Interviewed by Smart Money magazine, rant & more

My bankruptcy was discharged March 19th, 2007 and there's a chance my story may be published in Smart Money magazine. I still visit the Bankruptcy Forum in case there's a question I can answer and mostly for tips on rebuilding my credit. While there I responded to a reporter's post asking for people willing to be interviewed. I talked to him, told him my story and we'll see what happens. When I find out what issue the article will be in I'll let you know.

Speaking of rebuilding credit, I already have a credit card! A Hooters MasterCard. Yes, Hooters has a major credit card. To break it in I took my daughter to eat at Hooters. After the initial shock of seeing waitresses dressed in next to nothing (which I expected, but it was still a bit of culture shock) I thought the place had a friendly atmosphere. We saw a lot of families with children while there and it's true what they say about the food...it's great! Not sure if I'll go back anytime soon but at least I can say I've been there.

Having a credit card again is scary though. I have to be really careful. The card came with an annual fee of $72 but one does pay a price for credit right out of BK. The real question is, should I stick with just one credit card or would two be better for rebuilding my credit? Whatever I decide, I know I must be careful to pay off my balance every month so I don't get into trouble again.

I've been playing a little bit with Second Life and Gaia. Second Life is complex and a little overwhelming. I have enough trouble with my real life, I don't need another one to manage. On the other hand, Gaia is fairly simple and the avatars are cute and cartoonish. It reminds me a little of Neopets.

The rant: Is anything made in America anymore? The only 3 things in my house that I can say for certain were made in America are my dog, my daughter and myself. I wanted to find a dog food made in America because of the pet food recalls. I found a few out of the hundreds of brands of dog food. All this poisonous pet food makes me wonder about the safety of our people food. Buy American whenever you can and help keep jobs in America!