.

And, let's be honest, some of us are better at procrastinating than others.

Intuit is out with its annual list of the 10 most procrastinatinest cities. So, if you find out your city is on the list, you can just say — Hey, it's not me. It's something in the water!

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Like to laugh? Yeah, that's going to cost you. While you were worried about high gas prices, the price of rubber chickens hit a 25-year high.

Influx Productions | Photodisc | Getty Images Rubber chickens: Next on the endangered species list?!

The wholesale price of a dozen rubber chickens shot up to $78 in 2012, an 8-percent increase from last year and a 53-percent increase since 2009, according to the Cost of Laughing Index, compiled by Malcolm Kushner, a lawyer-turned-comedian and founder of the humor consulting group Kushner Group.

"When the index began in 1987, the price was only $43.20 a dozen," Kushner said. "If this keeps up, we'll have to put rubber chickens on the endangered species list."

Kushner said some experts believe the rubber chicken crisis is already having effects on "climate change" — "from a climate of loud laughter to one of silent tension."

"Americans like to laugh," Kushner said. "But the unaffordability of rubber chickens coupled with the dearth of humor by this year's presidential candidates has produced a public soundscape devoid of giggles and guffaws," he said.

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Gonna find Ron Burgundy gonna hold him tight …

Source: YouTube Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) rocks the jazz flute on Conan.

Gonna grab another sequel of Anchorman delight …

Skyyyyyyyyyyy rockets in flight.

Peeeeeeeeeeew!

Afternoon de-light!

Afternoon delight.

That’s right, jazz flute fans — Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 news team are back!

I know it’s overwhelming — you’re trapped in a glass case of emotion, right?!

You can just smell it in the air: It smells of rich mahogany and bits of panther. It's quite pungent. It stings the nostrils.

It's kind of a big deal.

Will Ferrell popped by the "Conan" show

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[TWX  Loading...      ()   ] as Ron Burgundy, his lady-lovin’, jazz-flute playing newsman character on “Anchorman,” to announce that there will be a sequel to movie.

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BIG DOGS...LITERALLY

Source: MoreTh>n.com Stair of the Dog 2022

These days, even our dogs are fat, and one proposed solution proves we are living in the end times.

Someone's created an $8,000 stair lift to haul Fido up and down the stairs.

A U.K. insurance company called More Th>n (you read that ">" correctly) has developed "Stair of the Dog 2022," a stair lift built specifically for dogs.  The company says Britain has turned into a land filled with Falstaffs, the fattest nation in Europe behind Malta. One in three dogs in the U.K. is already obese, and that number is expected to rise to 52 percent in ten years.

Oh, I forgot to mention, More Th>n also sells pet insurance.

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