On our car ride to see Tom's mother for Mother's Day last weekend, we had a good conversation about this project and the whole notion of carbon credits/offsets. He's suspicious. He doesn't like short-cuts. Tom is a strong-supporter of quality workmanship, that kind of thing. This makes him concerned about a program that lets us pay $9.95 to buy the carbon credits to off-set our June vacation.

I asked him what we should be doing instead, and he had a really good - albeit time-consuming - suggestion: research alternative energy companies, and put some of our carbon reduction budget into buying some stock to support one of these promising companies more directly.

Let's be clear about something: I manage our finances - balancing the checkbook, paying bills, decisions about IRA investments, and the like. Not that Tom couldn't do those things, but that's not how our respective household duties have evolved over the years. Tom does laundry. He vacuums. He cleans toilets. He will tell you that if it were up to me, none of these things would ever get done, and he may be right.

So, when I grumble a little about this stock research project, it's because it falls squarely on my rather narrow shoulders! Sigh.

But, it's the right thing to do, so I am adding it to the list. But now I have the next Seattle Times quiz to take, so I've got to run!