I'm beginning to wonder if my theory of cycling being the "safe" sport for the aging athlete is flawed. I've always said that cycling is what you can do as you get older and some of the other activities like running and team sports become harder on the body. And I have then conditioned that statement with the caveat, "if you stay up on the bike". It seems that that caveat is coming more regularly into play.
I've been in two more conversations today about severe accidents had by local Boomers in recent weeks, one a separated collar bone, and the other multiple fractures of a foot. The collar bone accident occurred in the sticks and required an ambulance. The foot has required two major surgeries. Orthopaedists rejoice!
Maybe the reality of all this is that, regardless of the route taken, the doctors win. Be sedentary and eat capriciously, and drug therapy is bound to follow. Engage in a fitness lifestyle and the injuries are sure to ensue. Either way, the doc gets paid. Maybe different docs, but John and Jane Doe still have to pay the medical bills.
Most future retirees list the availability/cost of medical insurance coverage as one of their top three concerns. It's a hugely political issue. Within the political context, the docs may actually be the good guys. It's hard to root for the other players: the insurance companies, Big Pharma, the hospitals, the lawyers, and the elected officials.
Today is my high school girlfriends' 58th birthday. Why do I remember that? Why do I remember the phone number on the farm? The laundry tag number that Mother had to sew into every item of washable clothing at ND? By contrast, I have to go through a checklist to recall what I had for lunch on Monday.
I'm off for the evening. Send some love to 3. Tough week for the fam's #1 securities analyst.
BCOT
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Tuesday
Road day. Back from DM. Got to share a late afternoon SB's with 4 in IC on my way home. A good trip.
I forgot to mention yesterday that the cast is off. They gave me a removable Velcro splint/wrap to be used as needed. It's great having both hands to take a shower. Just the simple task of washing one's hands is now a bit of a treat. I have a long way to go to get to a normal mobility for the thumb, and even then, it will probably be at some reduced range of motion.
In a weekend of forgettable domestic activities, I had the carpet in my second bedroom swapped-out (for carpet and pad that I had salvaged from my front-room make-over a few years back), an effort that I had planned for at least a couple of years. I had given my number to one of the guys who was on the crew that replaced some tile and carpet here at the office last month, and out of the blue, he calls me Friday afternoon and says that he can do it Saturday morning. After about three, "Who's this's?" from me, I finally figured out who he was and gave him the green light to do the job.
It took him and his spouse/assistant less than an hour and a half to rip out the old (carpet and pad), put down the new pad, and then measure out, cut and tack down the replacement carpet. And get rid of the rest of my remnant, and vacuum the finished room. With a 10 minute smoke break in the middle. His charge? $67. (I think he mentally valued my humble abode and figured that I was not all that flush.) I gave him a hundo and told him he needed a minimum fee in his pricing structure.
4 no longer has any carpet in reserve for a possible future need in IC or elsewhere.
The "community" Taurus has a new operator for a day or so. Mom has her car down for some scheduled maintenance and is using Black Beauty. It's been a good Plan B option over the last year or so. Knock on wood.
There was a time when I would schedule months in advance to get to the Iowa-Iowa State game. Not this year. The Clones would be better off playing the "Meek" Irish.
Have a good one.
BCOT
I forgot to mention yesterday that the cast is off. They gave me a removable Velcro splint/wrap to be used as needed. It's great having both hands to take a shower. Just the simple task of washing one's hands is now a bit of a treat. I have a long way to go to get to a normal mobility for the thumb, and even then, it will probably be at some reduced range of motion.
In a weekend of forgettable domestic activities, I had the carpet in my second bedroom swapped-out (for carpet and pad that I had salvaged from my front-room make-over a few years back), an effort that I had planned for at least a couple of years. I had given my number to one of the guys who was on the crew that replaced some tile and carpet here at the office last month, and out of the blue, he calls me Friday afternoon and says that he can do it Saturday morning. After about three, "Who's this's?" from me, I finally figured out who he was and gave him the green light to do the job.
It took him and his spouse/assistant less than an hour and a half to rip out the old (carpet and pad), put down the new pad, and then measure out, cut and tack down the replacement carpet. And get rid of the rest of my remnant, and vacuum the finished room. With a 10 minute smoke break in the middle. His charge? $67. (I think he mentally valued my humble abode and figured that I was not all that flush.) I gave him a hundo and told him he needed a minimum fee in his pricing structure.
4 no longer has any carpet in reserve for a possible future need in IC or elsewhere.
The "community" Taurus has a new operator for a day or so. Mom has her car down for some scheduled maintenance and is using Black Beauty. It's been a good Plan B option over the last year or so. Knock on wood.
There was a time when I would schedule months in advance to get to the Iowa-Iowa State game. Not this year. The Clones would be better off playing the "Meek" Irish.
Have a good one.
BCOT
Monday, September 10, 2007
Monday
I am headed out this afternoon for an evening event in Des Moines, and I have a morning meeting there tomorrow. So my entry here will be brief.
USA Today today had a story about a Mommy blogger who is getting 100k hits or more per day. She's got six kids, and "kids say the darnedest things", or something to that effect. Anyway, it got me thinking about who reads what on the Internet. So here's my uneducated assessment of that point:
1. Girls through age 20 or so read entertainment and gossip stuff.
2. Boys through age 20 or so read about games, sports and porn. Not necessarily in that order.
3. Young 20-Something women read about clothes, gossip, and what's "in".
4. Young 20-Something men read about games, sports, and porn. NNITO.
5. By 30, the women are reading about weddings and kids.
6. By 30, the men are reading less about games and more about sports and porn.
7. 30 - 50 year old women are reading about gossip, houses, vacations, kids, and school stuff. Sales at the on-line stores. This has got to be the biggest target market out there.
8. The 30 - 50 year old man is reading about sports, vacations and trucks or sports cars. And porn.
9. The post - 50 year old women are all over the place.
10. The post -50 year old man stays on point.
There are enthusiasts in every sub-category one can imagine: politics, religion, art, entertainment, ecology. The list goes on. Any voice can be heard if they can reach the audience that wants to hear what it is that they are saying. I am impressed that Mommy blogger gets 100K hits a day, but having sampled her entries, there's nothing on her site that appeals to me. Her readership is engaged because they have kids and husbands and can identify with her daily life. And she has the ability to express her thoughts in a reader-friendly manner.
I don't think men want to be subjected to a daily dose of ants in the pantry and variations of The Vanishing Sock story. Sorry. It's in the DNA. (For comparable reasons, I'm leaving the peloton in Europe, and NASCAR in the pits!)
BCOT
USA Today today had a story about a Mommy blogger who is getting 100k hits or more per day. She's got six kids, and "kids say the darnedest things", or something to that effect. Anyway, it got me thinking about who reads what on the Internet. So here's my uneducated assessment of that point:
1. Girls through age 20 or so read entertainment and gossip stuff.
2. Boys through age 20 or so read about games, sports and porn. Not necessarily in that order.
3. Young 20-Something women read about clothes, gossip, and what's "in".
4. Young 20-Something men read about games, sports, and porn. NNITO.
5. By 30, the women are reading about weddings and kids.
6. By 30, the men are reading less about games and more about sports and porn.
7. 30 - 50 year old women are reading about gossip, houses, vacations, kids, and school stuff. Sales at the on-line stores. This has got to be the biggest target market out there.
8. The 30 - 50 year old man is reading about sports, vacations and trucks or sports cars. And porn.
9. The post - 50 year old women are all over the place.
10. The post -50 year old man stays on point.
There are enthusiasts in every sub-category one can imagine: politics, religion, art, entertainment, ecology. The list goes on. Any voice can be heard if they can reach the audience that wants to hear what it is that they are saying. I am impressed that Mommy blogger gets 100K hits a day, but having sampled her entries, there's nothing on her site that appeals to me. Her readership is engaged because they have kids and husbands and can identify with her daily life. And she has the ability to express her thoughts in a reader-friendly manner.
I don't think men want to be subjected to a daily dose of ants in the pantry and variations of The Vanishing Sock story. Sorry. It's in the DNA. (For comparable reasons, I'm leaving the peloton in Europe, and NASCAR in the pits!)
BCOT
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Sunday
Just a few lines today. Looks like a Top Ten day here weather-wise.
I almost made it for the second half. By the final score, which I saw on the news this morning, I didn't miss much. Long day/night in Ames and Happy Valley for the other fans. And for Junior.
Let's talk garage sales. Is this a uniquely USA phenomena? My next-door neighbor had a big sale over the standard Thursday-Friday-Saturday schedule and the traffic was amazing. It was actually for their church, and they had a lot of stuff, but it was a steady stream of visitors yesterday, late into the afternoon. The neighbor said that they took in over $1000 on Friday alone!
One of the things that is happening is that there's a bit of an underground business of re-selling garage-sale purchases on the Internet. I suppose that this is a concept related to my entry here last week about the gal who bought Venetian glass on the Internet. One person's throw-away is another's treasure. Actually, I can see where a treasure-hunter might scout these sales to find a piece or two of glassware or other collectible to finish off a set.
This could also be a left-handed example of the US economy becoming a service economy. You have people buying and re-selling goods as opposed to making stuff. At the lower end of the curve, the goods in question are not likely collectible stuff, but simply serviceable items that are of use to a discerning (or not?) Internet buyer. Further up the continuum, I'm sure that you get into the higher value items that would make the descendants of the Biblical money-changers proud.
One of the speakers at our sales conference in KC last month told the story of a 20-Something whom she had met on a plane who had parlayed his Dad's collection and his own interest in baseball cards to a million-dollar enterprise on the Internet. Buying and selling. Knowing the market. Being able to ferret out truth.
The whole business in transactions involving used property, from glassware, to cars, to art work, is that there is always the element of the deal that plays on human nature. For both the buyer and the seller. A discount from new to the buyer. A premium on the flip to the seller. I learned in the auction that we held on the farm following Daddy's death that, at such an event, people will buy anything and everything. An auction is obviously slightly different than a garage sale, but as the saying goes, "Put a few things of little or no value (to you) in a box, and someone will buy it."
There are also some social angles to be examined (not here) that evolve in different segments of this dynamic. From the church ladies or neighborhood friends that organize and operate a sale, to the legions who make garage-sales must-see activities, and to the Internet players who get to know one-another only by their cryptic user names. I'm sure that there even must be an Internet dating service organized for the garage sale network.
And speaking of network, how many cable channels are there for shopping? Even mainstream channels have many infomercials on late nights and weekends. Have I got a deal for you! Bring it on, Monte Hall and Bob Barker. There's this bridge in Brooklyn...
So anyway, looks like a great day out there. Make it happen for you!
Be careful out there.
I almost made it for the second half. By the final score, which I saw on the news this morning, I didn't miss much. Long day/night in Ames and Happy Valley for the other fans. And for Junior.
Let's talk garage sales. Is this a uniquely USA phenomena? My next-door neighbor had a big sale over the standard Thursday-Friday-Saturday schedule and the traffic was amazing. It was actually for their church, and they had a lot of stuff, but it was a steady stream of visitors yesterday, late into the afternoon. The neighbor said that they took in over $1000 on Friday alone!
One of the things that is happening is that there's a bit of an underground business of re-selling garage-sale purchases on the Internet. I suppose that this is a concept related to my entry here last week about the gal who bought Venetian glass on the Internet. One person's throw-away is another's treasure. Actually, I can see where a treasure-hunter might scout these sales to find a piece or two of glassware or other collectible to finish off a set.
This could also be a left-handed example of the US economy becoming a service economy. You have people buying and re-selling goods as opposed to making stuff. At the lower end of the curve, the goods in question are not likely collectible stuff, but simply serviceable items that are of use to a discerning (or not?) Internet buyer. Further up the continuum, I'm sure that you get into the higher value items that would make the descendants of the Biblical money-changers proud.
One of the speakers at our sales conference in KC last month told the story of a 20-Something whom she had met on a plane who had parlayed his Dad's collection and his own interest in baseball cards to a million-dollar enterprise on the Internet. Buying and selling. Knowing the market. Being able to ferret out truth.
The whole business in transactions involving used property, from glassware, to cars, to art work, is that there is always the element of the deal that plays on human nature. For both the buyer and the seller. A discount from new to the buyer. A premium on the flip to the seller. I learned in the auction that we held on the farm following Daddy's death that, at such an event, people will buy anything and everything. An auction is obviously slightly different than a garage sale, but as the saying goes, "Put a few things of little or no value (to you) in a box, and someone will buy it."
There are also some social angles to be examined (not here) that evolve in different segments of this dynamic. From the church ladies or neighborhood friends that organize and operate a sale, to the legions who make garage-sales must-see activities, and to the Internet players who get to know one-another only by their cryptic user names. I'm sure that there even must be an Internet dating service organized for the garage sale network.
And speaking of network, how many cable channels are there for shopping? Even mainstream channels have many infomercials on late nights and weekends. Have I got a deal for you! Bring it on, Monte Hall and Bob Barker. There's this bridge in Brooklyn...
So anyway, looks like a great day out there. Make it happen for you!
Be careful out there.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Friday
I see where the Hawkeyes game tomorrow is scheduled for a 7PM kick-off. To accommodate TV, I'm sure. I remember when they had a similar starting time for a game with Arizona State, maybe three years ago. It was Dad's Day for Theta and I had made the trip to be with 3, at least for the pre-game Theta party. We walked to the stadium area from downtown, and I was amazed at the alcohol on display.
There were stories in today's local papers about U of I scheduling more Friday classes to combat the problem of binge drinking on campus. If the university was serious about the alcohol problem, Saturday night football games wouldn't even be considered. It's bad enough when they delay the start times to 2:30 or 3:00. Let's face it. The tailgating is going to start at 9AM (or earlier) regardless of game time.
Back when I was in college (when I had to walk 8 miles to class, in the snow, wind or rain...just joking there), we did have Saturday classes. Actually, almost all of the freshman year classes were three credit hour courses that met either M-W-F or T-T-S. It's my recollection that the Saturday classes met at 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, or 11:30. On home game days, the 11:30 class met at 7:30. Game time was always 1:30.
We knew how to tailgate. And alcohol was a problem then too. Some things don't change.
Since I have the satellite as my TV system (rather than cable), I have the broadcast of the game on my tube. It's a Big Ten Network program, and the parties have failed to agree on a deal with Mediacom, the major cable provider in most Iowa cities. So some of my friends have already suggested that I host the evening. Which I am glad to do, but they'll have to turn out the lights themselves when they go home, because, obviously with a 7PM kick-off, the second half will be well past my bedtime! (Just joking again...:))
3 is on the road to Tahoe for the weekend. Business deal, but she should get to check in on Uncle Phil. Disregarding her training in the Twin Cities, this is her first official business trip. You go girl!
Well, this was a little more than you might have expected for Friday, but consider it my pleasure to provide a little entertainment for the masses heading into the weekend. Now, I'm off for the Tuscan red.
BCOT.
There were stories in today's local papers about U of I scheduling more Friday classes to combat the problem of binge drinking on campus. If the university was serious about the alcohol problem, Saturday night football games wouldn't even be considered. It's bad enough when they delay the start times to 2:30 or 3:00. Let's face it. The tailgating is going to start at 9AM (or earlier) regardless of game time.
Back when I was in college (when I had to walk 8 miles to class, in the snow, wind or rain...just joking there), we did have Saturday classes. Actually, almost all of the freshman year classes were three credit hour courses that met either M-W-F or T-T-S. It's my recollection that the Saturday classes met at 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, or 11:30. On home game days, the 11:30 class met at 7:30. Game time was always 1:30.
We knew how to tailgate. And alcohol was a problem then too. Some things don't change.
Since I have the satellite as my TV system (rather than cable), I have the broadcast of the game on my tube. It's a Big Ten Network program, and the parties have failed to agree on a deal with Mediacom, the major cable provider in most Iowa cities. So some of my friends have already suggested that I host the evening. Which I am glad to do, but they'll have to turn out the lights themselves when they go home, because, obviously with a 7PM kick-off, the second half will be well past my bedtime! (Just joking again...:))
3 is on the road to Tahoe for the weekend. Business deal, but she should get to check in on Uncle Phil. Disregarding her training in the Twin Cities, this is her first official business trip. You go girl!
Well, this was a little more than you might have expected for Friday, but consider it my pleasure to provide a little entertainment for the masses heading into the weekend. Now, I'm off for the Tuscan red.
BCOT.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Thursday
I actually saw the Craig Wilson column and thought of Daddy. I think he was much more committed to the random visitation activity than was Mother. He had a bit of a Seinfeld approach to visitations: if he didn't know the deceased directly, he could easily rationalize that he could have known the party, or that he had perhaps once met the party, or a member of the family, and therefore was obligated to attend the service. Besides, one of his routines after a visitation was to stop in at a coffee shop for a late evening cup 'o joe, and some toast and jelly.
The whole business of what is real and what is imagined is becoming a mine field in today's Internet society. Not only do you have what has become somewhat old hat in phishing, but there is an increasingly complex world of identity theft. In a newer deception, a story in today's WSJ described a situation of a young female singer who had enjoyed explosive growth on her UTube site. Turns out that her deal was actually an underground marketing effort of a major (yet unnamed) recording label.
Newspapers and magazines are always subject to ambitious reporters or contributors who choose a path of deceit or misrepresentation. Sometimes even the most determined publications get caught. The Internet is just so expansive, that anyone can dress up in a wolf's suit and proclaim anything.
The spam filters on my Yahoo and business sites have been catching in droves contacts from "a classmate" or "a family member". I think the classmate stuff has resulted from my registration this Summer on a site for my high school reunion. I wondering if the family member stuff is coming from the use of an American Greetings card site. Hackers are tireless.
The scary thing is that techno-sleuths can follow your electronic trail of "cookies", in reverse, to infect your computer and pass your data to other gatherers of this type information. Your cell phone has a GPS chip. Many of the newer cars have the same thing. Heck, the White House doesn't need an act of Congress to follow anybody. They just need an underground marketing contract with Apple/AT&T.
The NFL opens tonight. Why Thursday?
BCOT
The whole business of what is real and what is imagined is becoming a mine field in today's Internet society. Not only do you have what has become somewhat old hat in phishing, but there is an increasingly complex world of identity theft. In a newer deception, a story in today's WSJ described a situation of a young female singer who had enjoyed explosive growth on her UTube site. Turns out that her deal was actually an underground marketing effort of a major (yet unnamed) recording label.
Newspapers and magazines are always subject to ambitious reporters or contributors who choose a path of deceit or misrepresentation. Sometimes even the most determined publications get caught. The Internet is just so expansive, that anyone can dress up in a wolf's suit and proclaim anything.
The spam filters on my Yahoo and business sites have been catching in droves contacts from "a classmate" or "a family member". I think the classmate stuff has resulted from my registration this Summer on a site for my high school reunion. I wondering if the family member stuff is coming from the use of an American Greetings card site. Hackers are tireless.
The scary thing is that techno-sleuths can follow your electronic trail of "cookies", in reverse, to infect your computer and pass your data to other gatherers of this type information. Your cell phone has a GPS chip. Many of the newer cars have the same thing. Heck, the White House doesn't need an act of Congress to follow anybody. They just need an underground marketing contract with Apple/AT&T.
The NFL opens tonight. Why Thursday?
BCOT
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Wednesday
How 'bout the advice, "Buy American", in reflecting on lifestyles in the US of A? Historically, labor unions have picked up this chant to discourage consumers from buying foreign-made cars and heavy manufacturing items. What does it mean today?
Most of the big Asian and European car companies have US assembly plants. Deere, Caterpillar, and other big US industrial equipment manufacturers have huge growth in their foreign market sales. Do any major electronic components for our homes get manufactured in the US?
It is an interesting study of modern-day economics. The high exchange of the Euro to the $USD gives rise to European purchases of US products, and creates pain for the US vacationer across the pond.
In a global economy, "Buying American" should be one of the least of our worries. Where do you draw the line? We need to be internationally competitive with the products from Japan, Korea and China rather than protect US companies from overseas alternatives. In the end, price and quality will prevail, and US businesses need to figure out a strategy to win.
If I want to own a Beamer or a Lexus, I shouldn't have to put up with some jerk who wants to key the side of my car because of a foreign label.
BCOT
Most of the big Asian and European car companies have US assembly plants. Deere, Caterpillar, and other big US industrial equipment manufacturers have huge growth in their foreign market sales. Do any major electronic components for our homes get manufactured in the US?
It is an interesting study of modern-day economics. The high exchange of the Euro to the $USD gives rise to European purchases of US products, and creates pain for the US vacationer across the pond.
In a global economy, "Buying American" should be one of the least of our worries. Where do you draw the line? We need to be internationally competitive with the products from Japan, Korea and China rather than protect US companies from overseas alternatives. In the end, price and quality will prevail, and US businesses need to figure out a strategy to win.
If I want to own a Beamer or a Lexus, I shouldn't have to put up with some jerk who wants to key the side of my car because of a foreign label.
BCOT
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Tuesday
Busy day here at the office. Welcome to post-Summer reality.
A very interesting article appeared in the weekend edition of the WSJ written by a surviving daughter about her deceased Mother's "secret life", of sorts. The mother died in 2005 of cancer at age 60. The mother must have had a little money, and the daughter (and her sister) had enough money to frequently travel to Tucson to assist their sick mother. The girls became aware of the mother's addiction to eBay during her illness when Mom had them access her eBay account and monitor purchasing activities.
The mother, later in her life, became a collector of Venetian glass. (I remember a James Bond movie with some scenes shot in a Venetian glass factory, but my attention was on the Bond Girls, not the glass.) Anyway, the gist of the story was that the daughter got to know a lot about her mother, after her death, by sifting through the emails, purchase histories, and other documentation associated with Mom's glass collection.
Having taken care of my own Mother in the last years of her life, I am not surprised anymore by the testimonials of an adult child who learns unexpected things about a deceased parent when sorting through the departed's possessions. There are usually stories. Not all necessarily favorable.
The Venetian glass story does bring into play modern day technology. Computer files. Passwords. The generation of Boomers has jumped onto the Internet to do their banking, make their travel plans, and correspond with their progeny. Maybe those often recommended Powers of Attorney for Health, and the DNR orders, need addenda to spell out applicable computer passwords.
When the time comes to pick over my bones, don't read too much into the stray possessions which I failed to toss. I've got letters from old girlfriends. Stories (poorly written, I'm sure) from decades ago. A few knick knacks from different times in my life. Once I'm gone, they should go too.
My pal Bill is under orders to re-format the hard drive of my computer. After everyone has printed their collector editions of 4000 Days.
1 had her first day of school today. Good luck in Year 2!
BCOT
A very interesting article appeared in the weekend edition of the WSJ written by a surviving daughter about her deceased Mother's "secret life", of sorts. The mother died in 2005 of cancer at age 60. The mother must have had a little money, and the daughter (and her sister) had enough money to frequently travel to Tucson to assist their sick mother. The girls became aware of the mother's addiction to eBay during her illness when Mom had them access her eBay account and monitor purchasing activities.
The mother, later in her life, became a collector of Venetian glass. (I remember a James Bond movie with some scenes shot in a Venetian glass factory, but my attention was on the Bond Girls, not the glass.) Anyway, the gist of the story was that the daughter got to know a lot about her mother, after her death, by sifting through the emails, purchase histories, and other documentation associated with Mom's glass collection.
Having taken care of my own Mother in the last years of her life, I am not surprised anymore by the testimonials of an adult child who learns unexpected things about a deceased parent when sorting through the departed's possessions. There are usually stories. Not all necessarily favorable.
The Venetian glass story does bring into play modern day technology. Computer files. Passwords. The generation of Boomers has jumped onto the Internet to do their banking, make their travel plans, and correspond with their progeny. Maybe those often recommended Powers of Attorney for Health, and the DNR orders, need addenda to spell out applicable computer passwords.
When the time comes to pick over my bones, don't read too much into the stray possessions which I failed to toss. I've got letters from old girlfriends. Stories (poorly written, I'm sure) from decades ago. A few knick knacks from different times in my life. Once I'm gone, they should go too.
My pal Bill is under orders to re-format the hard drive of my computer. After everyone has printed their collector editions of 4000 Days.
1 had her first day of school today. Good luck in Year 2!
BCOT
Monday, September 03, 2007
Monday
I know that it has been pretty quiet here for a few days. But the holiday weekend has kept me otherwise occupied.
The trip to C-town yesterday with 2 was a great success. We were able to connect with 4 with little trouble, and made our way to 3's place with similar ease. We has rock-star parking immediately in front of 3's building for the day.
Some observations of the day-trip:
1. Sunday morning vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the Water Tower area was just as congested as most any other day. Maybe not evening rush-hour traffic, but certainly not low-key, nothing-goin'-on, everyone's sleeping-in stuff.
2. Iowa football fans don't know when to go home.
3. No more than half the people who head to Wrigleyville for a weekend afternoon actually have intentions of going to the game.
4. I never thought I would see the day when there would be bathroom attendants at Wrigleyville bars. At least attendants who weren't either bouncers or cops.
5. Living and working in C-town may not be that much different than it was 30 years ago except that things are more expensive.
6. Open-road tolling is a huge improvement. Don't leave home without your I-Pass. (I wonder what the payback period is on the re-built, hi-tech toll plazas? 3 may need to push around some more future value calculations.)
7. It remains a personal comfort to be able to make a relatively stress-free trip to a major city, get to various places in the city, either by car or by public transportation, and be able to accomplish the day's goals without making it a big deal. Chicago was not the fav four years of my life, but getting to know the city then has made my frequent visits to C-town in the last 27 years much more enjoyable.
8. You can still have the C-town traffic.
9. Invest in Starbucks.
10. There's always lots to do in Chicago. Even for us old folks.
I was surprised to discover that the Wrigleyville bars ID'd people at the entrance to their establishments. This threw a bit of a wrench into my plan to sit at the outdoor tables at The Sports Corner for lunch after the game started, but we made do with the limitations. We even did a switch-the-ID's to get 4 into the Cubby Bear after we had eaten our community bag of peanuts outside the bar. My guess is that the cops have put their foot down on underage drinking and checking ages at the door discourages more violators. But if you were like us, looking for Chicago-style hotdogs, limiting entry was a little heavy-handed. Which is why I participated in the Cubby Bear ruse.
I'm not sure if the eat-the-peanuts-on-the-street incident will make the same history as the broiled-chicken-at-the-airport story, but it may make the Honorable Mention category. They were good peanuts. But we were hungry.
The area around the ballpark really hasn't changed much since the '70's except that everything is more expensive. Mom and I would sit in the bleachers for $2-4 per ticket, and bring in a 1 and 1/2 gallon cooler with iced lemonade/rum, and 3-4 beers to boot. None of this $5/beer stuff for us. List price on the bleacher tickets now ranges from $17-42 depending on the date. (I just checked e-Bay and a pack of four bleacher tickets for tomorrow sold for $88.77.) There were lots of scalpers around the park, and we heard some outrageous quotes for standing-room, even after the game had started. It's a different life.
Other items of note:
1. ND stinks. If Saturday is any indication, they may not finish above .500.
2. Summer's over.
3. One more week in the cast.
Oh, and an observation on AM's comment from Friday about teachers' titles. I have a fairly old-time acquaintance in town whom I see out and about a bit irregularly, both for social and business things. I used to do some tax stuff for his business, and he played with us on a men's C-league basketball team in the '80's. My pal Roy and I ran into him and a group of his buds at a Village of East Davenport saloon one nothing-special Wednesday night last Spring. Roy and I were there to give a friendly needle to a bartenderess who also worked at SB's. When we asked this other acquaintance of mine what the occasion was for his group, he said it was their regular Wednesday night "coaches' meeting". And as to our inquiry about their sport/team, it was, "There's no team. We're just coaches." Roy and I were impressed.
Hope eveyone has a great day.
Be careful out there.
The trip to C-town yesterday with 2 was a great success. We were able to connect with 4 with little trouble, and made our way to 3's place with similar ease. We has rock-star parking immediately in front of 3's building for the day.
Some observations of the day-trip:
1. Sunday morning vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the Water Tower area was just as congested as most any other day. Maybe not evening rush-hour traffic, but certainly not low-key, nothing-goin'-on, everyone's sleeping-in stuff.
2. Iowa football fans don't know when to go home.
3. No more than half the people who head to Wrigleyville for a weekend afternoon actually have intentions of going to the game.
4. I never thought I would see the day when there would be bathroom attendants at Wrigleyville bars. At least attendants who weren't either bouncers or cops.
5. Living and working in C-town may not be that much different than it was 30 years ago except that things are more expensive.
6. Open-road tolling is a huge improvement. Don't leave home without your I-Pass. (I wonder what the payback period is on the re-built, hi-tech toll plazas? 3 may need to push around some more future value calculations.)
7. It remains a personal comfort to be able to make a relatively stress-free trip to a major city, get to various places in the city, either by car or by public transportation, and be able to accomplish the day's goals without making it a big deal. Chicago was not the fav four years of my life, but getting to know the city then has made my frequent visits to C-town in the last 27 years much more enjoyable.
8. You can still have the C-town traffic.
9. Invest in Starbucks.
10. There's always lots to do in Chicago. Even for us old folks.
I was surprised to discover that the Wrigleyville bars ID'd people at the entrance to their establishments. This threw a bit of a wrench into my plan to sit at the outdoor tables at The Sports Corner for lunch after the game started, but we made do with the limitations. We even did a switch-the-ID's to get 4 into the Cubby Bear after we had eaten our community bag of peanuts outside the bar. My guess is that the cops have put their foot down on underage drinking and checking ages at the door discourages more violators. But if you were like us, looking for Chicago-style hotdogs, limiting entry was a little heavy-handed. Which is why I participated in the Cubby Bear ruse.
I'm not sure if the eat-the-peanuts-on-the-street incident will make the same history as the broiled-chicken-at-the-airport story, but it may make the Honorable Mention category. They were good peanuts. But we were hungry.
The area around the ballpark really hasn't changed much since the '70's except that everything is more expensive. Mom and I would sit in the bleachers for $2-4 per ticket, and bring in a 1 and 1/2 gallon cooler with iced lemonade/rum, and 3-4 beers to boot. None of this $5/beer stuff for us. List price on the bleacher tickets now ranges from $17-42 depending on the date. (I just checked e-Bay and a pack of four bleacher tickets for tomorrow sold for $88.77.) There were lots of scalpers around the park, and we heard some outrageous quotes for standing-room, even after the game had started. It's a different life.
Other items of note:
1. ND stinks. If Saturday is any indication, they may not finish above .500.
2. Summer's over.
3. One more week in the cast.
Oh, and an observation on AM's comment from Friday about teachers' titles. I have a fairly old-time acquaintance in town whom I see out and about a bit irregularly, both for social and business things. I used to do some tax stuff for his business, and he played with us on a men's C-league basketball team in the '80's. My pal Roy and I ran into him and a group of his buds at a Village of East Davenport saloon one nothing-special Wednesday night last Spring. Roy and I were there to give a friendly needle to a bartenderess who also worked at SB's. When we asked this other acquaintance of mine what the occasion was for his group, he said it was their regular Wednesday night "coaches' meeting". And as to our inquiry about their sport/team, it was, "There's no team. We're just coaches." Roy and I were impressed.
Hope eveyone has a great day.
Be careful out there.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Friday
Not much of a blog today.
The last true Friday of the Summer. It would be nice if the cast was off.
BCOT
The last true Friday of the Summer. It would be nice if the cast was off.
BCOT
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Thursday
I, of course, know nothing. Generally. But in particular, about the aged clarinet.
Yesterday I sent my first note to 1 after the wedding, and needed to consult with Mom to confirm use of the new last name on the envelope. Co-incidentally, 1 sent out an email today to remind everyone that her school address in our email books needed to be changed since she had made the name change in the school's system.
I think that the reality of a daughter assuming the name of her new husband could be a Craig Wilson topic. His direct experience may be suspect, but that never has been much of an impediment to a columnist with the germ of an idea for a story. I don't know if he and his partner have kids, or if one member of a gay couple assumes the name of the other. But that's a whole different kettle of fish that I'll leave for another day.
Anyway. Back to 1 now being Mrs. 1.1. I really hadn't thought much about the point until I began writing her name on the envelope. It was a little strange. I actually thought more intuitively about it then than I did while walking her down the aisle last month. Wisdom suggests that daughters will always be their Dad's little girls. Wisdom is probably right.
On a distant, but related point, I think we always remember women by the last name that we originally knew them. Think cousins, nieces, sister-in-laws, etc. Sue Ryan? (If relatives were not close geographically in the growing-up years, then a married name will stick since the maiden name may never truly have been in common use.) Grade school and high school classmates are the same way. Actually, I need to go to the old yearbooks to remember any name from back then, first or last.
If this concept is taken out a little further on the philosophical curve, you can discuss the reality of a promoted military officer, particularly those 2nd Louie's, still being considered at the lower rank by his/her troops if he/she has remained with the same outfit. I suppose that the same reality exists in any workplace. A line guy becomes the foreman. A teacher becomes the principal. An agent becomes the manager of many agents.
4 is back through town tonight on her way to C-town for the weekend. It's Hawkeye Day at Wrigley Field tomorrow. The Iowa AD tosses out the first pitch. I wonder if Herky will lip-sync "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" for the seventh inning stretch? 4 will be going to that game, and then to the Iowa football game at Soldier Field on Saturday where they will meet Northern Illinois in a clash of mediocrity.
2 and I will venture in to C-town Sunday morning to join with 3 and 4 for a deferred Father's Day celebration on Sunday. The plan was originally to go to the Cub's game, but I think we have all concluded that we can save the $$$'s from the tickets and just hang out at the Wrigleyville establishments and watch the game on TV.
As an equal opportunity blog, good luck to the Clones on their big game(?) with Kent tonight. I don't think that it's Clark Kent. But I've been wrong before. (I actually played a game or two at Kent State in another lifetime. Before the National Guard arrived.)
BCOT
Yesterday I sent my first note to 1 after the wedding, and needed to consult with Mom to confirm use of the new last name on the envelope. Co-incidentally, 1 sent out an email today to remind everyone that her school address in our email books needed to be changed since she had made the name change in the school's system.
I think that the reality of a daughter assuming the name of her new husband could be a Craig Wilson topic. His direct experience may be suspect, but that never has been much of an impediment to a columnist with the germ of an idea for a story. I don't know if he and his partner have kids, or if one member of a gay couple assumes the name of the other. But that's a whole different kettle of fish that I'll leave for another day.
Anyway. Back to 1 now being Mrs. 1.1. I really hadn't thought much about the point until I began writing her name on the envelope. It was a little strange. I actually thought more intuitively about it then than I did while walking her down the aisle last month. Wisdom suggests that daughters will always be their Dad's little girls. Wisdom is probably right.
On a distant, but related point, I think we always remember women by the last name that we originally knew them. Think cousins, nieces, sister-in-laws, etc. Sue Ryan? (If relatives were not close geographically in the growing-up years, then a married name will stick since the maiden name may never truly have been in common use.) Grade school and high school classmates are the same way. Actually, I need to go to the old yearbooks to remember any name from back then, first or last.
If this concept is taken out a little further on the philosophical curve, you can discuss the reality of a promoted military officer, particularly those 2nd Louie's, still being considered at the lower rank by his/her troops if he/she has remained with the same outfit. I suppose that the same reality exists in any workplace. A line guy becomes the foreman. A teacher becomes the principal. An agent becomes the manager of many agents.
4 is back through town tonight on her way to C-town for the weekend. It's Hawkeye Day at Wrigley Field tomorrow. The Iowa AD tosses out the first pitch. I wonder if Herky will lip-sync "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" for the seventh inning stretch? 4 will be going to that game, and then to the Iowa football game at Soldier Field on Saturday where they will meet Northern Illinois in a clash of mediocrity.
2 and I will venture in to C-town Sunday morning to join with 3 and 4 for a deferred Father's Day celebration on Sunday. The plan was originally to go to the Cub's game, but I think we have all concluded that we can save the $$$'s from the tickets and just hang out at the Wrigleyville establishments and watch the game on TV.
As an equal opportunity blog, good luck to the Clones on their big game(?) with Kent tonight. I don't think that it's Clark Kent. But I've been wrong before. (I actually played a game or two at Kent State in another lifetime. Before the National Guard arrived.)
BCOT
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Tuesday
The new cast is only marginally better than the previous one. I can at least put my thumb and index finger together. Two more weeks of "healing".
Another hot one here. 90+ with August humidity. But a front is supposed to come through this evening to get us back into cooler sleeping weather.
Today's topic is inspired by a column in this morning's USA Today Life section that went to some lengths to characterize runners as "running bores". Personally, due to the crowd that I associate with, I hear more from "golfing bores", "biking bores", and "traveling bores". Even more to the point, albeit with no athletic reference, I've bored clients about tax codes and regulations my entire professional life.
In our "grown-up" lives, we tend to participate in physical activities that are more fitness oriented than competitive. (Granted, those golf scores do incent even the worst of the hacks.) The focus is not so much about winning or losing as it is on accomplishment. But being human, there tends to be a need to receive due recognition for our accomplishments. I know that I proudly displayed my half-marathon medals in my office for months after the events. A little pride is okay, but the author of today's article accurately points out that most of these personal testimonials are of marginal interest to the listener.
For what it's worth, I am delighted to hear of these exploits by the girls, whatever the activity. I think we all make exceptions for family that we might not for even the best of friends. And as for mere acquaintances? Where's the exit?!
I do think that we all talk too much about ourselves. Our own likes and dislikes, our own schedules and travails, The World According to Me.
One of the best compliments that a person can receive is that they are a good listener. This is to be distinguished from the quiet listener, who is simply waiting for you to stop talking so that he/she can set the record straight with their own version of whatever the topic. That standard was set for me by a college roommate with whom I had many late-night debates on various subjects. As I spoke my piece, I could almost see through his eyes into a mind that was digesting my commentary, and occasionally, very occasionally, he would agree with me. I always felt like he listened, regardless of how far apart we were philosophically.
This whole business of "bores" is not new, of course. How many panels have we seen Dagwood in over the years, dying to get away from a night at the neighbors' whose entertainment for the evening was home movies of their family vacation? Or Hagar's fleeing the hut to avoid Helga's mother? I venture to guess that we all have our own examples of the classic, awful conversation. The old, "Gosh, silly me. Here I am droning on. I'm tired of talking about me. Why don't you talk about me for a while?"
I may have suggested this before, but it's worth a re-run. If you catch yourself being a "fill-in-the-blank bore", remember what it's like to hear (or read) me talk about NASCAR!!
Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
Another hot one here. 90+ with August humidity. But a front is supposed to come through this evening to get us back into cooler sleeping weather.
Today's topic is inspired by a column in this morning's USA Today Life section that went to some lengths to characterize runners as "running bores". Personally, due to the crowd that I associate with, I hear more from "golfing bores", "biking bores", and "traveling bores". Even more to the point, albeit with no athletic reference, I've bored clients about tax codes and regulations my entire professional life.
In our "grown-up" lives, we tend to participate in physical activities that are more fitness oriented than competitive. (Granted, those golf scores do incent even the worst of the hacks.) The focus is not so much about winning or losing as it is on accomplishment. But being human, there tends to be a need to receive due recognition for our accomplishments. I know that I proudly displayed my half-marathon medals in my office for months after the events. A little pride is okay, but the author of today's article accurately points out that most of these personal testimonials are of marginal interest to the listener.
For what it's worth, I am delighted to hear of these exploits by the girls, whatever the activity. I think we all make exceptions for family that we might not for even the best of friends. And as for mere acquaintances? Where's the exit?!
I do think that we all talk too much about ourselves. Our own likes and dislikes, our own schedules and travails, The World According to Me.
One of the best compliments that a person can receive is that they are a good listener. This is to be distinguished from the quiet listener, who is simply waiting for you to stop talking so that he/she can set the record straight with their own version of whatever the topic. That standard was set for me by a college roommate with whom I had many late-night debates on various subjects. As I spoke my piece, I could almost see through his eyes into a mind that was digesting my commentary, and occasionally, very occasionally, he would agree with me. I always felt like he listened, regardless of how far apart we were philosophically.
This whole business of "bores" is not new, of course. How many panels have we seen Dagwood in over the years, dying to get away from a night at the neighbors' whose entertainment for the evening was home movies of their family vacation? Or Hagar's fleeing the hut to avoid Helga's mother? I venture to guess that we all have our own examples of the classic, awful conversation. The old, "Gosh, silly me. Here I am droning on. I'm tired of talking about me. Why don't you talk about me for a while?"
I may have suggested this before, but it's worth a re-run. If you catch yourself being a "fill-in-the-blank bore", remember what it's like to hear (or read) me talk about NASCAR!!
Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Monday
Quite the set of comments from yesterday. Must be lots of boredom out there.
I go back in to see the doc in the AM on my thumb. I am sooo tired of this cast! I think that the scheduled protocol is to re-cast it for another three weeks. I may go off the deep end by then.
This experience has the same psychological stresses associated with a natural right-hander trying to learn to shoot lay-ups left-handed. At least with that challenge, you don't have to master miniature motor skills. This business of opposable thumbs is probably as critical as higher intellect in the progression of homo sapiens.
2 should probably lead us in a discussion on footwear. I think that I fall into that "Old Folks" category where shoes are something to shelter your feet from the elements. You have your weekday shoes, your Sunday church shoes, your gym shoes, and some knock-arounds. Maybe some Winter boots. Maybe both brown and black weekday shoes. Maybe sandals for the Summer. And in my case, biking shoes.
Fashion may not be my strong suit. But that's not much of a secret, is it?
BCOT
I go back in to see the doc in the AM on my thumb. I am sooo tired of this cast! I think that the scheduled protocol is to re-cast it for another three weeks. I may go off the deep end by then.
This experience has the same psychological stresses associated with a natural right-hander trying to learn to shoot lay-ups left-handed. At least with that challenge, you don't have to master miniature motor skills. This business of opposable thumbs is probably as critical as higher intellect in the progression of homo sapiens.
2 should probably lead us in a discussion on footwear. I think that I fall into that "Old Folks" category where shoes are something to shelter your feet from the elements. You have your weekday shoes, your Sunday church shoes, your gym shoes, and some knock-arounds. Maybe some Winter boots. Maybe both brown and black weekday shoes. Maybe sandals for the Summer. And in my case, biking shoes.
Fashion may not be my strong suit. But that's not much of a secret, is it?
BCOT
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sunday
Last night was a return of great sleeping weather. High 50's, low 60's, little humidity. Kind of like Tahoe, although those low temps get a little lower up there.
I know that everyone enjoyed 3's extended comment Friday about the costs/benefits/future value of SB's coffee. I find it interesting that SB's is one of the few cross/generational intersection points on our life curves. When you are talking about people with as much as 30 or more years of age differences, specific points in common are fairly scarce. Of course, the more "big picture" the point, the easier to find common ground.
People may enjoy reading, but they probably enjoy different writers. They may enjoy travel, but probably to different places. Leisure/fitness activities. Food/drink/cooking. Clothing. Etc. Etc. Etc.
But if you take a multi generational group, analyzing those intersection points is a worthy mental exercise. SB's is one of those anywhere/anytime commonalities that makes me feel a connection with the fam. On any given day, I know that it is likely that one or more of my girls, probably my sister, and certainly a couple of other close personal friends will be going through a similar line at a similar store somewhere in the country (or world, at times), for their daily dose of coffee and culture. And when they leave that store, their curve takes them off on their own path for the day.
Tahoe is a little like that for us too. Different in that we all physically get to the same location for decidedly leisure activities. But there is enough there that we can occupy ourselves a bit differently. And when we are not there, a casual conversation (among ourselves or with others) about a previous or future visit brings instant appreciation for a shared experience.
The concept here is that it's not about memories. Everyone has warm places in our hearts about the good times, with families and/or friends, like at a wedding or a reunion. There is an "interactive" element to this idea. That the connectivity item is current and/or future oriented. There is the anticipation that more good things will come because the story is not fully written. More chapters are to come.
Dare I say, 4000 Days?
Enough of the thoughtful stuff. I'm off in Margret for my monthly trip to my favorite store (not!) to stock up on consumables. 2 is over later for a cookout. Domestic chores and a workout later. It's gonna be a great day!
BCOT
I know that everyone enjoyed 3's extended comment Friday about the costs/benefits/future value of SB's coffee. I find it interesting that SB's is one of the few cross/generational intersection points on our life curves. When you are talking about people with as much as 30 or more years of age differences, specific points in common are fairly scarce. Of course, the more "big picture" the point, the easier to find common ground.
People may enjoy reading, but they probably enjoy different writers. They may enjoy travel, but probably to different places. Leisure/fitness activities. Food/drink/cooking. Clothing. Etc. Etc. Etc.
But if you take a multi generational group, analyzing those intersection points is a worthy mental exercise. SB's is one of those anywhere/anytime commonalities that makes me feel a connection with the fam. On any given day, I know that it is likely that one or more of my girls, probably my sister, and certainly a couple of other close personal friends will be going through a similar line at a similar store somewhere in the country (or world, at times), for their daily dose of coffee and culture. And when they leave that store, their curve takes them off on their own path for the day.
Tahoe is a little like that for us too. Different in that we all physically get to the same location for decidedly leisure activities. But there is enough there that we can occupy ourselves a bit differently. And when we are not there, a casual conversation (among ourselves or with others) about a previous or future visit brings instant appreciation for a shared experience.
The concept here is that it's not about memories. Everyone has warm places in our hearts about the good times, with families and/or friends, like at a wedding or a reunion. There is an "interactive" element to this idea. That the connectivity item is current and/or future oriented. There is the anticipation that more good things will come because the story is not fully written. More chapters are to come.
Dare I say, 4000 Days?
Enough of the thoughtful stuff. I'm off in Margret for my monthly trip to my favorite store (not!) to stock up on consumables. 2 is over later for a cookout. Domestic chores and a workout later. It's gonna be a great day!
BCOT
Friday, August 24, 2007
Friday
I am humbled by 3's comments. She and 4 are both capable of producing such enjoyable content with seemingly little effort. It's a gift.
I think I'll let the readers be the blog for today. It's Friday anyway.
BCOT
I think I'll let the readers be the blog for today. It's Friday anyway.
BCOT
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Thursday
Another day of rain. Sounds like lots of folks in the Midwest have been hit with 100 year water.
We bit the bullet here at the office and are in the midst of a two-day project to replace the carpet in the common areas of the second floor. After nearly eighteen years of innumerable coffee spills, mud-traffic-ing, and commercial wear and tear, the original carpeting was an embarrassment. The installers are pretty efficient, but it is a bit chaotic and a little hard to ignore. The new design will be a real breath of fresh air.
As a practical matter, spending this money will have a zero positive impact on our revenue. It will be a cash outflow with no related income effect. I guess it can be best described as a quality of business life issue. I know that I spend money on mass-marketing things that have little direct effect on the development of my securities business. And I rationalize that I need to do those things to achieve broad acceptance in the local business environment. But you need to be careful on how much of that that you do, when direct marketing to specific prospective customers may yield better results.
There was an Internet piece today on the little things that individuals can do to save hundreds of dollars annually. Think SB's coffee. Think premium cable/dish channels. Think bottled water. How about the daily paper? This list could be a long one. There was another story to the other extreme, that I did not read, about a girl who didn't buy anything for a month.
How you choose in these smaller decision points can certainly impact the financial health of your business and/or personal life. Maybe not so much if you have significant assets or a substantial income. But if you have to watch your checking account to stay on the positive side of things, a few hundred dollars here and a few hundred dollars, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.
On the business side, I think that it is valid that you have to spend money to make money. But I think that I too often forget that my best clients came to me not by way of an ad in the business section, but rather by an introduction from a friend or client.
We should have 3 do a future value calculation of saving rather than spending for a daily SB's libation. My only consolation is that being so old, my long term loss will be nothing compared to the projected foregone retirement accumulation of the younger set.
I'm rambling. Suffice it to say, I again lost out on Powerball.
BCOT
We bit the bullet here at the office and are in the midst of a two-day project to replace the carpet in the common areas of the second floor. After nearly eighteen years of innumerable coffee spills, mud-traffic-ing, and commercial wear and tear, the original carpeting was an embarrassment. The installers are pretty efficient, but it is a bit chaotic and a little hard to ignore. The new design will be a real breath of fresh air.
As a practical matter, spending this money will have a zero positive impact on our revenue. It will be a cash outflow with no related income effect. I guess it can be best described as a quality of business life issue. I know that I spend money on mass-marketing things that have little direct effect on the development of my securities business. And I rationalize that I need to do those things to achieve broad acceptance in the local business environment. But you need to be careful on how much of that that you do, when direct marketing to specific prospective customers may yield better results.
There was an Internet piece today on the little things that individuals can do to save hundreds of dollars annually. Think SB's coffee. Think premium cable/dish channels. Think bottled water. How about the daily paper? This list could be a long one. There was another story to the other extreme, that I did not read, about a girl who didn't buy anything for a month.
How you choose in these smaller decision points can certainly impact the financial health of your business and/or personal life. Maybe not so much if you have significant assets or a substantial income. But if you have to watch your checking account to stay on the positive side of things, a few hundred dollars here and a few hundred dollars, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.
On the business side, I think that it is valid that you have to spend money to make money. But I think that I too often forget that my best clients came to me not by way of an ad in the business section, but rather by an introduction from a friend or client.
We should have 3 do a future value calculation of saving rather than spending for a daily SB's libation. My only consolation is that being so old, my long term loss will be nothing compared to the projected foregone retirement accumulation of the younger set.
I'm rambling. Suffice it to say, I again lost out on Powerball.
BCOT
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Wednesday
The sub-prime mortgage market still dominates most business news stories. At least a couple dozen small-ish mortgage companies have filed for bankruptcy, and units at some of the bigger finance companies have been shut down. More blood will be let in the weeks and months ahead.
There was a time within the last 3-4 years when we considered establishing a relationship with a mortgage company to offer mortgages to our accounting firm customers. The creative stuff being done with mortgages back then had just tons of refinancing being done, and there was money to be made by the originator on each refi file. Brokers were so busy that they added staff and worked evening hours. It was a classic example of "making hay while the sun shines".
My guess is that most of the people whom we would have encountered in our practice for that service would not have been "sub-prime" borrowers. But who knows what may turn up in the wake of this mess? What we haven't seen yet are the sharks in the water (read: attorneys) looking for their cut in the legal boom that is sure to come.
A little bit of Garth Brooks applies to our situation here: "Thank God for Unanswered Prayers". In this case, my lack of commitment (or motivation) became my savior from what could have been just more headaches.
In another matter related to strategic planning, I spoke for about a half hour today with the 24 year old daughter of a client who is now thinking about heading back to grad school to become a CPA. She has a Business undergraduate degree, so with a CPA now being required to have 150 hours to obtain the certificate, she can do a Masters' program in a year and a half. My friend/client had asked me to speak with her when I had made an eyebrow raising face to him when he had told me of her plans.
My advice to her was to make sure that there was enjoyment and a plan in pursuing the program. Debits and credits never inspired me. The tax work was intuitively challenging for many years, and I enjoyed the game-theory of substantiating favorable tax treatment for clients. In recent years, I have found investment services/planning a much more interesting and rewarding area of study. Accounting was certainly the base that allowed me to have options later in life. If you are going to run your own business, or work in a key role within a business, a good understanding of accounting is a necessity.
In the end, I wished her good luck, and then apologized to her for rambling and preaching. It's kind of like reading this blog.
There are all kinds of other items to confirm that I have established my place among the aged, but I think that the number of different doctors whom I have visited in the last six weeks takes any doubt out of the question. GP. Urologist. Orthopedist. Dermatologist. Plus the various lab techs, physician's assistants, nurses, etc. Plus the Gastro guy whom I will be seeing soon for his 5-year look-see. I used to describe myself as "generally healthy".
So have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
There was a time within the last 3-4 years when we considered establishing a relationship with a mortgage company to offer mortgages to our accounting firm customers. The creative stuff being done with mortgages back then had just tons of refinancing being done, and there was money to be made by the originator on each refi file. Brokers were so busy that they added staff and worked evening hours. It was a classic example of "making hay while the sun shines".
My guess is that most of the people whom we would have encountered in our practice for that service would not have been "sub-prime" borrowers. But who knows what may turn up in the wake of this mess? What we haven't seen yet are the sharks in the water (read: attorneys) looking for their cut in the legal boom that is sure to come.
A little bit of Garth Brooks applies to our situation here: "Thank God for Unanswered Prayers". In this case, my lack of commitment (or motivation) became my savior from what could have been just more headaches.
In another matter related to strategic planning, I spoke for about a half hour today with the 24 year old daughter of a client who is now thinking about heading back to grad school to become a CPA. She has a Business undergraduate degree, so with a CPA now being required to have 150 hours to obtain the certificate, she can do a Masters' program in a year and a half. My friend/client had asked me to speak with her when I had made an eyebrow raising face to him when he had told me of her plans.
My advice to her was to make sure that there was enjoyment and a plan in pursuing the program. Debits and credits never inspired me. The tax work was intuitively challenging for many years, and I enjoyed the game-theory of substantiating favorable tax treatment for clients. In recent years, I have found investment services/planning a much more interesting and rewarding area of study. Accounting was certainly the base that allowed me to have options later in life. If you are going to run your own business, or work in a key role within a business, a good understanding of accounting is a necessity.
In the end, I wished her good luck, and then apologized to her for rambling and preaching. It's kind of like reading this blog.
There are all kinds of other items to confirm that I have established my place among the aged, but I think that the number of different doctors whom I have visited in the last six weeks takes any doubt out of the question. GP. Urologist. Orthopedist. Dermatologist. Plus the various lab techs, physician's assistants, nurses, etc. Plus the Gastro guy whom I will be seeing soon for his 5-year look-see. I used to describe myself as "generally healthy".
So have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Tuesday
In case you missed it, 1 added a lengthy comment to the Sunday entry.
I had a successful mowing of my yard last night. The overnight rain made my decision to get the cutting done yesterday even more productive. If I had given it another day to grow, I would have had to catch the clippings, which is a lot more work.
Catching the clippings is a concept that relates to the idea that will be the core issue of today's entry. Going green. It's politically correct. It's urged at almost every municipal level. We have curb-side recycling. Yard-waste composting. Ethanol. Biofuels. Laurie David. Al Gore.
On a personal level, we're talking the carbon footprint of my failed tomato garden. I estimate that I harvested a total of 10 tomatoes before I threw in the towel to the rabbits. (Actually, I could take this analysis off on an economic bent, but that would be too easy.) Let's evaluate the carbon energy expended for the "natural" tomato experience:
1. Truck transport to Lowe's to stock the garden store. Plants. Dirt. Etc.
2. My initial car trip to and from Lowe's to buy the plants.
3. My trip to Lowe's last Fall to buy 3 bags of new dirt for the garden.
4. Plastic bags made to package the dirt.
5. Plastic tags to identify the variety of tomato plant.
6. Packaging for StaGro fertilizer.
7. Paper yard waste bags to send failed plants to community compost.
8. Compost truck gas/oil for curb-side pick-up.
9. Three months of every-other-day watering by garden hose.
10. Water from my shower after planting the tomatoes.
11. I could go on. And on.
For 10 tomatoes.
Okay. The marginal carbon footprint for each of the above items may not be significant enough to measure on any scale. So where is the veritable "tipping point"? When does an individual doing something or not doing something actually matter to the whole? How do you get there? How do you legislate globally when the level of interests are so varied? If the citizenry of California all elected to ride bicycles, would that offset the pollution or other detriments of the South Americans clear-cutting and burning the rain forests? (Fortunately, there's talk of a new rain forest outside Iowa City. But that discussion will have to wait for another day.)
True garden-fresh tomatoes are of high value. Any politicaly correct carbon footprint has to allow for variances. Those red ovular cardboard things that they sell in stores will make even an environmentalist grimace. I see a Tomato Exception sailing through both Houses.
Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
I had a successful mowing of my yard last night. The overnight rain made my decision to get the cutting done yesterday even more productive. If I had given it another day to grow, I would have had to catch the clippings, which is a lot more work.
Catching the clippings is a concept that relates to the idea that will be the core issue of today's entry. Going green. It's politically correct. It's urged at almost every municipal level. We have curb-side recycling. Yard-waste composting. Ethanol. Biofuels. Laurie David. Al Gore.
On a personal level, we're talking the carbon footprint of my failed tomato garden. I estimate that I harvested a total of 10 tomatoes before I threw in the towel to the rabbits. (Actually, I could take this analysis off on an economic bent, but that would be too easy.) Let's evaluate the carbon energy expended for the "natural" tomato experience:
1. Truck transport to Lowe's to stock the garden store. Plants. Dirt. Etc.
2. My initial car trip to and from Lowe's to buy the plants.
3. My trip to Lowe's last Fall to buy 3 bags of new dirt for the garden.
4. Plastic bags made to package the dirt.
5. Plastic tags to identify the variety of tomato plant.
6. Packaging for StaGro fertilizer.
7. Paper yard waste bags to send failed plants to community compost.
8. Compost truck gas/oil for curb-side pick-up.
9. Three months of every-other-day watering by garden hose.
10. Water from my shower after planting the tomatoes.
11. I could go on. And on.
For 10 tomatoes.
Okay. The marginal carbon footprint for each of the above items may not be significant enough to measure on any scale. So where is the veritable "tipping point"? When does an individual doing something or not doing something actually matter to the whole? How do you get there? How do you legislate globally when the level of interests are so varied? If the citizenry of California all elected to ride bicycles, would that offset the pollution or other detriments of the South Americans clear-cutting and burning the rain forests? (Fortunately, there's talk of a new rain forest outside Iowa City. But that discussion will have to wait for another day.)
True garden-fresh tomatoes are of high value. Any politicaly correct carbon footprint has to allow for variances. Those red ovular cardboard things that they sell in stores will make even an environmentalist grimace. I see a Tomato Exception sailing through both Houses.
Have a great evening.
Be careful out there.
Monday, August 20, 2007
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